Happy Birthday, Frida Kahlo!

"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint."
~Frida Kahlo

"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best."
~Frida Kahlo

Happy Birthday, Frida!
July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954

My favorite picture book is Frida by Jonah Winter.

From my previous post on INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids:

Six years ago for part of an Art Volunteer In the Classroom presentation, I chose to read Jonah Winter’s Frida to both a Kindergarten and fourth-grade class and was surprised by the results. In both classes, the students intently listened to every word. They scooted and maneuvered to get a better look at the illustrations. And, the active discussion after I read the book was full of insightful comments and observations. They developed a firm grasp of who Frida Kahlo was as an artist.

All the experts recommend that the main focus of Art Enrichment presentations should be on the conversations about art; i.e. how it makes you feel, what was the artist trying to express in his or her work, can you relate to the painting. Winter's picture book did everything necessary to get the kids experiencing the work of Frida Kahlo. All that was left to do was fill in a few biographical facts. That day, I experienced the magic of lyrical, polished writing and lively, unique illustrations in harmony that creates an inspiring and memorable picture book.

Though an art project wasn't necessary, the students drew their portraits with images of their dreams and passions floating around in the backgrounds.

Art Education Quote

"I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH WILL REWARD ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AS WE REWARD ACHIEVEMENT IN BUSINESS OR STATECRAFT. I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH WILL STEADILY RAISE THE STANDARDS OF ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT AND WHICH WILL STEADILY ENLARGE CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH COMMANDS RESPECT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD NOT ONLY FOR ITS STRENGTH BUT FOR ITS CIVILIZATION AS WELL."

       President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
             -At Amherst College, October 26, 1963

Art Education Quote

An arts education helps build academic skills & increase academic performance, while also providing alternative opportunities to reward the skills of children who learn differently. ~Gavin Newsom

Picasso Quote

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun."
Pablo Picasso

Here's the quote in its entirety : "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun."

Great intro to begin a discussion about artists and Picasso.

Pablo Picasso
"Blue Dove and Yellow Sun" or "The World Without  Weapons"
"Le Combat Pour La Paix"

LITHOGRAPH DRAWN BY PICASSO FOR THE POSTER ADVERTISING THE WORLD CONGRESS FOR GENERAL DISARMAMENT AM) PEACE HELD IN MOSCOW FROM JUL1 9 TO 11. 1962. ON THIS OCCASION, 8,000 COPIES WERE PRINTED WITH TEXT IN GERMAN, ARABIC, SPANISH, FRENCH. ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN. PICASSO DID THE LITHOGRAPH, MEASURING 59 X 76 CM., ON MARCH 10, 1962.

Link to nice sampling of Picasso's work:
Picasso Art Page

Picture Books for Art Appreciation Classes

Here's the piece I wrote for my March post for Interesting Nonfiction for Kids -- I.N.K.
I'm reposting it here because the picture books I mention are perfect for an Art Volunteer in the Classroom (AVIC) presentation.
Enjoy!

March is Youth Art Month. Couldn’t let this month go by without mentioning some of my favorite art books for kids.
Youth Art Month is an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs. Youth Art Month was created in 1961 by ACMI, a non-profit association of art and craft materials manufacturers, in cooperation with the NAEA.  In 1984, ACMI created CFAE to administer the national Youth Art Month program and encourage funding for the program.

Six years ago for part of an Art Volunteer In the Classroom presentation, I chose to read Jonah Winter’s Frida to both a Kindergarten and fourth-grade class and was surprised by the results. In both classes, the students intently listened to every word. They scooted and maneuvered to get a better look at the illustrations. And, the active discussion after I read the book was full of insightful comments and observations. They developed a firm grasp of who Frida Kahlo was as an artist.

All the experts recommend that the main focus of Art Enrichment presentations should be on the conversations about art; i.e. how it makes you feel, what was the artist trying to express in his or her work, can you relate to the painting. Winter's picture book did everything necessary to get the kids experiencing the work of Frida Kahlo. All that was left to do was fill in a few biographical facts. That day, I experienced the magic of lyrical, polished writing and lively, unique illustrations in harmony that creates an inspiring and memorable picture book.

Though an art project wasn't necessary, the students drew their portraits with images of their dreams and passions floating around in the backgrounds.

Some recent books that I have found that are perfect reads for Art Appreciation presentations:

The Vermeer Interviews Conversations with Seven Works of Art
By Bob Raczka
Millbrook Press 2009

Love this latest book by Bob Raczka. Bob’s books always look at art in an unique perspective; this time from the painting’s point of view. I learned so much by the way the text was written. Who knew there was so much to discover in a Vermeer painting?

In Her Hands : the Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage
By Alan Schroeder (author), JaeMe Bereal (Illustrator)
Lee and Low Books  October 2009

In this window into Savage’s early experiences as a child and artist, children connect with the passion and story behind her work. Wonderful to see a new picture book biography about a sculptor and the Harlem Renaissance.




Just finished reading The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova and it might be my new favorite book. If you like painting with a late 1880's back story mixed with a few love stories and a mystery, put it on your must-read pile.  

WP6KT3N7PABN

Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

Van Gogh's Starry Night Named World's Most Popular Oil Painting of the Decade

Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

Jackson Pollock (1912 - 1956)

Short clip of Jackson Pollock at work

Colored Pencil, Crayon, Marker Ideas from Faber-Castell

A great resource for art project ideas is on the Faber-Castell web site. Browse through the many techniques for using colored pencils, wax crayons, oil pastels, paint and markers. Something there has to spark an idea for an art project.

Ideas for Drawing and Colouring with Pencils, Crayons, and Paint

Merging colours is one idea on the Faber-Castell web site that I thought would work for an art appreciation lesson.

Merging colours

Fibre-tip pens can be used in many of the same ways as colour pencils, and they are also useful for learning about secondary colours. For this we use a pointillist technique, with lots of little dots. Try it with just the primary colours red, blue, and yellow. If you stand back, then the individual dots are no longer perceived as such, but merge in the eye to form secondary colours. This effect is also used in colour printing, as a magnifying glass will show. Oranges coloured with red and yellow dots appear orange, yellow-and-blue leaves look green. This technique is very suitable for pictures of natural objects, sketched out beforehand with a soft pencil or a pale yellow fibre-tip pen.

History of the Pencil

Ever wonder how the pencil came to be? Faber-Castell has a great page on their web site titled Pencil Discovery and Innovation.

The beginning of the pencil is explained here from the Faber-Castell web site:

The origins of today's pencil goes back to 1565, when a grey-black glistending substance was found in Borrowdale, in the Cumberland hills of England. It was said to be a 'lead' coloured material, greasy to touch an quick to stain the fingers. This substance became known as black-lead, an was found to be more convenient for a writing an drawing than pen and ink, as it's marks could be easily rubbed out.

This would be paired great with an Escher print:

M.C. Escher, Drawing Hands (1948) 

M.C. Escher Official Web Site

Franz Marc in 3 Dimensions

Love Franz Marc. This short video would be great to show after telling the students about Marc. Follow with a discussion of the elements and Marc's art.
Music is beautiful also.

Jackson Pollock in the Classroom

Here's a fantastic blog post from last week by my fellow INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids mate,  Jan Greenberg. My favorite art appreciation presentations have been when I read a book to a class, followed by a discussion about the artist, his or her art, and the book... and the author. At first I was surprised that reading an art-related picture book worked for all class grades. Kindergartners to Fifth Graders listened intently, asked insightful questions, and all participated in an exciting discussion about the artist. Guess what's what makes a well-written picture book.

Action Jackson in the Classroom
Jan's discussion questions work well for discussing any artwork.
Action Jackson
by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker.
Roaring Brook Press 2002

Arne Duncan's recent comments on Arts Education

While fielding questions at a town hall forum in Sacramento, CA, September 2009, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was asked about promoting the arts in schools. Duncan said, "It's always the arts that get cut when money gets tight, but it's often band, choir, musicals, being on a sports team, being on a debate team that keep children in school. We cannot afford to narrow the curriculum, and teaching the arts is one of the best underutilized strategies for keeping children in schools."
Arne Duncan's Letter
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a letter to school officials and community leaders reminding them of the important role of arts education in a student's life. This is a letter worth sharing with members of your school board, booster club, local newspaper, and the community at-large. Read the letter...

Nazi Looted Paintings Discovered at Southern Methodist University

The story and concept of all the artwork and treasures that were stolen by the Nazis during WWII continue to astound me, and once again is in the news. And, sadly, the search for the looted art continues, and will continue for a very long time.
Just this past week: "Based on new evidence about the systematic looting of art from Jewish owners in the course of hostilities in Europe during World War II, a pair of famous paintings on display at SMU's Meadows Museum created by Spanish master Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-1682) of Seville's Patron Saints Justa and Rufina, estimated to be worth more than $10 million, are believed to have been stolen from the Rothschild family in Paris in 1941."

Robert M. Edsel, Founder and President of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to completing the mission of the Monuments Men, started to question the ownership of the two paintings in 2006.

Robert M. Edsel is the author of a newly released book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.   Really looking forward to reading this book!

Here's the entire news story:
Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

Why Introduce Children to Masterpieces: Great Article!

Teaching Rembrandt

Why introduce children to masterpieces?

BY JOSEPH MATTHEW PIRO

Joseph Matthew Piro is director of “Rembrandt and Collections of His Art in America,” a project aimed at developing a teaching Web site. The project, which received $184,348 in NEH funding, is in development. 

Humanities, November/December 2007, Volume 28/Number 6

Mike Venezia: AVIC Workshop

Today is my post day on INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids.
This past Monday was the yearly Art Volunteer in the Classroom Workshop sponsored by the Fox Valley Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mike Venezia, author and illustrator of the fabulous Get to Know the World's Greatest Artists Series, was the guest speaker. Anyone who has done any research on artists has seen his books.
Here's the link to my article: Mike Venezia Inspiring Art and Creativity