Examines four works of art, created for public spaces, to help students understand the value of public art in the community. Illustrates work by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Siah Armajani, Jackie Ferrara, and Deborah Butterfield. Outlines lesson activities for elementary and secondary students. (KM)

Presents six position statements for developing a multicultural arts curriculum. Suggests strategies for implementing curricula and resources for gathering community information. Provides examples of implementation, including a sample interview to use with artists and sample questions to ask students when analyzing works of art. (KM)

Presents lesson plans for grades K-3 based on 4 well-known paintings Discusses historical background and cultural impact of the paintings. Provides student activities and assessment suggestions. (CFR)

Describes how children six years and older can create plaster friezes. Children were first shown examples and then drew plans before creating their own friezes. (KM)

Describes how artist Betye Saar collects technological debris that she manipulates to create her artwork. Compares her work with African art which has a long history of transforming materials from the environment into symbols and objects. Suggests activities for students to create art with debris from their environment. (KM)

Describes a Chemistry and Art project developed for secondary students and teachers sponsored by the National Gallery and The Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. Discusses aspects of the techniques used in creating five paintings as well as the chemistry involved in their making, deterioration, conservation, and restoration.…

Provides information on Penelope Siopis and offers a list of activities that can accompany the study of Siopis and her painting "Unrequited." Includes a reproduction of "Unrequited" and a detailed discussion on the painting itself, addressing her techniques, her various influences, and the painting's subject matter. (CMK)

Presents a collection of activities that teach upper-elementary and middle school students about narrative devices, methods or formats that artists use to tell stories. Includes the reproductions of the artworks, background information, discussion questions, activities, and evaluation. Provides a final activity and discussion for the entire…

Provides background information on Grant Wood who was a Regional artist. Includes a list of various activities and a reproduction of Wood's painting "Spring Turning." Explores the characteristics of Wood's art that appear in this painting, such as stylization and the use of landscape views high above normal eye level. (CMK)

Discusses a fresco assignment taught during a workshop for an art history class where students created their own fresco paintings. Provides background information on the fresco technique and the materials that are used. Describes the process of creating the frescos and lists the needed materials. (CMK)

Presents an art assignment for beginning painting students in which they paint a self-portrait in the style of the German expressionists and intimate the mood through colors. Explains that the students viewed color reproductions of work by German expressionists and aspects of art history related to the German expressionists. (CMK)

Presents a three-dimensional art project for middle-school students in which they create sculptures of plaster cloth and wire. The introduction explains that they learn about Alexander Calder, a master of using wire in art. Discusses how to make the sculptures. (CMK)

Focuses on henna, a natural reddish dye that is applied to hair, nails, feet, and hands. Provides a brief history and description of henna. Discusses how henna is applied, the importance of patience when using henna, and how students can create their own "Henna Salon." (CMK)

Provides an art project for use with eighth-grade students, who choose a work of art and recreate it in an interpretive and informative manner. Explains that students re-create the background of the artwork and then the students become a part of the painting via characters or objects. (CMK)

Provides information on papermaking and discusses two methods that students can use. States that papermaking can be a multidisciplinary project, including history and social studies, and a way to teach about recycling. (CMK)