In this article, the author describes the design for her advanced oil-painting class. In this class, high-school students created a self-portrait painting and learned a glazing technique. The author also describes the students' evaluation of the class.

Art and art education are open to broader definitions in the twenty-first century. It is time that teachers seriously think about including built environment design in K-12 art education. The term "built environment" includes interior design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Due to increased exposure to built environment…

The Walking in My Shoes curriculum at St. Thomas School in Medina, Washington, has been developed to deepen students' understanding of their own heritage and the cultural similarities and differences among their global peers. Exploring the rich diversity of the world's cultural heritage and the interactions of global migrations throughout history,…

One contemporary artist that kindergarten students can easily relate to is Jasper Johns. In this article, the author discusses how she introduced John's numeric and alphabetic paintings to her kindergarten students. The young artists were amazed that art can be created from the familiar symbols that they are learning to make in their regular…

In this article, the author describes a self-portrait project she developed for her students. The project emphasizes personality and pattern as the main objectives through a series of steps that include drawing exercises, observation skills, stream-of-color, intense patterning and texturizing, and colored pencil techniques. By drawing down the…

Since first graders at Geneva School in Winter Park, Florida have a unit based on the book "Caps for Sale" by Esphyr Slobodkina, the author, an art teacher at the school, began a tradition of painting hats. In this article, the author describes how the students decorated their hats. (Contains 1 resource and 1 online resource.)

In this article, the author describes a project in which his ninth-grade art students utilized a vinyl record as an unusual medium to create a work that exhibited solid design, great creativity, and strong craftsmanship. Students presented their pieces to the class for critique, explained the process, the media, and their feelings about their…

In this article, the author shares her experiences and challenges in teaching university-level studio art classes for Muslim women in Kuwait. In Kuwait, popular interpretations of the "Quran" (the Koran), the Muslim holy book, prohibit the use of nude models. The author describes how she had to find alternatives to Western tried and true…

For the author, it all began with a summer trip to London and Paris. Inspired by the art and architecture of London and Paris, she was determined to bring her experience back home to her students. To do this, she organized a lesson in world landmarks focusing on structures of importance that fit into three categories: relevance to the world,…

Throughout life, people are faced with the challenge of defining all aspects of their being. Definitions of self can emerge by taking time to contemplate the meaning that saturates thoughts and actions. This process is essential for the unfolding of the future so a person does not become someone who wanders aimlessly through life. Self-awareness…

This article presents an art project inspired by a drawing of a chameleon the author saw in an art-supply catalog. Chameleons prove to be a good subject to highlight shape, color and texture with eigth-graders. In this project, middle- and high-school students draw a chameleon, learn how to use shapes to add to their chameleon drawing, learn how…

Asking students to manipulate digital photos on the computer is one of the easiest ways the author knows to engage their attention. It's fabulous fun for them and a great teaching tool for educators. In this article, the author presents 10 ways to impress students with image-editing software. These are: (1) filters are fascinating; (2) get a move…

Andy Goldsworthy has always been one of the author's favorite artists. He admires the way Goldsworthy works with natural material and how his work distills the elements of art and principles of design so that one can easily recognize them. In this article, the author describes how he exposed his students to the natural beauty that fall has to…

This article describes a lesson for first-grade art students. The lesson introduces geometric shapes in a fun and unique way. Students will learn the art elements of shape, texture, pattern, and space. They will also develop their skills in cutting and gluing.

In this article, the authors describe how they incorporated environmental awareness into their art curriculum. Here, they describe a digital photography project in which their students used flatbed scanners as cameras. Their students composed their objects directly on the scanner. The lesson enabled students to realize that artists have voices…