Teaching the author's fifth-grade students a lesson on clothing design was a great way to show them how art and design are part of their everyday lives. It also allowed the students to express their personalities. Clotheslines served as an effective basis for their work. She and her class began by discussing how clothes can tell them about a…

Julie Taymor's costumes and masks for the stage version of "The Lion King" were stunning in the way they combined the dual images of human and animal forms. Taymor visually incorporated the human form of a dancer into the simplified form of the animal character so both are equally visible. This visible duality of human form and animal…

Art instructors are ever mindful of the need to introduce and encourage the possibilities of careers in the art field. The longer the author has been teaching art, the more aware she has become of the many wonderful art-related jobs and careers that exist. Fashion design, marketing and retail are three areas in which many students--male and…

Describes felting as the process of making felt using sheep's wool from fibers without weaving or knitting. Explains that teachers can incorporate felting into a lesson exploring the background behind this process, as an extension of collage or textile arts, as a means to studying abstract art, or in a fashion design unit. (CMK)

Discusses how clothing choices can be a form of art expression in children and young adults and believes that art teachers should encourage such creativity. Describes types of outlets for artistic dress-up that can be used in the classroom. (CMK)

Presents an art project that incorporates art history in which high school students create a still-life drawing of one jacket in four styles. Explains that the first drawing should be in the style of the student, while the other three should be in the styles of three well-known artists. Includes a list of artists. (CMK)

Describes an elementary art project in which students create a "mud cloth." States that the project was inspired by the clothing worn by teachers at the City School District (Rochester, New York). Includes a list of additional resources. (CMK)

Presents an activity with fifth-grade students called "crazy hat portraits" that is the end product of a sequence of lessons. Describes the beginning lessons and lists what the students learn and the time and materials needed for the assignment. (CMK)