Relates pottery making to chemistry by providing chemical information about clay, its origin, composition, properties, and changes that occur during firing; also describes glaze compositions, examples of redox chemistry, salt glazing, crystalline glazes, and problems in toxicity. (CS)

Reviews primary routes of entry and potential hazards related to chemicals commonly found in artists' materials. Tables list the uses and hazards of solvents and airborne particulates and dusts. (CS)

The author presents a unique and innovative art project involving blueprinting, a process in which specially treated paper (Blueline-Blueprint) is exposed to ultraviolet rays. When washed in ammonia, any unexposed designs on the paper turn color, creating a clear, blue and white picture. (Author/SJL)

The author suggests handbuilt slides as an art project for elementary or secondary students. Instructions are given for making slides with found objects, smoke, and magazine lifts. The article is illustrated with several examples of this technique. (SJL)

Gives instructions for student art projects inspired by the work of five famous artists: Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, and Michelangelo. Directions for making art smocks and a display kiosk are also included. (ME)

Presents an elementary art activity that successfully teaches the process of slabbing by having students create fishbowl plaques. Explains the process step-by-step beginning with a demonstration to the students along with showing previous examples. Endorses a type of clay that fires white because the glaze colors are much more vibrant. (CMK)

Interviews David and Cecelia Diaz about David's work as an award-winning illustrator of children's books, their successful illustration/design business, and David's other artistic pursuits. Discusses his illustrating process and its evolution, and the impact of the Caldecott Award. (SR)

Describes a lesson in which students drew their own self-portraits following three criteria: (1) use mixed media; (2) emphasize expressiveness of facial features; and (3) focus on the eyes. Asserts that students were not allowed to use an opaque projector or copy from photographs. Reports the students had difficulty drawing the planes of their…

This brief article describes how a Anne Young taught her students to make a monoprint out of a coffee filter. A monoprint is a one-of-a-kind picture. This lesson taught students to use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner.

Students get excited when they realize that they can transform a flat sheet of paper into a box. By using different sizes of paper, they can make different sizes of boxes and put a box inside a box, inside a box. These magical boxes within boxes can contain unwanted emotions or special treasures. The project described in this article incorporates…

The author of this article, an art teacher, describes a high school studio lesson about sculptural reliefs using Sheetrock. She describes how students can work with and prepare Sheetrock and how they can create a design and transfer it onto the dry Sheetrock plaster. Making repairs to the surface, coloring and finishing, and the tools required are…

In many American schools, class size continues to increase while art budget dollars remain the same or, even worse, decrease. Art educators need to become proactive and creative in procuring art supplies for their classrooms. This may necessitate asking for supplemental funds from the PTA or raising money through fundraising. It may also mean that…

Taking UNESCO's proposal "learning how to live together" as a starting point, we examined to what extent visual education can be used as a tool to promote the aims of intercultural education. We analyzed the power of using artistic images from different cultures to change students' perception of cultural differences, thereby facilitating…

This article describes the development and assessment of a graduate level online art therapy class. An introduction briefly defines art therapy and the need for distance learning in this field. The challenges inherent in teaching art therapy online, including working with art media and developing appropriate interpersonal skills and group…

Investigated the effect of specific clayforming activities on the figural and verbal creativity of first-grade children (N=26) drawn mainly from disadvantaged, minority group backgrounds. The supposition that instruction in clayforming promotes creativity was supported. Imagery is discussed as a possible vehicle for mediating the observed change.…