The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has its own Youtube channel with over 100 hundred videos uploaded so far. There's videos of specific pieces of art, previews of exhibitions, interviews with artists and museum staff, and much more. The videos can help you prepare for a field trip to the MIA or expand your knowledge of something you saw on your last visit.
This is a great resource for your audio-visual learners. It has that multimedia element that the Internet savvy child should enjoy. They're not wandering a "boring" art museum or paging through a mammoth art history tome, it engages them on another learning level.
Here's a video (part 1 of 2) about the period rooms in the museum's famous Asian art collection:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Resources: Object in Focus
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has a great section on their website devoted to teachers and education resources. They also have an educator's newsletter,Teaching the Arts, you can sign up for that contains helpful articles and ideas.
One of their ongoing features is called Object in Focus. It showcases one piece from the MIA's collection that's currently on display in the museum. Each Object in Focus gives you some information about the art work, its history, meaning, and includes ideas for lesson plans and activities based off of it.
This month's featured item is the Bella Coola Frontlet, a headpiece designed for a dancer from the Bella Coola tribe in the Pacific Northwest. There's enough activities given to take up several weeks worth of study, if you're so inclined. A list of books is listed for further study, from a kids' story to a travel guide about the Pacific Northwest. You can teach your children about this specific piece, then take a field trip to see it and other related items in the museum's collection. There's just no replacement for actually seeing the art in person. Or you can incorporate the related Native American history into your current curriculum. Object in Focus is a great springboard into new subjects and projects.
Register to receive the Teaching the Arts e-mail newsletter as well as others from the MIA. It's a truly helpful resource, from giving you new ideas to try to expanding on knowledge you might already have.
One of their ongoing features is called Object in Focus. It showcases one piece from the MIA's collection that's currently on display in the museum. Each Object in Focus gives you some information about the art work, its history, meaning, and includes ideas for lesson plans and activities based off of it.
This month's featured item is the Bella Coola Frontlet, a headpiece designed for a dancer from the Bella Coola tribe in the Pacific Northwest. There's enough activities given to take up several weeks worth of study, if you're so inclined. A list of books is listed for further study, from a kids' story to a travel guide about the Pacific Northwest. You can teach your children about this specific piece, then take a field trip to see it and other related items in the museum's collection. There's just no replacement for actually seeing the art in person. Or you can incorporate the related Native American history into your current curriculum. Object in Focus is a great springboard into new subjects and projects.
Register to receive the Teaching the Arts e-mail newsletter as well as others from the MIA. It's a truly helpful resource, from giving you new ideas to try to expanding on knowledge you might already have.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Resource: Stumble Upon
StumbleUpon is a fun application to add to your internet browser. I used it all the time when I was in college to discover a wealth of art related websites. The nice thing about it is that you can customize what topics you're interested in and also what you don't like. The more you use it, the more accurate the results are. If you don't like something, you simply click on a thumbs down icon, and vice versa for stuff you want to see more of. It keeps a list of all the sites you gave a thumbs up to, so you can easily find your favorites again.
Resources: How do we experience art?
I get e-mail newsletters from Art 21 about different things they're working on. The Art 21 blog is kicking off a series about how we interact with art here in the 21st century. It's definitely worth taking a look at.
One article in particular caught my eye today. How do we experience art? It's a good question to think about, especially in regards to how you want your kids to learn about art. How you teach them about the arts is just as important as what you teach them. Is "art" something we do, a verb, active and alive, challenging us to think and try new things, or is it something we merely look at, passively taking it in and then moving on, a subject that has no relation to the rest of our lives?
One article in particular caught my eye today. How do we experience art? It's a good question to think about, especially in regards to how you want your kids to learn about art. How you teach them about the arts is just as important as what you teach them. Is "art" something we do, a verb, active and alive, challenging us to think and try new things, or is it something we merely look at, passively taking it in and then moving on, a subject that has no relation to the rest of our lives?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Projects: Still life drawing
Materials:
-Paper
-Pencil
-Eraser
-objects to draw
I was horrible at drawing when I was younger. Well, to be more specific, I was (and am) bad at drawing things in correct perspective to other things. A lot of people have trouble with this. Say you have a cup, a ball, a shoe and a vase all grouped together. How do you draw them together so they're the right size in relation to each other?
My problem is that I would draw each object seperately and not work on the objects as a whole group. I would draw the cup completely first, and then move onto the next object. And the ball would be way too tiny and the cup would be too big, and it wouldn't look right. What you want to do is to not focus on each thing as an individual object but see the group as a whole image together. The objects are related to each other--they cast shadows; depending on the materials, you can see through one thing to another, one will be so many inches taller than that one, etc.
It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae, the little details, before getting the general shapes out of the way.
First, you want to pick simple objects that your kids won't get frustrated drawing. And you want at least three or four things together to make an interesting drawing. For example, a sippy cup, a ball, an apple and an open book would make a nice still life. Make sure that there's some height difference amongst the grouping (ex: a tall thin cup with a squat tomato).If you want, put a strong light source on one side to make some nice shadows.
Before your kids start drawing right away, have them take a moment to really look at the objects in front of them. This is something I learned in college--we tend to draw things from memory rather than looking back at the still life in front of us. We draw how we think it looks not necessarily how it really is.
Next, have them figure out which is the smallest object in the group. This will be what you measure all the other objects with.
I'll explain what I mean: You want the objects to be to scale to each other. Say you have the sippy cup, ball, apple and book set-up I mentioned earlier. The cup is the smallest object in the group. Hold out your pencil at arm's length (think of the classic image of the artist with one eye closed and holding out their drawing pen). Close one eye, and measure the cup, starting at the top of the pencil, slide your thumb down the pencil to where you see the bottom of the cup. That is your standard unit for measuring. Keep your thumb on that same spot on the pencil and look at the other objects now. The ball is two cups high and two cups wide; the book laying on its side is half a cup high and three cups wide; the apple is one and a little bit more cups high and about the same width. So now when you draw the cup on the paper, you can make sure that the other objects relate properly. It doesn't matter how big the cup is on the paper, just draw the other things that much bigger. Oh, I drew the cup three inches tall, so the ball is six inches tall, etc.
When you start drawing the still life, don't make super dark lines right away. At this stage, you want to get the basic shapes down first. Make a quick, loose sketch of the the overall image. Once you have all the objects down, you can put all the details in. A successful drawing is like building a house--you need to have a good foundation to build the frame on. If the objects aren't in the correct place in comparison to each other, it's hard to get the details right later.
Once all the shapes are down in simple lines, start filling in the details. Where are the brightest light spots? Where are the darkest shadows? Do any of the objects reflect light onto another in the grouping? Where do the shadows fall on the table? Part of drawing is learning to really see the things in front of you, taking note of the general shapes of objects to the small details you wouldn't normally notice.
This takes practice, just like any other skill. The more you draw, the better you'll get.
If you feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to go about learning or teaching drawing skills, I suggest reading Drawing on the Rigth Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. You can find some more info about it and reviews of the book here.
-Paper
-Pencil
-Eraser
-objects to draw
I was horrible at drawing when I was younger. Well, to be more specific, I was (and am) bad at drawing things in correct perspective to other things. A lot of people have trouble with this. Say you have a cup, a ball, a shoe and a vase all grouped together. How do you draw them together so they're the right size in relation to each other?
My problem is that I would draw each object seperately and not work on the objects as a whole group. I would draw the cup completely first, and then move onto the next object. And the ball would be way too tiny and the cup would be too big, and it wouldn't look right. What you want to do is to not focus on each thing as an individual object but see the group as a whole image together. The objects are related to each other--they cast shadows; depending on the materials, you can see through one thing to another, one will be so many inches taller than that one, etc.
It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae, the little details, before getting the general shapes out of the way.
First, you want to pick simple objects that your kids won't get frustrated drawing. And you want at least three or four things together to make an interesting drawing. For example, a sippy cup, a ball, an apple and an open book would make a nice still life. Make sure that there's some height difference amongst the grouping (ex: a tall thin cup with a squat tomato).If you want, put a strong light source on one side to make some nice shadows.
Before your kids start drawing right away, have them take a moment to really look at the objects in front of them. This is something I learned in college--we tend to draw things from memory rather than looking back at the still life in front of us. We draw how we think it looks not necessarily how it really is.
Next, have them figure out which is the smallest object in the group. This will be what you measure all the other objects with.
I'll explain what I mean: You want the objects to be to scale to each other. Say you have the sippy cup, ball, apple and book set-up I mentioned earlier. The cup is the smallest object in the group. Hold out your pencil at arm's length (think of the classic image of the artist with one eye closed and holding out their drawing pen). Close one eye, and measure the cup, starting at the top of the pencil, slide your thumb down the pencil to where you see the bottom of the cup. That is your standard unit for measuring. Keep your thumb on that same spot on the pencil and look at the other objects now. The ball is two cups high and two cups wide; the book laying on its side is half a cup high and three cups wide; the apple is one and a little bit more cups high and about the same width. So now when you draw the cup on the paper, you can make sure that the other objects relate properly. It doesn't matter how big the cup is on the paper, just draw the other things that much bigger. Oh, I drew the cup three inches tall, so the ball is six inches tall, etc.
When you start drawing the still life, don't make super dark lines right away. At this stage, you want to get the basic shapes down first. Make a quick, loose sketch of the the overall image. Once you have all the objects down, you can put all the details in. A successful drawing is like building a house--you need to have a good foundation to build the frame on. If the objects aren't in the correct place in comparison to each other, it's hard to get the details right later.
Once all the shapes are down in simple lines, start filling in the details. Where are the brightest light spots? Where are the darkest shadows? Do any of the objects reflect light onto another in the grouping? Where do the shadows fall on the table? Part of drawing is learning to really see the things in front of you, taking note of the general shapes of objects to the small details you wouldn't normally notice.
This takes practice, just like any other skill. The more you draw, the better you'll get.
If you feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to go about learning or teaching drawing skills, I suggest reading Drawing on the Rigth Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. You can find some more info about it and reviews of the book here.
Projects: Sparkle bottle
Materials:
-small (20 oz or so) water bottle
-super glue (or some kind of strong glue that adheres to plastic and is water resistant)
-glitter, sequins, plastic jewels, shiny things, small plastic toys, glittery things
If you drink bottled water and have all those plastic bottles to get rid of, you'll love this activity.
This is a super easy project that produces a really fun toy to play with, and you're also recycling at the same time (yay, eco friendly). I made several of these when I was younger and loved them.
First, remove any labels and sticker residue and rinse out the bottle.
Next, gather your shiny/glittery objects. You're going to want to pick stuff that will last in water, no paper or fragile things. Plastic jewels, glitter, confetti, even a couple small plastic or rubber toys. You don't want to put too much stuff in though, because it can get cluttered and muddy looking. A good rule of thumb is to fill no more than a fourth (or about three inches worth) of the bottle. Think of a kaleidoscope--a few jewels are more eye catching than a ton of them.
Fill your bottle with water, leaving a couple inches' worth of room at the top.
Add a drop of bleach so that the water doesn't get icky (we learned this the hard way--the water went bad and it turned the sparkle bottle into a slimy bottle).
Now, put glue around the mouth of the bottle and inside the cap. Twist the cap on as tight as you can, and let the glue set before you start flipping the bottle around. There's nothing worse than a kid working the cap off and getting glittery water everywhere (or worse, drinking it!).
You now have your own sparkle bottle! Go find some sun coming through a window and roll your bottle across the floor, or tilt it back and forth to throw cool light effects on the walls.
It's fun to make more than one of these, because you can experiment with different materials. Make a bottle with just glitter, or only jewels, you could add some buttons or let your kids come up ideas for things to add. You can add pretty much anything as long as it won't puncture the bottle or come apart in the water.
Instead of using water bottles, you can also try baby food jars to make mini ones.
I'd love to hear feedback from you, feel free to e-mail me comments, suggestions, ideas, thoughts at elisabeth.preble@gmail.com
-small (20 oz or so) water bottle
-super glue (or some kind of strong glue that adheres to plastic and is water resistant)
-glitter, sequins, plastic jewels, shiny things, small plastic toys, glittery things
If you drink bottled water and have all those plastic bottles to get rid of, you'll love this activity.
This is a super easy project that produces a really fun toy to play with, and you're also recycling at the same time (yay, eco friendly). I made several of these when I was younger and loved them.
First, remove any labels and sticker residue and rinse out the bottle.
Next, gather your shiny/glittery objects. You're going to want to pick stuff that will last in water, no paper or fragile things. Plastic jewels, glitter, confetti, even a couple small plastic or rubber toys. You don't want to put too much stuff in though, because it can get cluttered and muddy looking. A good rule of thumb is to fill no more than a fourth (or about three inches worth) of the bottle. Think of a kaleidoscope--a few jewels are more eye catching than a ton of them.
Fill your bottle with water, leaving a couple inches' worth of room at the top.
Add a drop of bleach so that the water doesn't get icky (we learned this the hard way--the water went bad and it turned the sparkle bottle into a slimy bottle).
Now, put glue around the mouth of the bottle and inside the cap. Twist the cap on as tight as you can, and let the glue set before you start flipping the bottle around. There's nothing worse than a kid working the cap off and getting glittery water everywhere (or worse, drinking it!).
You now have your own sparkle bottle! Go find some sun coming through a window and roll your bottle across the floor, or tilt it back and forth to throw cool light effects on the walls.
It's fun to make more than one of these, because you can experiment with different materials. Make a bottle with just glitter, or only jewels, you could add some buttons or let your kids come up ideas for things to add. You can add pretty much anything as long as it won't puncture the bottle or come apart in the water.
Instead of using water bottles, you can also try baby food jars to make mini ones.
I'd love to hear feedback from you, feel free to e-mail me comments, suggestions, ideas, thoughts at elisabeth.preble@gmail.com
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Resources: Family Fun magazine
I was talking with my Mom today about all the fun art projects we made when my siblings and I were little. She told me one of her absolute favorite sources for craft projects is Family Fun magazine. Their website is cheerful and easy to browse, broken into sections that are simple to switch back and forth to. Family Fun's craft area can be browsed by materials (so you can search for something that uses stuff you already have!), type of project, seasonal and holiday activities, and age appropriate skill level (toddlers to tweens). The name of the game here is simple, easy, memorable projects. Each activity is broken down into simple steps with pictures, an estimated time completion, rated by users of the site, and you can leave comments about what you thought of it. You can save crafts to your Family Fun account for later perusal, print off the instructions (for free!), or send to others through Facebook or e-mail. Users can also post their own craft projects to share with everyone else. Family Fun also has a great how-to video section (one of the better ones I've come across). The only annoying thing is that the videos start right away before they've fully loaded. And you will have to sit through 30 second ads before the video plays, but it's worth the wait.
Here's a video about re-using cardboard tubes, something I've made many projects out of over the years (they're surprisingly versatile). I'm not going to post the video here as it does just start on its own, which would be kind of annoying to hear every time the page loads.
Here's a video about re-using cardboard tubes, something I've made many projects out of over the years (they're surprisingly versatile). I'm not going to post the video here as it does just start on its own, which would be kind of annoying to hear every time the page loads.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Resources: DK Eyewitness Books
I've always been a visual learner: If a book doesn't have illustrations, I always think, "This would be better if it had some pictures." If there are some black and white images, I think that they should be in color (and when I was little, I would turn my storybooks into coloring books, much to my Mom's dismay). I love color and lots of pictures. And this is especially true when it comes to art! I see no point in art books printed in black and white! Van Gogh painted in vivid color--you really can't understand his work without it. Georgia O'Keefe's work just isn't the same in shades of gray. For many art movements, color was the whole point!
My point is, kids can't learn about art just by talking about it--they need some visuals. And one of my favorite publishers ever since I was little is DK Eyewitness Books. Their publications are a visual learner's paradise. DK's Eyewitness art books remain some of my favorite resources to this day. Their books are smart, informative and visually engaging. They understand that kids don't have to be talked down to when learning something new. They give you a word, define it and show you a picture of it, which helps you remember it far longer than merely seeing words on a page. Kids and adults can read the same book and get something out of it. There are books on art history, artists (multiple books on some of the more famous ones), and how-to manuals for different art techniques. Look them up at your library and you're sure to find at least one book that pertains to a topic you're currently covering.
My point is, kids can't learn about art just by talking about it--they need some visuals. And one of my favorite publishers ever since I was little is DK Eyewitness Books. Their publications are a visual learner's paradise. DK's Eyewitness art books remain some of my favorite resources to this day. Their books are smart, informative and visually engaging. They understand that kids don't have to be talked down to when learning something new. They give you a word, define it and show you a picture of it, which helps you remember it far longer than merely seeing words on a page. Kids and adults can read the same book and get something out of it. There are books on art history, artists (multiple books on some of the more famous ones), and how-to manuals for different art techniques. Look them up at your library and you're sure to find at least one book that pertains to a topic you're currently covering.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Resources: Mental Floss Magazine
As it says on my business card, I am a repository of random facts and trivia. I love history, I'm a voracious reader and I like to share oddball tidbits to get a conversation going. Mental Floss is pretty much my favorite magazine to read. Their articles are short and sweet introductions to a variety of subjects with a light-hearted and fun vibe. You enjoy reading the stories so much, you don't even realize you're learning something new! It's a trivia lover's paradise. I particularily like any articles that cover art related topics, obviously. I know a bit about art history, but I always come away with some new information.
Mental Floss has also published a number of books, of which I own Condensed Knowledge. Just check it out from your library, it's fun reading.
I would also recommend Mental Floss' website. There's the Amazing Fact Generator, multiple blogs, articles from past issues, quizzes, and a whole lot more. One feature I just stumbled across is Feel Art Again, where they spotlight different artists and art works.
I definitely suggest picking up an issue of Mental Floss, not simply for art history, but just as a great magazine in general.
Mental Floss has also published a number of books, of which I own Condensed Knowledge. Just check it out from your library, it's fun reading.
I would also recommend Mental Floss' website. There's the Amazing Fact Generator, multiple blogs, articles from past issues, quizzes, and a whole lot more. One feature I just stumbled across is Feel Art Again, where they spotlight different artists and art works.
I definitely suggest picking up an issue of Mental Floss, not simply for art history, but just as a great magazine in general.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Project: Jazz collage
Materials:
-Colored construction paper
-11in x 14in white paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Pictures from magazines/newspapers
This is a project based off the jazz inspired collages by Henri Matisse. Matisse (1869-1954) was a French artist remembered for his use of vibrant color, and is considered one of the three most important artists, alongside Pablo Picasso and Marchel Duchamp, of the early 20th century. These three artists influenced generations of artists to look at painting and sculpture in a new light.
Matisse made a whole series of collages based off of music and the circus, published in a book titled Jazz. For this project, first listen to Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Look at Matisse's collages as you listen to the music. Now, listen to the song again, or other jazz music you might have at hand, as you come up with your own collage. The idea is to cut out simple shapes, using lots of color. Many of Matisse's collages look like the figures are dancing or flying. Or the designs look like the music might if given physical form. If your kids are stuck on how to start, ask them that: "What would this music look like? What shapes does it make your think of? What kind of lines would go with this song--smooth flowing or sharp jagged ones? What kind of colors do you think go with this song--bright or dark colors?"
You can watch the Fantasia 2000 interpretation of Rhapsody in Blue for inspiration too:
-Colored construction paper
-11in x 14in white paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Pictures from magazines/newspapers
This is a project based off the jazz inspired collages by Henri Matisse. Matisse (1869-1954) was a French artist remembered for his use of vibrant color, and is considered one of the three most important artists, alongside Pablo Picasso and Marchel Duchamp, of the early 20th century. These three artists influenced generations of artists to look at painting and sculpture in a new light.
Matisse made a whole series of collages based off of music and the circus, published in a book titled Jazz. For this project, first listen to Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Look at Matisse's collages as you listen to the music. Now, listen to the song again, or other jazz music you might have at hand, as you come up with your own collage. The idea is to cut out simple shapes, using lots of color. Many of Matisse's collages look like the figures are dancing or flying. Or the designs look like the music might if given physical form. If your kids are stuck on how to start, ask them that: "What would this music look like? What shapes does it make your think of? What kind of lines would go with this song--smooth flowing or sharp jagged ones? What kind of colors do you think go with this song--bright or dark colors?"
You can watch the Fantasia 2000 interpretation of Rhapsody in Blue for inspiration too:
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