Porfirio Salinas has been hailed the best painter of the Texas hill country and its bluebonnets. Born on November 6, 1910, Porfirio's teachers recognized and encouraged his drawing ability. When Porfirio found employment after school in a graphics company that also sold art supplies, he met Robert Wood, recognized for his Texas landscapes, and…

For more than two thousand years, the painted image has been critical to the culture of the West. At the beginning of the 21st century, however, painting sits quietly in a small corner and is, for the most part, ignored. Museums increasingly devote their contemporary exhibition space to "installation art," as opposed to discrete objects…

This paper is part of a research project designed to look at questions of giftedness and exceptional ability in the arts through a case study of three world-class artists. Examination of the childhood art of Picasso, Lautrec, and Klee reveals no common subject preferences nor any real anomalies in graphic development. This paper focuses on the…

Paintings can fulfill many different pedagogical purposes. They can illuminate and bring to life historical events and characters. Paintings and other images can also make students aware of a point of view (the artist's commentary), which enriches and modifies the history they find in books and documents. This article provides examples of teaching…

Chronicles the author's development as an artist. By ignoring external judgments and overcoming personal barriers, she was able to become closer to God, to nature, and to herself. (BJV)

Describes the development and current status of the Explorers Club, and the collections and services of the club library. The collections include the arctic library of Admiral Robert Peary, rare books and records, paintings, and memorabilia. The discussion covers research services offered by the library and preservation of the collections. (CLB)

Examines issues about the representation of children in art during the 18th and 19th centuries: (1) main representations during this period; (2) principal influences affecting the construction of these images; and (3) whether the verbal and visual arts conceptualize childhood in similar or different ways. Looks at three influences on writers and…

Discusses an apparent case of censorship via card catalog indexing in a Florentine research library. The challenge to the authenticity of a fresco by Simone Martini is explained, the ethics of collegiality are considered, and attempts to find redress through various library associations are recounted. (18 references) (LRW)

This annual publication is intended to promote the documentation and study of the folklife of the United States, to share the traditions, values, and activities of U.S. folk culture, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of ideas and issues in folklore and folklife. The articles in this collection are: (1) "Eating in the Belly…

These five annotated reading guides conclude the series developed for courses at the Boston Public Library under the National Endowment for the Humanities Learning Library Program. Images of Boston offers 44 novels and other popular literature to show (1) how Boston is represented in creative writing, (2) how authors depict its physical experience…

Chronicles the life of the author, a Black woman artist, from 1974 to 1979. The essay covers her years in Tampa from 1974-77, her Artist in Residency at Howard University from 1977-78, and her preparations in 1978-79 to leave for Paris, where she would live and work until 1985. (BJV)

Chronicles the career of Faith Ringgold, a Black woman painter, sculptor, and performance artist. An extract from Ringgold's autobiographical narrative, "Being My Own Woman" is included. (BJV)

The 100th anniversary of Ulysses S. Grant's death was observed on July 23, 1985. The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery featured an exhibit of Grant portraiture, which covered his life, from its humble beginnings to military and political triumphs and to failures and disappointment. The exhibit included pictures, artifacts, and momentos from…

The popular art of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody--lithographic posters advertising his Wild West Show and depicting the Indians who performed in it--created the visual image of the American Indian that we have come to know as the Siouan stereotype. By contrast the artists' images of the American Indian were inaccessible to the general…

Provides a picture essay of the history of the Ohio River. Describes paintings and photographs displayed on the "Always a River" barge, a joint state humanities council project focusing on the Ohio River. Explains relationships between art works, artists, and historical change along the river. (CH)