Understanding Art Making and the Role of Material and Process
In the videos below we’ll explore examples of the role that materials and process play when making a work of art. Before we watch the first video, grab your sketchbook and something to write with. I’m going to set a timer for one minute, write down as many materials to create art with that you […]
How Art and Science Go Together
If you have a love for both science and art, learning about art conversation might interest you. Art conservation is a combination of Art History, Studio Art, and Chemistry. Art History: Works to understand where is the work from? Who made it and how was it made? Studio Art: Has the skills to work […]
Beginning of the Year Art Activity to get to know Your Students
When creating assingments I try to think of ways to help students make personal connections to the work they’re looking at and learning about. This year, I added an assignment asking Art History students to answer the 4 questions below. My favorite was seeing everyone’s response to #1. This assignment encourages students to search artists […]
How to Help Photography Students Develop Ideas
One of my favorite things about teaching art to all levels is helping students learn how to develop their own ideas. Developing ideas is also about finding problems, then creating something that solves the problem. Learning to think like an artist benefits students in all areas of their life. A tool that I use over […]
What to do with your Kids this Summer
Image from and more info about the show at: Met Breuer Whenever I see a fibers related exhibit, I get pretty excited, and this one did not disappoint. Mrinalini Mukherjee’s macrame sculptures are mesmerizing. You have to see them in person to experience their scale and the story that it tells. Then if you’re anything […]
Books on Art, Creativity, and Education
I always tend to read more over the summer. I search Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Strand Bookstore for new books, I wanted to share a list of books on Art, Creativity, and Education that I love. The Best Schools : Thomas Armstrong Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Intention: M Csikszentmihalyi […]
High School Art Curriculum for Homeschoolers
When people hear that I teach AP Art courses online to homeschool students, they usually have a lot of questions, and I’m betting you do as well. Since I teach the courses through PA Homeschoolers, many people think that they can only take the courses if they live in PA, but that isn’t the […]
Art Lesson: Exploring and Experimenting with new materials
A big part of marking art is understanding the medium(s) that you’re using. What can and can’t the medium do? How far can you push it? What other mediums can you combine with it? To start exploring mediums, challenge yourself to create a list of 50 things that you can create with. Hint: they don’t […]
How to Use Drawing to Improve Learning in all Subjects
Do you know how to take notes that help you learn? When I started teaching AP Art History, I found that students were excellent at filling pages in their notebooks with notes. However, as I looked over their notes, they were simply re-writing what they were reading. They weren’t demonstrating that they understand what they […]
3 Tools to Help You and Your Students Feel More Confident Writing
I often have students in art class they don’t feel comfortable writing. I myself wasn’t always a big fan. As with most things in life, it takes practice and access to the proper tools. Two tools that I use myself and also share with my students are Grammarly and the Hemmingway Editor. Both of have […]