Electronic Fresh Paint - Back to School Issue

Articles:

Don't forget to register for the FAEA 2004 Conference in St. Petersburg.



Laura Chapman Survey

by Nan Williams

Among many activities at NAEA, I was able to attend two sessions by Dr. Laura Chapman, who presented the far-reaching results of her research on No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In a follow-up, she has asked all of us to respond to her work in preparation for the convention coming up March 3-8, in Boston. Her request should also be available in the August edition of NAEA News

We invite you to participate in this survey, and I think it will be a major advocacy piece when complete. For your reference, you may want to see the May issue of Art Education, which has some examples of “worst practices.” To simplify for you, you can send entries to me at nwilliam@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu and I will assemble them for Dr. Chapman. I hope you’ll participate in this unusual opportunity to tell about budgets, policies, overloads, teaching reading, etc., so that our voices can be heard at last!

“As you know, there is much discussion of “best practices” in art education. My theory is that perceptions of “worst practices” are too rarely mapped and can be used in clarifying better practices. I am interested in memorable cases from novice or experienced K-12 teachers of art, classroom teachers, collegiate faculty in art or art education, and museum educators."

"In exchange for your help, you will receive a synopsis of all of the cases. . . .I hope to analyze the cases and report on them (without personal identification of the source), perhaps at the NAEA conference in Boston.”


Categories:
• Worst art teaching practice that you experienced at any time as a student.
• Worst art teaching practice that you have ever observed.
• Worst art teaching practice that you may have used at one time and now regret.
• Worst art education policy that you experienced at any time as a student.
• Worst art education policy that you have encountered as a professional in art education.
• Worst art education policy that you may have set in motion at one time and now regret.
Case submitted by __________________________ (Give contact information)
Grade, level, and/or context of the worst case ______________________
Brief description f the project or practice.
Why was the project or practice so memorable?
What long-term effects, if any, did this case have on your own teaching?
Other comments, observations.


Discoveries to Share From the 2004 NAEA Conference in Denver
By Brenda Dalton

As you prepare for your new year in the classroom open the door to some remarkable programs and websites that educators shared at the NAEA conference.

ART LINKS TO LITERACY presentors Suzanne Write & Shellie Marker
This is a two year collaboration involving one hundred at-risk families in the District of Columbia Public Schools, The Phillips Collection (America’s First Museum of Modern Art) and “Turning the Page” (a Washington DC non-profit organization) in 2-years of workshops using the museum’s art, children’s literature and their own talents in a fun educational program for their children. www.turningthepage.org

“ Art of the City” is a wonderful educational program for elementary and middle schools that addresses themes, such as transportation and communication, through selected works of artists from the Phillips Collection including Jacob Lawrence, Pierre Bonnard, Paul Klee, and Edward Hopper. It includes a cross-curriculum Teaching Guide; a CD of over 400 pages; 30 slides; 4 posters; 5 transparencies; and a timeline poster. This is a remarkable find at only $30.00 (add $5 for shipping and handling). You can purchase it by sending a check for $35 made payable to The Phillips Collection requesting the Art and the City Teaching Kit and sending it to: Teacher’s Programs, The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street N.W., Washington, D.D. 20009.

In viewing the Phillips Collection website, www.thephillipscollection, I discovered an incredible free interactive program on the life of Jacob Lawrence on-line at www.phillipscollection.org . The Great Migration of the black population to the northern U.S. cities, the Harlem Renaissance and the work of Mr. Lawrence are featured. Please visit this site. You will want to incorporate it into your curriculum.

www.Arts ConnectEd.org presented by Kevan Nitzberg
This workshop guided us through this wonderful teaching site, which shares images, educational resources, lessons and “Wizard’s teaching tools”. You may want to begin by downloading the teacher guide. You can even create a personal collection of art from these resources to use in your classes. This site is a joint project of the Walker Art Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART website www.nga.gov
Visit the teaching resources available on-line at this site. NGA classroom, lessons and resources, and the loan program are viewable under Teacher Resources.

2003 FAEA Elementary Art Teacher of the Year: Article by Mary Cavaioli -

NAEA Conference a Success for Broward Art Educators: A large contingent of the elementary, middle and high school art teachers from Broward County attended this year's National Conference in Denver. The weather was great and the sessions were well organized and informative. It's always an inspiration to be around other creative people who understand you! This is a great opportunity to discuss and socialize with people like yourself! You come away with a new sense of purpose and motivation..........One of the most memborable sessions attended by many of the Broward teachers was a keynote address given by two women called "In Her Hands", by Toby Tuttle and Paola Gianturco. A passion for folkart lead these women on a world-wide adventure to find other women who create beautiful art and gave them the means to support their families by making crafts. Many of the women were from the poorest countries in the world and have now been given the resources to produce goods to make money for their families. A great sense of independence and support for each other has emerged in the groups that were touched by the help of these two women, Toby and Paola. By the end of the lecture there was not a dry eye in the room. The book is called "In Her Hands, Craftswomen Changing the World". The e-mail and website are: in-her-hands@powerHouseBooks.com or www.powerHouseBooks.com

Denver or Bust
By Beverly Williams, Middle School Chair

Do you ever notice the night before a big event you wake up every hour on the hour checking the clock, worried that you will oversleep? That was my sleep pattern the night before leaving to go to the National Art Education Convention in Denver. I've never missed a state art convention in 17 years. However, I had never been to a national conference so I was so excited when I had the opportunity to go. The flight from Tampa was smooth with no problems. As we approached the airport I eagerly looked out my window to try to catch a glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, but I could not see them. What I didn't realize was that I was looking too low. What I thought were clouds were actually the snowcapped peaks of the Rockies. Being a Florida flatlander I was in awe. They were magnificent, amazing, impressive - really big.

Upon landing my companions and I noticed that even the airport structure echoed the mountain design. Its multiple white teepee-style rooftops added to the frontier theme of Colorado. After a scenic drive to our hotel and checking in at the conference registration we eagerly scanned our program guide to plan our agenda for the week.

Binney & Smith opened the convention with, "Take Teachers Back to the Psychedelic 60's" at the Fillmore Auditorium, which was transformed into a Rock n Roll ballroom. Teachers stepped back in time and celebrated the stories of a new generation of teachers. We were taken back to the days of flower power, tie-dye and love beads using Crayola's groovy new products in a variety of hands-on art activities. Later teachers danced the night away while dipping fruit, marshmallows and Rice Crispies treats into a large flowing chocolate fountain.

Of course what art teacher could miss going to an art museum only a block away from the hotel? We had the great fortune to not only attend, but to view their latest exhibit, "Painting a New World Mexican Art & Life, 1521-1821". For three hundred years Mexican artists living under Spanish rule combined native traditions with European and Asian influences to create art unlike anything else. Painting a New World featured an 18-foot-long folding screen, exotic paintings inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and colorful mosaics made entirely of tropical bird feathers.

The convention was packed with workshops, special interest groups and lectures with many going until 11p.m. At the Middle Level Division luncheon I met other middle school art teachers from around the country. We had a great exchange of ideas and projects that we were doing. Our guest speaker, Dr. Deborah Greh, did a presentation about using computers. A few great Web sites she shared were: Artcyclopedia (artcyclopedia.com) a great resource for researching artists. An interesting feature allows you to list artists by their affiliation with different movements in art history.

Are you ever in need of educational art resources? The National Gallery of Art (NGA) is the place to borrow these items for FREE!!! The NGA provides programs that foster awareness of the visual arts and makes its collections accessible to everyone, no matter how far from the Gallery they may live. They are: loaned free of charge to educational institutions, community groups, and individuals. They meet national standards in the visual arts for k-12th grades. Explore a variety of artists, subjects, techniques and styles. Lessons contain related activities and discussion questions. Their resources included slide programs, teaching packets, videodiscs, CD-ROMS, and DVDs. Order forms and guidelines can be found at www.nga.gov and may be copied and e-mailed to ExtProg@nga.gov.

The great thing about going to a national convention is that you have a bigger base of workshops. I went to several excellent workshops. Teacher Karen Lintner for Mount Nittany Middle School in Pennsylvania presented a special interest workshop called "The Artist's Book-an interdisciplinary project on The Holocaust". Seventh graders at my school study WWII in their language arts, social studies and film classes. They are always looking for projects that tie into that theme. Her students read "The Diary of Anne Frank" in their language arts class as well as learning the history of the time period in social studies. In art class, students focused on the problem of communicating ideas visually and abstractly. The project was introduced as a long-term homework assignment, in which students gathered materials and wrote poems. One of the language arts teachers had the students write a poem for class so those students had the option of using that poem in their book. Students continued working in class on their current project while completing the homework assignment. Students would bring in their book at different intervals for her to monitor the progress and to work on problem solving. The introduction included a description of handmade books, and how limited editions might include original art, calligraphy and actual objects. Students were introduced to the idea that books could open in unexpected ways and encouraged to think about the book as a kind of sculptural object in which the pages could be different shapes and sizes, or form a shape.

The concept of symbolism was also introduced: how objects, colors, kinds of lines and shapes could represent an emotion or idea, and how powerful a symbol can be (swastika). Examples ranged from the light bulb (getting the idea), to dead leaves (passage of time, death, memories). The parameters of the project were outlined; Pages would be cardboard, about 4x4 to 4x6, but could vary. These were the pre-cut sizes provided so most students used them. A minimum of six pages with both sides of all pages needed to be incorporated in the design. Students also had to use appropriate binding techniques. The best was saved for last with our guest speaker, Cheech Marin. Cheech has over the years amassed a large collection of Chicano art. His humor and love for the arts were a winning combination. He gave a delightful and informative slide show lecture about his insight of Chicano culture.

NAEA SESSION
by Rhonda Bristol

Most of the workshop offerings @ NAEA were just short of overwhelming.
A sense of place – an area for reflection – a soul-nurturing spot - is usually missing in a mass-produced, architect-directed school environment. The session: ”A GARDEN, A GALLERY, AND VERY TALL TALES” presented Friday, April 16th by Debi Barrett-Hayes with Barb Davis, Michelle Hartsfield and Pam Wallheiser (Floridians) in Denver, gave a blue print to those in attendance. I was enthralled with this session. These art teachers shared their mission and vision. We CAN create a gallery space. We CAN bring local writers into our curriculum. We can couple our efforts, expanding our vision, to include musical performances and poetry units all with community focus and support. It was suggested that we adopt school-based initiatives; large units spanning all classes that span grade-marking periods. These teachers had all students read age appropriate books. Writers of those books made appearances at the various schools in those various classes. (Book Fairs and reading sessions supported this, as did the public library system). Students were asked to comment on what they had read and to illustrate their commentaries as well as to illustrate some section of the original story. Some of the story lines were dramatized and a musical score was created. The garden element will take years to fully develop, but even with the first plantings, reading and art events need to be schedules there so that this area is part of the total learning environment. Stories were read in the Gallery. Stories were read in the Garden. There was Music in the Garden, Talks in the Garden, Talks in the Gallery. Well….you’re getting the picture.

I’m inspired. I’ll be conferencing with my principal, co-workers and community to see when (not if) this can be replicated in the Nassau County H.S. where I am presently teaching. If, by chance, I’ve caught your attention, maybe we can form our own support group to cheer, inspire and offer advice to each other, during this process. Are you Game?
Here’s the premise: In Florida Schools

  • All students need a quiet, green living space
  • All students need to be actively engaged in the Arts
  • All students need to be dedicated readers, ARTiculate speakers and masterful writers.
  • All students need a strong Arts Focus.

 AP National Convention – Orlando- an AP Conference Overview

by Cindy Hiers and Patricia Lamb

The 2004 AP National Convention was held in Lake Buena Vista at the Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort Hotels on July 15th-19th. The conference began on Thursday evening with a reception that featured the work of 30 AP Studio Art students selected from AP programs throughout the world at the June reading. Florida was represented in the exhibit by students from Seminole and Fort Lauderdale. It was a very successful evening with wonderful food, great student art, and lots of discussion among the conference attendees.

An all-day workshop on Friday, presented by Patricia Lamb, Polk County Schools, was absolutely outstanding. The room was packed with artist educators and AP readers from around the United States. The session included information about the AP program, the grading process, slide presentations, and several group discussions. The group applauded her when she finished!

Sessions on Saturday were provided by the Cleveland College of Art and Design and the Studio Art Test Development Committee. Another session presented information about encouraging diversity in the AP classroom and how to approach the concentration portion of the portfolio. The sessions provided a wealth of information about expectations, materials, and formats for the AP Studio Art portfolios.

Marilyn Stokstad, author of Art History presented an additional session entitled “Broadening The Base: Teaching Art History in the Age of Material Culture”. Marilyn was also available for a book signing. Her new revised edition includes a section on color theory. She was outstanding!

Pearson Prentice Hall, Academic Book Services and McGraw Hill were a few of the many vendors offering materials for educators to preview and use. The exhibit hall was filled with participants looking at the latest textbooks and curriculum materials. The College Board also offers many publications through their bookstore and is available on-line.

On Monday, an all day post-conference workshop on Vertical Teaming was presented by Jerry Stefl from the Art Institute of Chicago. Jerry is one of the pioneers of the vertical teaming initiative and is the author of the College Board’s publication, "The AP Vertical Teams Guide for Studio Art". The workshop illustrated visually the expectations for work from student artists at the emerging, proficient and advanced levels beginning in middle school. Strategies to help students move through each of the levels were presented and discussed.

In conclusion, the AP National Conference was a great way to gather information from a variety of sources about the Studio Art program. Both beginning and experienced AP teachers found something of interest.

How PBCATA got a Website
by Linda Stevenson, Northgrade Elementary, Palm Beach County, Florida

" Why doesn't PBCATA have a website?" The answer to that question made me Webmaster of the Palm Beach County Art Teachers Association. As the past president of PBCATA I saw a need for a website. Information was getting to our members through the preschool meeting, the quarterly newsletter and word of mouth but it wasn't getting to anybody else. Most schools in our district have access to the Internet and a website sounded like a great way to distribute PBCATA information to the rest of the district. (Our former webmaster was unhappy with our previous host and was unable to change it before she moved away.)
So where do I start? As newly appointed Webmaster I didn‚t have a clue. I did have friends who worked in the computer industry and I convinced them to give me a quick tutorial. I found out the difference between a domain name and a web page. A domain name is the Internet name or address of the website and a web page is what is actually at the address and what I wanted the world to see. I also learned you have to pay for both. First I needed to find a domain name that is different than anything else. This part was easy because PBCATA.org is unusual (the .org is for non profit organizations)

Second I needed to find a web host, which is a company that will keep the web pages on their computer and serve them out to the Internet. The PBCATA board agreed that the Treasurer would sign up for the website so the next year's bill would go directly to her and there would be no need for reimbursements. Which company do I choose? There are a lot out there. Most companies will register the domain name for you when you sign up for website on their server, but you are on your own after that.(Note: be carefuI using free domain registration. Many times you don't "own" your domain name outright. Instead, the hosting company does and thus you are locked into their webhosting and cannot change.)

I didn't know how to use a complicated (and expensive) web building application like Dreamweaver. Nor did I need something like that for what I wanted to do, which was get PBCATA info to our members and others. The solution was NetworkSolutions.com. (Note: Network Solutions is the original domain registration service.) This website and many others like them, registered the domain name, will host your site, and gave us five web pages and a simple web-building application all for one price. The web-building application was simple and easy to use. It gave me choices on the overall format, background, font style, color and size and the identifying icon. The application did this for all five pages, keeping the site consistent. All I needed to do was plug in the text and photos and click "publish" to post it up on the website.

" What do you want to say?" Now this was a bit easier. We had five pages to post all the information about PBCATA. The board agreed on a general idea of what was to go on each page and the outline of the website: News, Workshops, Exhibitions, History and Links. I used our newsletter, written by our secretary Cindy Oakes, for the News page, which is also the home page. The home page is the page that you see when you first come to the site. We update this quarterly. The next page was for workshops, where we list the dates, fees and contact info of all the workshops we will be giving that year. Anita Smith, our Workshop Coordinator determines the workshops at the beginning of the school year. I and others who attended the various workshops took the photos with a digital camera. The history, links and exhibitions pages are posted as reference pages for our members and give general info about us and what we do. Most of the work for these pages was done by various board members and are updated as needed.

" Can you e-mail that to me?" This is the best way to get the info from the other board members to post on the site. All of the our board members and most of the teachers in our district have access to email and know how to
use it. If they send the info in the body of the email and not as an attachment, it is easier for me to cut and paste the text on to the website. If the data is going to be sent as an attachment, agree beforehand on a common format like Microsoft Word or an application all of the members have, so all of you can read it.

" What do you think?" I often asked the PBCATA members their input on the web site to keep the site as current as possible. Updating is easy from any computer. I once did it from a classroom at one of the workshops. It is also easy to transfer the Webmaster responsibilities to another by simply giving them the username name and password. In the year and a half the PBCATA.org website has existed, it has become a valuable tool in keeping our members and the rest of the world up to date and informed. I hope this article will help you in building a website of your own.

Top Ten Tips to Creating a Successful Web Site for Your Local Art Teachers Association
By Susan Alyn, Art Teacher, Bayshore Elementary School, Lee County, FL


Tip #10 - Ask questions! Here‚s the opening question asked by Linda, the art teacher in Palm Beach County, in her article, "How PBCATA [Palm Beach County Art Teacher Assocation] Got a Web Site": "Why doesn't PBCATA have a web site?" Great question, since such a question shows Linda is a "with it" teacher, very much in tune with the 21st century, as she knows our world now includes technology as a means of instantly exchanging information. In addition, 7 out of 10 kids in this country are already online. Consequently, perhaps another question worth asking is this one: "When will each and every local art teacher association in Florida's 67 counties follow Linda's lead, and likewise create their own web site?"
Tip #9 - Support tech learners and tech leaders! Linda introduces herself to readers by explaining she is the current webmaster of the Palm Beach Art Teachers‚ website. And, she is also a past president of PBCATA. While we're all very fortunate to have colleagues who are friendly, helpful, and willing to serve as presidents of art teacher organizations, it‚s equally important to remember some art teachers own a home computer, but others do not. Some care about using technology to share information, but others do not. Those teachers willing to venture into cyber space truly deserve your extra support, since all teachers today are expected to hone technology skills.
Tip #8 - Start fresh! Linda writes: "Our former webmaster was unhappy with our previous host and was unable to change it before she moved away." In other words, the person who previously did the online work Linda is now doing had certain preferences, and for whatever reason, couldn‚t change the situation before parting ways with the website. Maybe you, too, have had a negative experience with a host, a web site, a computer class, or even a webmaster. What should you do? Do what Linda did. Move on -- and start all over again.
Tip #7 - Hold fast! Bravo to Linda for honestly and accurately summing up the conclusion quickly reached by every teacher new to technology: "I didn't have a clue." Yet, did Linda's sobering realization stop her from eventually creating a fabulous web site? Not hardly. And, that same sobering
conclusion need not permanently stop you, either, dear reader -- thanks in large part to Tip #6, below.
Tip #6 - Learn smart! Just as Linda created her web site after bypassing complicated software products that are very computer-geeky -- such as the difficult "Dreamweaver" product so, too, can you bypass this type of computer program. Rather than trying to learn how to use these old, complex products, Linda learned there are new products requiring no additional technology learning. She chose a new, quick, easy "point and click" computer program. Basically, here's what skills these new products require you to know before you can create your own web site: 1)Type your name, and 2) click "enter" on your computer. Can you do those two tasks? If so, then, just like Linda, you can create a web site. Because of these new computer programs, there‚s a world of difference in the computer skills required to be learned by professional web designers (as they have to learn HTML, a computer language), verses what Linda had to learn about technology (nothing). But, amazingly, Linda's web site -- created by Linda and not by a professional web designer -- looks remarkably professional. Why? Because of these new "point and click" programs, including the one used by Linda. Once again, let's review what you need to know to use this type of computer program -- Can you type your name? Can you click the "enter" key on a keyboard? If so, then you, too, can choose one of these new products to quickly and easily create a website. As Linda mentions, many companies now offer these new programs. Such programs were not created for professional web designers, but for millions of other people. (Including you!)
Tip #5 - Follow Linda! Note that Linda began her journey of acquiring computer knowledge by seeking out computer industry friends. However, she ended up creating a web site using a program not used by computer geeks. The arc of her journey is worth copying -- as many highly knowledgeable computer people know absolutely nothing about these new, easy "point and click" programs. (Care to guess why?)
Tip #4 - Get funding! If you have a highlighter nearby, use it now to highlight Linda's sentence here: "The PBCATA board agreed that the Treasurer would sign up for the website so the next year's bill would go directly to her and there would be no need for reimbursements." Linda is saying this venture cost her art association money, and the association bore the financial cost. Linda does not mention there are actually some companies that offer these new, easy "point and click" programs for free -- but, it's better that she didn't. "Free" may initially sound better than spending dues money on a web site; however, consider this: Who owns and controls the web site if it's "free"? How many others will invest any time working on the web site when they're not paying for it? Save yourself a million headaches, and avoid free web sites like the plague when creating a web site for an art teacher association group or any group. These free sites are great if it's you and you alone, creating the site as an individual teacher. You "own" it. You control it. You maintain it. It's yours to do with what you want. And, it's free. But, for a group endeavor to succeed, you literally need others to "buy into" the idea. So, first, get funding. If you can't get your art teacher group to fund a web site, then, do this: wait until they do. Without money, without people buying into it, and without others working on it, you are setting yourself up for a bunch of problems, including a grossly unfair work load on you, little understanding from others, and no help. Don't do it. It's not worth it. Spare yourself the time and trouble.
Tip #3 - Work with the webmaster on format! Linda is "The Webmaster," but look who else Linda says works with her: "The board agreed on a general idea of what was to go on each page and the outline of the website: News, Workshops, Exhibitions, History and Links". Remember, this art teacher's association board already decided to spend money creating and maintaining a web site. That decision was their Step #1. Now they are deciding how to best format this web site that they own and fund. This formatting decision is their Step #2. But, don't expect any board to jump into Step #2 unless it completes Step #1.
Tip #2 - Submit written content to the webmaster! As we know, Linda is "The Webmaster," but is she the one creating the new content of their web site's homepage each quarter? No. According to Linda: "I used our newsletter, written by our secretary Cindy Oakes, for the News page, which is also the home page." Linda‚s job as webmaster just got much easier, thanks to fellow art teacher and Secretary Cindy. Now, is Cindy the only one helping Linda with content? Nope. Here's what Linda writes: "Most of the work for these pages was done by various board members and are updated as needed. So, a number of teachers have "bought into" this web site. Various teachers are contributing content, and taking the time to do so. And, they should. Would you prefer your board just throws your dues money away ˆ and not contribute after spending it on a web site? Of course not. They spent the dues money on this project, and they are taking the time to make the investment worthwhile. This benefits all teachers. The greater number of teachers who contribute content, the more teachers learn; and, the more likely all teachers and others use the site. (And, of course, the less work for "the webmaster," whose function here is more like an editor when other teachers are also contributing content.) Linda also gives great advice when she urges contributors to avoid adding attachments to email -- and suggests teachers just write their contributed text on an email message to her, as this is easier for Linda to copy or cut/and paste onto the site.
Tip #1 - Share the fun! My favorite part of Linda's article is this: " It is also easy to transfer the Webmaster responsibilities to another by simply giving them the username name and password." Hmmm...very interesting. Obviously, other art teachers in a school district can function as "The Webmaster." That is, if they, too, know what Linda knows.
And, in Palm Beach County, as elsewhere, some of them do.
Kudos to them!

FAAE/ACE Programs/Information & Applications www.faae.org/programs
  • The Florida First Lady’s Renaissance in the Arts in Education Program
    $1,000.00 scholarships – Open to seniors in the Arts – Dance, Film/Video, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts. Applications due November 1, 2004
  • Florida Pride! 2004 “Giving Back”
    Holiday Greeting Card for Governor and Mrs. Bush open to all K-12 students
    Holiday Greeting card for Lt Governor Toni Jennings open to all students with a disability. Entries due September 25, 2004.
  • Teacher Incentive Grants – Applications to be posted
Hello All Art Friends,
I have found a friendly publisher who will help publish a collaborative book "Sketchbook about Sketchbooks" and the proceeds will be used to establish a grant fund to send art educators to the National Conference who have never been. We hope this will encourage new membership and participation. If you are interested in this idea, let me know.

We hope to meet at the FAEA Conference maybe through the secondary division. If any of you are interested in being an author in this publication or helping in any way, let me know.

Debi Barrett-Hayes
5430 Lawton Court
Tallahassee, FL 32317
(850) 878-6944
Deb13@aol.com

FAEA REGIONAL SUMMER TEACHER INSTITUTE

Brenda Dalton, NBCT, FAEA Treasurer

I had the pleasure of attending the Summer Teacher Institute entitled “ Reading the World of Art” July 18-20 at the Harn Museum, University of Florida. There were twenty-four of us in attendance at this, the third of the FAEA Summer Institutes offered at the Harn. Under the guidance of Bonnie Bernau, Director of Education, these summer gatherings have previously enlightened teachers in the areas of African and Asian art, and this year the participants learned to “read” art. Those attending were given a personal tour of the museum art and artifacts by Harn Docents, offering unique perspectives of specific works in the Harn collection. We were given the tools we need to creatively discuss new and unusual art with our students.

Dulce Roman, Harn Curator of Painting and Sculpture, presented an insightful view of Ansel Adam’s photographic works. We learned of his life as we viewed this collection of 59 of his photographs as well as 10 portraits of Ansel alone and with friends. His “pre-visualization” of subject matter allowed him to contemplate the darks and lights, textures and detail in order to determine the correct lenses and lighting needed to capture the perfect image.
Rachel Gibas, as Coordinator of School and Family Programs at the Harn, explained the use of a poem structure called a “diamante” and presented each attending member with excerpts from the “Reading the World of Art” Resource Unit CD. This is a fabulous teaching tool targeted to middle grades, but the information and images can be utilized on any level!

Mallory O'Connor, Professor of Art History at Santa Fe Community College, researches visual mythology, (how artists use art to communicate concepts to an audience). She uses art works of Florida history to teach through art concepts of function, symbolism, identity, and story telling, highlighting the themes in the Harn's Resource Unit.

Trish Thompson, Education Curator at the Southeast Museum of Photography and Professor of Painting at Daytona Beach Community College, spoke to the group on teaching through the arts, relating a variety of methods using pictures, newspaper pages and creative Florida Writes teaching pyramids. She also taught a delightful hands-on watercolor workshop.

Bonnie Bernau, Harn Director of Education, coordinated the event and did what she does best, enthusiastically taught others to look deep into a work of art in order to comprehend the many elements, symbolism, tools and statements that are waiting to be revealed.
Comments from the participants were positive and expressed gratitude for energizing them for the new school year. The materials, techniques, ideas and information shared were relevant and will be used with students in the classroom.
Any FAEA member who is interested in attending next year’s Teacher Institute, the dates are July 17, 18 and 19, 2005. Further detailed information will be available at www.faea.org or http://www.harnmuseum.ufl.edu/ next Spring. The cost is minimal, but the rewards are many. Put the dates on your calendar and enjoy.

THE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION GOES TO THE NAEA CONFERENCE
by Connie Phillips

So far, we have identified 68 FAEA members who attended NAEA in Denver!  The High School Division numbers about 22 out of the 68!  I think we deserve an “atta-boy!” for making up one third of the total membership in Denver.

The weather in Denver was fantastic.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Conference and I learned a lot.  Nicole Briscoe, from Texarkana, gave one of my favorite sessions on teaching AP.  I am totally blown away by her youth and energy!  She has developed a great method of organizing her AP students & I have already rewritten several of her handouts and reworked them to fit my program.  I couldn’t wait to get my juniors started and they are already fired up!

My least favorite session was called “Super Collage”.  It was a major workshop, which cost $30.  I pay for my conferences out-of-pocket, so the $30 was a big deal.  The presenter was very nice, but I decided the workshop was miss-titled.  There was nothing “super” about gluing paper to paper.  I wrote the presenter a nice email about it, but he never responded.  It would have been better titled “Basic Collage”.

Sandra Traub, from Broward County, said, “I found this year’s conference to be very informative.  One of my favorite presentations was about Holocaust themed bookmaking given by a fellow Floridian.  I also attended two workshops of Precious Metal Clay for jewelry making which I am very excited about and plan to include in my curriculum next year.  I’ve shown my students and they are very excited!”

I am hoping that the high school members will bring some of this information to share at the Division Meeting at the FAEA Conference in St Pete next October.

Not everyone was thrilled with the conference.  Rhonda Bristol, from Fernandina Beach, said she was “not impressed” with the presentations and that she thinks our FAEA presenters are better prepared.  Rhonda also claimed “there were grave discrepancies between what was written in the book and what was presented.”  Her favorite part seemed to be “seeing Florida Faces!”

Speaking of Florida Faces, I was standing in the lobby when two High School Division members read my nametag & came over to introduce themselves.  I was so happy to meet Leslie Cohen and Julie Childers from Tallahassee.  It was fun to “see” whom I have been communicating with through email.

I agree completely with Sandra when she said, “I look forward to next year’s conference in Boston.”  We already have our room reservations!

NFAA 2004 Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) applications due October 1, 2004

 

High school seniors and other 17 and 18 year old artists are eligible to apply to the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) ARTS program.  The ARTS identify young artists in nine categories for scholarships and financial support toward their continued arts education.  The NFAA website (http://www.nfaa.org) has complete information regarding eligibility requirements, application deadlines, fees, frequently asked questions, winners, and information on The Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

NFAA Deadlines and other important dates - ARTS awards

October 1, 2004

Final Application Postmark Deadline

November 1, 2004

Submission Packet Postmark Deadline

December, 2004

ARTS  Winners Notified, Finalists invited to ARTS Week.

January 10-16, 2005

ARTS Week in Miami

2004 Florida State Fair Juried Exhibit

 

High school students, grades 10 – 12 are eligible to send artwork to compete in the 2004 Florida State Fair Student Juried Exhibition.  Graduating seniors may submit portfolios for scholarship consideration. In September, the Florida State Fair website (http://www.floridastatefair.com) will have the complete information regarding eligibility requirements, entry forms, portfolios requirements/entry forms, deadlines, delivery dates and exhibition dates on line.

Professional Development Plans

 

Don’t forget to write in the FAEA Conference and the NAEA Conference into your personal Professional Development Plan:

Florida Art Education Association Conference

St. Petersburg, Florida 

October 14-17, 2004

National Art Education Association

Boston, Massachusetts

March 4-8, 2005

 

NAEA Awards - Congratulations to:

Jim O’Donnell, a student at the University of Florida is the newly elected NAEA Student Chapter President.

Vera L. Arias, member of the NAEA’s National Art Honor Society, was selected as one of the nations 141 outstanding high school seniors named as the 2004 Presidential Scholars.  Vera, from Opa Locka, Florida graduated this June from New World School of the Arts in Miami.

 Fran Masse, Orlando, Florida will represent the NAEA Southeastern  Region in Administration and Supervision.

 

Target Website:  www.target.com

Teachers can search the entire target.com website and create a “Classroom Wish List” that is tailored to fit the needs of their students and curriculum.  And, while on the website, K-12 teachers can enter the “Teachers  Win Sweepstakes.” By entering the contest, teachers become eligible to win 10 $100 Target Gift Cards, and a $1,000 donation to the school of their choice.  The “Teachers Win Sweepstakes” runs until August 31, 2004.