Author Jennifer Bergmark describes an art project with the purpose of providing a collaborative creative experience to break down school-community barriers and provide a space for conversation and community building. A goal for the school where this project took place, Stratton Academy of the Arts, located in Champaign, Illinois, is to create a…

Can a building's ornamentation grow and change? Can it inspire artists, educators, and other scholars to be creative in new ways? In this article, the authors, an instructional faculty team of two studio art professors and the fine arts librarian at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), describe how its collection of Louis H. Sullivan…

Many airports have transformed empty waiting spaces into mini malls, children's play areas, and displays of beautiful art, making a long wait a bit more pleasant. For the modern airport, showcasing art has become an important component, with perks including a built-in global audience, as well as the vast spaces of modern architecture. For the art…

In this article, Miguel Aguilar describes the process of mental preparation he performs before beginning a new graffiti mural. This may include reviewing recent sketches and his lists of color palettes. Aguilar mind maps ideas he wants to connect, thinking about intentions or the goal he wants to accomplish. Aguilar further states "this…

Although virtually all contemporary art teachers list "enhancing creativity" as a key desired outcome of their programs, analysis of lesson plans used in schools suggests that in practice very little curriculum is specifically geared to developing creative abilities. In this paper, the author describes how she developed the curriculum…

In this article the author describes a project in which professors and preservice art educators from Northern Illinois University (NIU) collaborated with teens and members of the DeKalb Latino local community center to create a mural celebrating a traditional Aztec narrative. The mural project involved professors, university students, teenagers…

This article discusses contemporary contextualist curriculum approaches that suggest that both content and meaning can be co-constructed by teachers and learners, can remain flexible and open-ended, and can acknowledge the constant influx of real-life issues that arise in the daily lives of learners. The author, an Assistant Professor of Art…

This lesson plan introduces seventh-ninth graders to Frank Lloyd Wright and shows how nature influenced and inspired the design of his home and studio. Students will: identify natural design elements from the house, apply their awareness of form to their own natural and built environment, and create designs based on natural forms they find…

A comprehensive, well designed approach to curriculum and assessment is fundamental to effective teaching and learning in the field of art education. Exemplary curriculum and assessment is evolving, non-linear, and responsive to students' interests and current events. In this article, the author addresses key components of effective visual arts…

Relates the story of the creation of an exploratory art technology class at Hadley Junior High School (Illinois) and its development over the past decade. Describes the equipment required to conduct the course, resources available for teachers creating similar courses, and student projects. Suggests ways to make the course multidisciplinary. (DSK)