The United States has a visually stunning history of documenting its natural lands. In the late 1800s, Hudson River School painters captured national parks in the west (National Park Service, 2017). Ansel Adams is famously known for his rich black-and-white photographs of Yosemite and other national parks from the 1920s. In the 1930s, the Works…

The Fayum mummy portraits from ancient Greco-Roman Egypt are exceptional in that they are the only surviving classical (ancient Greek and Roman) panel paintings from antiquity and are antecedents of Byzantine icons. Moreover, they hold important implications for art educators regarding multicultural education. They spotlight an exemplary pathway…

Instructors who teach introductory art studio courses face the task of covering large quantities of diverse content in a short amount of time. Developing material and technical knowledge requires time-consuming practice. Yet these courses are essential for launching a relational studio practice embedded in critical thinking. The awkward leap from…

This article explores how the notion of a serendipitous curriculum relates to young children's artmaking events in an early childhood center in the Midwest. A new materialist theoretical lens is used that not only considers the agency and action of children, but also enables ALL matter within a relation to act. In doing so, it offers a way to…

Art educators can be reluctant to study graffiti with their students, commonly citing that the practice of graffiti art is rooted in illegal vandalism. While this is true for a large amount of graffiti, today, graffiti art is also often completely legal in the form of murals, commissioned pieces, works in galleries, billboards, logo designs, and…

This instructional article focuses on the impact of Alex Garant's art and how it can spark exciting commentary in the classroom. The article features an interview with Alex Garant, information regarding several of Garant's contemporary works, understandings and questions in alignment with the new National Visual Art Standards, and web-based…

This instructional article demonstrates the parallels between the way art is used as forms of celebration and protest in several different cultures. The author provides thought-provoking questions to pose to students, encouraging them to research unfamiliar cultures and draw connections between multi-cultural art and the art the students create.

With a growing societal awareness of the importance of getting students outside as part of the school day, students and teachers alike are discovering the joys of taking art class outside. Drawing on natural and built environments in their local community, many art teachers are turning to their own school gardens as a fertile site for inquiry,…

In an effort to facilitate an environment that values learner-centered artmaking with student-driven outcomes, the author decided to implement a unit that she researched using qualitative methods. In the unit, "Painting Without Paintbrushes," 1st-graders crafted and used nontraditional tools as paint applicators. During the unit,…

The "Beyond Perceptions" collaborative visual art project, an ongoing initiative by the Indianapolis Art Center, provided opportunities for high school students to engage with homeless individuals through partnerships with people and organizations in the community who serve this marginalized group. These experiences challenged…

Place-based education incorporates local communities into school curriculum, recognizing the importance of local traditions, communities, and ecosystems, and emphasizing content that has reference to community life and local ecology. One elementary art teacher worked to connect place to her own artistic identity and to her work teaching elementary…

As defined by the Kennedy Center, arts integration is "an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both" (Silverstein & Layne, 2010). In arts integrated…

Art educators can "critique" senseless violence--mistreatment, exclusion, intimidation, bullying, violation, abuse, corruption, murder, and war--by unleashing the power of students' creativity. In this article, the author, sharing her philosophical context, discusses how art is preventative medicine with the power to transform the cycle…

Adolescents face complex dilemmas such as challenging issues of identity and self-concept, and struggles with building and maintaining relationships. These issues must be embraced in the art classroom. This Instructional Resource will focus on the concept of brand--connecting visual art, marketing, and psychology--and center on ideas found in the…

Northern Ireland's well-known civil strife between Catholics and Protestants had enjoyed an uneasy peace, but a recent outbreak of new violence in 2010 caused disappointment to these authors. Bernard Conlon and Tom Anderson collaborated on creating a new children's peace mural with the Kids' Guernica Peace Mural Project in West Belfast. This Kids'…