Art educators are concerned with exposing their students to contemporary art making practices. They aim to create fresh lessons that expand their understandings of art in today's world while highlighting the importance of imagination. With a personal interest in performance and street art (art forms that have gained popularity in recent years),…

Educators are concerned about what their students are learning in their interaction and participation in the digital culture. For art educators specifically, the digital and new media practices youth engage in raise other important questions: When contributing to the digital culture, what are they creating? What are the aesthetic qualities of the…

In this article, the authors discuss mixed-media projects done with elementary students in a summer art camp and preservice elementary teachers taking Visual Arts in the Elementary Classroom, illustrating their consideration of how stories carry the curricular potential to bring students' out-of-school experiences into the classroom. In order…

Educators hope that the impact teaching and curriculum have on students extends far beyond the classroom, making practical connections to daily life. Powerful myths about where art happens, who participates in the art world, and the communities that judge art, however, can cause feelings of exclusion, where even formally trained artists can feel…

What is the relationship between student teachers' studio art practice and pedagogy during the student teaching experience? What are the benefits of reflecting on connections between art teaching and artmaking after the student teaching experience? In developing one's art practice, art educators build conceptual frameworks for curriculum with…

This article describes how High School Visual Arts Teacher Jethro Gillespie built a portable art gallery for his students--essentially an 8-foot cube made from plywood and lightweight boards that can be assembled with bolts and taken apart in sections. The ceiling pieces of the gallery have track lights, the interior walls have been painted gray,…

Viewing YouTube culture as a creative, collaborative process similar to animal swarms can help art educators understand and embrace youth's digital practices. School-age youth are among the most prolific contributors to YouTube, not just as viewers, but also as producers. Even preschoolers now produce videos (McClure, 2010). So pervasive,…

This article describes a series of public space projects based on the contemporary practice of interventionist artists who seek to creatively transform spaces and disrupt the ritual of the everyday. Two of the four public space projects were planned for school spaces: (1) a mock marathon during class transitions ("Monthly Meeting Marathon"); and…

For military veterans suffering from the long-term trauma of warfare, arts and crafts become much more than the fabrication of relics; they can literally save the spirit. Dialogue and interaction between the veterans, volunteers, and staff are crucial to the success of veterans' arts and crafts program. The purpose of this research was threefold.…

A quarter of a million schoolchildren participated in the 1981-1982 PTA Reflections Project whose theme was "What Makes Me Smile.""Reflections" was initiated to increase childrens'"hands on" experience in the arts. Twelve entries became winners in the visual arts and were on display at Chicago's Junior Museum. (CS)

Maintains that the cognitive aspects of art education are being emphasized in order to validate art education's place in the curriculum. Argues that the studio approach to art education should be reformed while remaining at the core of art education. Explores the questions of who should teach art education; and how art teachers should be educated.…

Examines the use of holography in the art technology program of a junior high school. Characterizing holography as a valuable artistic experience and discovery experience and stressing the importance of student interest and involvement, the author discusses the necessary equipment for the project and includes two diagrams of a holographic setup.…

Points out that the word "style" can mean how an object is designed or how to identify a particular artist, group, culture, or movement. Illustrates four artworks from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Provides background information and questions for students to analyze, interpret, and create artwork. (KM)

Inquiry-based classroom activities require students to solve problems and answer questions that have more than one possible resolution. These types of activities stimulate critical thinking skills and dispositions in students. PreK-12 art classrooms are rich with opportunity for inquiry-based activities for children and adolescents. This article…

Provides a lesson plan for teaching K-three students to analyze and empathize with a portrait by post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Describes background of the artist and the painting "The Postman Roulin." Suggests instructional strategies, activities, and evaluation methods. Lists bibliographical material relative to van…