Many art educators believe that creativity is fundamental to artistic practice and, therefore, the art classroom is one of the best places for its cultivation. Indeed, there is a renewed and growing interest in creativity in art education today. Learning that takes place in art practice also is receiving significant attention. The concurrent…

While planning a print-making unit for her ninth-grade class, the author was looking for a way to extend a project beyond the usual boundaries to incorporate each student's personality. She also wanted to add a three-dimensional element. Her original project involved creating a linoleum block print of each student's face. In this article, the…

At-risk students who have struggled to find success in school are often not easily motivated, but they are drawn to nontraditional or offbeat art and any opportunity that offers them the chance to speak their mind. Using a somewhat obscure and ancient art form called micrography, the author describes how he uses this art form in his class to…

A thematic approach toward teaching art is integral because it serves as art for life's sake. Ecology of place, which is a main theme, defines relationships between plants, animals, people, and their environment. Sub-themes include recycling, pollution, acid rain, and global warming. As collage is an excellent artistic avenue for visual…

A visual and theatrical exercise anchored in the Grades 11 and 12 Ontario Curriculum for Media Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies was enacted and recorded as individual experiences of each participant. The event was re-mastered in a graphic representation that depicts the forces, pushes and pulls of curriculum and students' needs which educators…

Many high-school students today are aware of the state of the U.S., as well as the state of neighboring countries. Their views and opinions are often heard in conversation and debate, so the author decided to allow high-school juniors and seniors in her advanced art class to explore a contemporary issue through artistic expression. She began with…

In this article, the author describes how her eleventh- and twelfth-grade portfolio class used art as a social concern through a sketchbook and a linoleum print. Students thumbed through copies of the "New York Times" to find an article that described a modern-day social concern. Students were assigned to choose an article, summarize it, and come…

Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), author of "Out of Africa," said, "God made the world round so people would never be able to see too far down the road." The author embraced this wonderful thought by venturing on a three-week journey to Kenya and Tanzania in search of grand adventure. In this article, the author shares her adventure…

As the nation's first standards-based art event, the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) is opening doors and creating opportunities for art students. VASE is the brainchild of passionate art educators who believe that high-school artists have potential far beyond the basic juried art exhibition. They believe that students should be able to create…

Every graphic design course has a unit of instruction that focuses on logo design. It is an interesting exercise to have students relate why they recognize certain trademarks or symbols. In this article, the author describes an assignment that examines logos. For this assignment, students were asked to make a visual inventory of at least five…

It seems like everybody's "going green" these days. People do what they can to save the environment. Their cars are greener, their buildings are greener, even their clothes are greener. But what about going "brown"? It's cheap, it's readily available, and it has endless uses--especially in art. It's cardboard. The author describes a project that…

The sculptures of Canadian artist Brian Jungen are a great inspiration for a lesson on creating new forms. Jungen transforms found objects into unique creations without fully concealing their original form or purpose. Frank Stella's sculpture series, including "K.132,2007" made of stainless steel and spray paint, is another great example of…

The Senufo people create paintings on hand-woven fabric using natural fibers, natural dyes made from leaves, and mud dug from the roots of trees. The fabric of the Senufo is woven in strips approximately six-to-eight inches wide, and sewn together to make a larger fabric for painting. The stylized drawings painted on the cloth are of masked…

Visitors to the campus of Orland High School (OHS) will never question that they have stepped into a world of the masses: kids, activity, personalities, busyness, and playfulness--a veritable cloud of mild bedlam. The wall of ceramic faces that greets a visitor in the school office is another reminder of the organized chaos that the teachers…

Art and science are sometimes viewed as opposing subjects, but are united in many ways. With an increased awareness of the benefits of interdisciplinary studies in education, it is desirable to show students how different subjects impact one another. Visual arts are greatly connected to chemistry in several ways. Pigments are usually synthetically…