Born in Cumberland, Maryland, Nancy Sansom Reynolds earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC in 1982. Reynolds' reputation as a sculptor has steadily grown over the years, and today her artwork is included in many private and public collections and has been displayed in the United States, Asia,…

Most art educators have had the experience of coming up with a great idea for their programs only to have that idea shot down by lack of funding. Whatever the idea, it almost always requires extra funding to implement. One effective way of obtaining extra cash is through grant funding; however, since grants provide money that does not need to be…

Nancy Judd has been called a folk artist, an outsider artist, and a designer--all characterizations that she tends to shirk. Perhaps if labels are needed, environmental artist educator is more appropriate. Judd lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She dedicates much of her time to creating art that raises public awareness of environmental…

The next time you walk through the local art museum or open an art history book, make a tally sheet of the names of the artists represented. Then sort the artists by gender and ethnicity. What is the ratio of art created by women to that created by men? What is the ratio of Eurocentric art to non-Eurocentric art? It was an experience like this…

Posters, slide shows, videos, diagrams, charts, written or illustrated class notes, daily logs, to do lists, and written instructions are all helpful modes of teaching for visual learners. Another form of instruction that is helpful for visual learners is the graphic organizers. Sometimes called "mind maps", graphic organizers are illustrative…

In this article, the author explores the digital artwork of Brian Evans, a composer-artist who creates visualizations of sound. Through the years Evans' love for music and visual art led him to explore ways to work concurrently with image and sound. Digital technology proved to be such a means. Digital technology is based upon the transcription of…

When appropriately used in the art classroom, videos play an important and vital role in instruction. From addressing diverse learning styles to meeting state standards, videos have the potential to be a significant teaching tool. Knowing when and how to use videos, however, is key to successful implementation. This article examines a few…

Questions such as "Is it art?," "How is it Art?," and "Why is is art?" often arise when individuals investigate art objects. Such questions fall into the realm of aesthetics--the branch of philosophy that concerns itself with the nature of art. Because these types of big questions require meditative contemplation and reasoned responses, aesthetics…

When small art images are incorporated into the curriculum, students are afforded opportunities to slow down, observe minute details, and communicate ideas about art and artists. This sort of purposeful art contemplation takes students beyond the day-to-day educational practice. It is through these sorts of art activities that students develop…

Perhaps one of the best ways to describe conceptual art is to quote an old bumper sticker, "If you like conceptual art, think about honking." Conceptual art is an art movement that came into prominence in the 1960s. Like other movements in modern art, conceptual art broke with established tradition. In conceptual art, ideas or perceptions are as…

This brief article explores the work of Friedrich Stowasser (1928-2000), an Austrian artist who modified his name throughout his career, eventually settling upon the invented name of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Both Hundertwasser's original Slavic surname and his invented surname mean about the same: hundred waters. Both names illustrate the…

The Blue Man Group began in 1988 when friends Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink all living in New York--voiced their increasing disgruntlement and boredom with urban life. With a gut feeling that creativity and a tribal-like community could prosper in their metropolitan environment, the friends decided to confront the issues rather than…

Sometimes the questions that art poses and the paths taken to answer them can be as important as the answers themselves. Questions in aesthetics--the branch of art that deals with philosophical issues--involve exploration of big ideas that have varied and multiple responses. Providing opportunities for students to consider and reflect upon their…

This article introduces Community Bridge, a participatory public art project that brought together artists and residents to address aesthetic needs of an urban environment. The Community Bridge is an exemplary work of art by American artist William Cochran. In addition to creating a natural gathering place for residents of all ages, the bridge is…