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…

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 Instructional Resources continues our 2004 series on forms of "public art" that included Susan Goetz Zwirn's contribution on images of work in the 1930s (March 2004), Carol Argiro's exploration of public sculpture (July 2004), and Mary Jane Zander's work on WPA post office murals (September 2004). This Instructional Resources explores an art…

The part that words play in teaching art has been underestimated. In a good art class, there is an interplay of ideas about the ongoing work. By using the right words, the teacher can help students develop their creative faculties. (CS)

Based on Charles Burchfield's watercolor, "October Wind and Sunlight in the Woods," the goal of this lesson is to introduce students in grades seven through nine to Burchfield's use of symbolism. (JDH)

Using a color print of Winslow Homer's oil painting, "The Life Line," the goal of this senior high school art lesson is to have students debate the importance of dramatic effect in a work of art. (JDH)

Four art activities are presented. Primary students study "The Family Concert," by Jan Steen (genre painting). Intermediate students analyze "Haymakers, Evening, Eragny," by Camille Pissarro (impressionism). Junior high students study "Girls on a Bridge," by Edvard Munch (expressionism). High school students examine…

Summarizes the lives and pursuits of four U.S. artists: Winslow Homer, John Frederick Peto, George Bellows, and Joan Mitchell. Explains the concepts apparent in the four works of art and shows how the artists created these works through expressing their perceptions of the world around them. Lists questions for further exploration. (CMK)

Compares works selected from the permanent collection of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, an art museum at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. Provides two sets of painting reproductions, information about the artists, transcripts of the telephone-accessed comments for viewers of each set, additional background information, and suggestions for…

An individual's concept of disability depends upon one's experience, based on personal, physical, mental, and emotional knowledge (Linton, 1998; Wendell, 1996). The United Nations (United Nations, 2005) defines disability as any restriction or deficiency of ability to perform within the range of what is considered normal for an individual. A…

Presents a photo essay that visually narrates the workshop that took place in State College, Pennsylvania, from October 19-24, 1998 bringing together middle and high school students with Tim Rollins, who is a conceptual artist and educator, and Kids of Survival (KOS). (CMK)

Describes "the world of the work" as the state of affairs an artist projects, including what is suggested and inferred as well as what is represented directly. Discusses how teaching "the world of the work" concept to preservice art teachers enables them to access the representational content of artworks. (CMK)

Focuses on a video series showing elementary students discovering new approaches to painting. Describes performances and questions that expand children's views on painting, including painting objects, seeing different ideas for the canvas, and exploring new paint brush forms. (CMK)

Presents an instructional resource examining artwork by Charles Burchfield, Utagawa Hiroshige, Childe Hassam, and Georgia O'Keeffe that focuses on nature's four seasons. Offers activities to encourage students' observational skills and guide them to depict their personal views of nature in their own artwork (CMK)

Presents a lesson plan introducing K-3 grade students to visual elements in art and the idea that artists use dreams and fantasies as subjects for their art using Max Ernst's "Tree of Life." Outlines instructional strategies and lesson objectives. (GEA)