Summarizes a schoolwide unit, organized around the ballad of John Henry, that integrated visual art, music, dance, and drama with ecological issues, Mountain Cultural heritage, and labor history. Gives background information on the Mountain Culture and the story of John Henry, while also discussing the students' reactions and interpretations…

Illustrates the difficulty in trying to establish clearly defined categories between art forms. Addresses the problem through discussions of three artists: Malcah Zeldis, Mabel Burkholder, and Keith Haring. Suggests that a travel metaphor grants people a flexible and historically-oriented way to speak about artwork and art categories. (CMK)

Provides a historical overview of U.S. print advertising from the 1890s to the 1990s. Demonstrates how advertisers adapt their messages and target audiences to the changes each era brings. Conveys that advertising reflects society by giving an image of an era as it aims to persuade. Offers six teaching activities. (CMK)

Asserts that art education is an essential ingredient of a strong curriculum. Discusses the advantages of art education and the importance of art and aesthetics to the business community as an incentive for changing attitudes of art-education antagonists. Gives three stories capturing the vision of effective art teaching for the 21st century. (CMK)

Describes a high school course, "Material Arts Design," that celebrates materials, creativity, and culture, while concurrently encouraging individual responsibility towards the environment. Explains that the students develop a wide range of technical skills by exploring art and technology and address aesthetic and ecological issues through a…

Refutes commonly held assumptions forced on the art-education public that characterize Viktor Lowenfeld, a historically well-known art educator, as having a laissez-faire approach to art education and a visual-haptic fixation. Asserts Lowenfeld's beliefs were distorted in later publications of his book, "Creative and Mental Growth." (CMK)

Presents learning activities to foster understanding of self-taught art, an often misunderstood genre. Focuses on works of four Alabama artists (Charlie Lucas, Lonnie Holley, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Sybil Gibson). Includes photos of their works, a description of the art object, a brief biography of the artist, discussion questions, and suggested…

Describes "Contemporary Art Start," a year-long, curriculum-based art-education program designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of contemporary art as a form of visual communication, personal expression, and social commentary. Discusses curriculum structure, the curriculum guide, how to engage teachers and students, using…

Describes a museum-based art-education program at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Pennsylvania) designed for students learning English as a second language. Presents the program's three goals: (1) introducing the museum, (2) teaching art concepts, and (3) encouraging English speaking. Discusses program components and assesses its success. (DSK)

Describes a program to reinforce the art-history curriculum; establish a volunteer habit; and impact students' self-esteem, communication, and leadership skills through service learning. Discusses student training and service as docents at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Texas), and comments on the skills that they acquire through the…

Examines recent research considering the effects of art experience on academic achievement. Discovers the most cogent research concerns the intentional use of the arts to increase reading and writing. Proposes three new ways of considering the efficacy of art education: arts-based outcomes, arts-related outcomes, and ancillary outcomes of art…

Reports on a teacher-education course that emphasized the use of the visual arts in promoting content area reading. Local art museum personnel and teacher-education faculty identified works that could invoke discussions in certain content areas of specialization. Students used these as a basis for their papers. (MJP)

Presents four lesson plans that use paintings, illustrations, and photographs that tell a story. The lessons consider the use and characteristics of narrative. Includes work from, "The Book of Deeds of Alexander the Great," as well as the works of Georges de La Tour, Eileen Cowin, and Henry Ossawa Tanner. (MJP)

Profiles a course that challenges college seniors to gain new perspectives, skills, experiences, and insights into their own creative and imaginative processes. The course uses the work of Joseph Cornell who constructed enigmatic, box-like assemblages from found objects. Students construct their own boxes and consider future applications of this…

Outlines the use of a rubric format to assess student learning in art production. The rubric provides students a visual guide to the successful and deficient areas. It includes areas for comments on preparation, research, assignment goals, craftsmanship, originality, and aesthetics. Recommends student involvement in establishing the evaluative…