African American artists have participated in every major art style and movement since before the founding of this nation. However, until recent decades, this "grand epic" had been marginalized within the traditional survey canon of American art. Art historians have undertaken considerable scholarship (Bearden & Henderson, 1993;…

A primary goal of substantive art education is to communicate visually--to decipher art for meaning and to construct meaning through images and objects. Strategies available to engage students are the interdisciplinary activities found in performance, visual and written forms of creative expression, and related disciplines such as ethnography,…

This first written assignment of the semester for the author's undergraduate introductory art history class--an essay where students describe and reflect upon the significance of a family heirloom--is instrumental in meeting class objectives. The author's objectives in this class are for students: (1) to broaden their conception of what art is…

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…

There is plenty of literature, including exhibition catalogues, journal articles, and books written for those interested in learning and teaching about African art. Information on individual artists from the countries of Africa is also increasing. These sources attempt to highlight the artists' lives, education, working conditions and what they…

Artemis is a late Hellenistic Greek marble sculpture of the huntress, running in a flowing garment, now lacking arms, legs, and head, and about three-quarters life-sized. The llama is a remarkable hollow male figure of smooth thin gold, and about two inches tall, and was made by the Inca before the Spanish conquest in 1532. This narrative is just…

The development of art is an aspect of our American heritage that deserves recognition as an important area of education. The importance of art heritage curriculum and the aesthetic education it offers students is outlined. (Author/RK)

Reviews the traditional approach to ceramics education that focuses on studio-based, formalist curriculum and Modernist concerns. Argues for a comprehensive, or contextual, ceramics education in high school classrooms that would include contextual information about ceramic objects. Discusses example ceramic objects by various artists. (CMK)

Discusses federal art projects during the New Deal, providing information on Edgar Britton and the influence of being a New Deal artist on his later work. Discusses the use of Britton's murals, housed at Highland Park High School (Chicago), in the curriculum. Comments on today's public art. (CMK)

Defines folk art and explores the ascent of folk art in the United States, focusing on (1) the fascination of mainstream artists with indigenous and intuitive art and (2) the growing interest of collectors in folk and outsider art. Reflects on folk art and art education. (CMK)

Presents a collection of activities that teach upper-elementary and middle school students about narrative devices, methods or formats that artists use to tell stories. Includes the reproductions of the artworks, background information, discussion questions, activities, and evaluation. Provides a final activity and discussion for the entire…

Describes art programs that were given at several elementary Australian schools focusing on Christmas and Easter. Explains that the programs are based on the accounts of the birth and death of Jesus given in the Bible. States that the programs integrate studio art, art criticism, and art history. (CMK)

Demonstrates how the art education curriculum is linked to general education. Provides a conceptual approach to an environmental design study curriculum that incorporates the Wisconsin state art curriculum guide's five generalizations with appropriate conceptual statements for primary, intermediate, middle, and high school grades, and the four…

Describes the history of the Chautauqua Industrial Art Desk, a teaching machine that was created around 1913, and the two teaching guides, "The Home Teacher" and "Child Life," that accompany the desk. Explains that the desk was a response to the industrialization and urbanization of society in the early twentieth-century. (CMK)

Utilizes a 17th-century Italian sculpture and an African fetish figure to illustrate essential qualities and characteristics of figurative sculpture. Points out the extreme differences and the many similarities between the two and offers explanations. Includes a process for leading students through "reading" the sculptures. (MJP)