In this Instructional Resource, Denmead and Brown consider how "Ruffneck Constructivists," an exhibition curated by Kara Walker at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), University of Pennsylvania, can disturb and provoke young creatives and art education more broadly. For this exhibition, Walker draws on the figure that MC Lyte…

Public art takes many forms, including commemorative sculptures, site-specific works, and collaborative murals. Additionally, public art can beautify an urban environment or raise awareness of social issues. Public works of art are a form of discourse and open conversations and dialogue, helping communities work toward unity and empowerment. Using…

Through play, children draw ideas from their own experiences and create exciting works of art. Materials and methods that can be used in the classroom to help children play are described. (CS)

States that the art of recycling has more to do with connecting people with objects, traditions, and rituals than sustaining the natural environment. Discusses some lessons learned in four categories: (1) recycling as self-sufficiency; (2) recycling as renewal; (3) recycling as a spiritual activity; and (4) recycling as aesthetic transformation.…

Discusses the life and artwork of Jack Barker who became a folk artist after running a local gas station in Essex, Illinois. Explains that art educators view student interactions with folk artists like Barker as valuable because these artists embody a creative spirit and a thirst for knowledge about materials and processes. (CMK)

Describes how a teacher can motivate students to be creative by dressing up, performing for them, hiding things, and designing visual experiments. Advocates that art teachers demonstrate that art class is a playful and exciting place to be. Suggests methods to encourage teachers and students to perform. (KM)

Utilizes a 17th-century Italian sculpture and an African fetish figure to illustrate essential qualities and characteristics of figurative sculpture. Points out the extreme differences and the many similarities between the two and offers explanations. Includes a process for leading students through "reading" the sculptures. (MJP)

Examines the nature and future of computer graphics as an art form. Characterizes four basic beliefs about art and considers their relevance to computer graphics. Discusses the special qualities of computer graphics and how they can enrich art instruction. (MJP)

Examines how a discipline-based approach to multicultural art augments multicultural education. Focuses on Native American arts. Illustrates how symbols, colors, natural materials, and methods differ among tribes. Suggests teaching activities, including focusing on a particular artist to raise specific questions about specific symbols. Profiles…

Describes an art project that constructed a realistic model of a frozen prehistoric cadaver including its clothing and tool kit. Originally conceived as a way to introduce students to art materials, ancient history, and different cultures, the project grew to include a traveling exhibit and instructional puppet shows. (MJP)

Provides an introduction and overview of installation art. Installation art challenges the accepted notion of passive viewing and comments on concepts concerning art and the environment by creating spatial environments using natural materials. Describes several student installation art projects and the issues raised by this approach. (MJP)

Recommends asking a basic question "What am I trying to teach?" when considering the use and adaptation of computers in art classes. Suggests testing a system to ascertain possibilities, limitations, and particular characteristics. Maintains that computer art is often simply a starting point for other projects. (MJP)

Presents a lesson plan constructed around several color plates of the artwork of George Szekely. Szekely suggests a playful and open approach to his work and recommends various ways of interpreting and experiencing his art using a variety of senses. His recommendations include slide projectors, word games, and role playing. (MJP)

Summarizes negative aspects of computer technology and problems inherent in the field of digital imaging. Considers the postmodernist response that borrowing and alteration are essential characteristics of the technology. Discusses the implications of this for education and research. (MJP)

Identifies and discusses four instructional strategies that represent important aspects of studio instruction: (1) key ideas related to interpretive meaning; (2) knowledge transfer between the artist and the student; (3) personal connections between students' lives and subject matter; and (4) problem-finding. Includes illustrative examples. (MJP)