The author teaches painting in a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Each fall semester he asks his students why they have come to Pratt and what they want to do when they graduate. The common answer is to develop as artists and find a commercial gallery to show and sell their work. Some want the MFA degree…

Coming up with new projects for students is easy, but finding projects the majority of the children enjoy and do well with is quite another matter. In this article, the author describes how students made an advanced form of finger painting project. This project was inspired by Allen Montague, an artist from North Carolina, who was demonstrating…

Vincent van Gogh's work is universal in today's world. People see it everywhere, from museums to television commercials, and enjoy the visual experiences it gives them. This article describes how students simulated a van Gogh work in their own way using tempera paint.

Neurological studies of the recently discovered mirror neuron system have allowed insights into the important connections between empathy, objects of art and material culture, and human understanding. Such insights reinforce an original connection between aesthetics and empathy, or "Einfuhlung", dating from 1873. Mirror neurons, empathy, and…

In this article, the author presents a checklist of basic materials for two-dimensional activities that are necessary for an elementary-school art program. She also provides a few tips on how to use them.

In this article, the author discusses the different two- and three-dimensional art forms. She also describes the different media that can be used in these art forms.

This article examines the importance of visual culture with regard to its pedagogical applications in the German language classroom. I begin by outlining the benefits and concerns associated with making visual art a part of the curriculum. Next, practical ideas are presented for using paintings in beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses.…

Many of the paintings of 20th-century American artist Philip C. Curtis defy clear classification. Curtis's artworks often show dreamlike and fantastical qualities and are therefore frequently pigeonholed as Surrealistic. While this classification is not completely erroneous, it fails to acknowledge some subtle differences between Curtis's artwork…

This article examines the transition of Chinese painting from "literati painting", exclusive to the scholar-amateur or scholar elite--the backbone of the Chinese traditional culture--to a new genre, "guohua" (national or traditional Chinese painting). It studies the role of artistic institutions in this process, using the…

If there is a truly magic moment in art class, it must be when a student--of any age--attains a working knowledge of color's core principles. At that point, she or he becomes able to consistently create color harmony in any painting, regardless of the subject matter. From then on, that student gains greater confidence, can paint better pictures…

The author describes a project that she developed as a challenge for her students and ended up with some fantastic student paintings. The author told her group of reluctant art students they must first research on the Internet for old, junky cars. The older and more junky the cars, the better. Once a vehicle is selected, it is driven into Adobe…

This compelling collection of inspiring case studies from community arts projects in five countries will inform and inspire students, artists, and activists. "VIVA!" is the product of a five-year transnational research project that integrates place, politics, passion, and praxis. Framed by postcolonial theories of decolonization, the…

During the winter 2007 art education graduate class at Eastern Michigan University, the professor and students experienced a journey as learners and teachers. This article is about their experiences exploring the educational potential of podcasts in teaching, particularly in a constructivist and situated-learning environment. Throughout the…

This article addresses the need to rebalance 21st-century art education for inclusion and integration leading to fuller art engagement in an increasingly visual world. I expand upon the form versus content canon in art and offset the typically predominant use of sensory, formal, or technical qualities in comprehending meaning from, as well as in…

The author and her class used chalk pastels before, in the typical manner with much blending and mixing of color. She felt her high-school class needed to try another technique with no smudging with tissues, no using tortillons (blending stumps), no soft color merging. All too often, young artists blend too many colors together and lose the…