Art educators are concerned with exposing their students to contemporary art making practices. They aim to create fresh lessons that expand their understandings of art in today's world while highlighting the importance of imagination. With a personal interest in performance and street art (art forms that have gained popularity in recent years),…

In this Instructional Resource, Denmead and Brown consider how "Ruffneck Constructivists," an exhibition curated by Kara Walker at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), University of Pennsylvania, can disturb and provoke young creatives and art education more broadly. For this exhibition, Walker draws on the figure that MC Lyte…

Animals have always been close to the heart of humankind. They appear in the earliest imagery as the very first subjects of art. Household pets are a fixture for many a family. This is true in art as well. In shifting the balance away from animals as pure symbols, the Impressionists identified them as members of the household. One of the most…

Is there beauty in the wall socket that people plug their appliances into daily? Can one find beauty in the grate covering the heat vent in his classroom? The author posed these very questions to her third-grade students. She had the students take a good look at the outlet cover (or plate) on the wall. After thinking and discussing the outlets,…

Interactive art activities can empower children and adults to experience art as active participants rather than passive spectators. Fayetteville State University's Art Education program in North Carolina has established Panorama Kids, mural projects designed by kids and painted by community volunteers. As art students can attest, art is very much…

Art teachers are renowned for their claims that the creative properties of their senior secondary pupils' artworks occur as a result of the realisation of a creative process. Drawing on my recent ethnographic studies in senior art classrooms in Sydney, Australia, and Illinois, USA, I uncover a sociological, rather than a psychological explanation…

The purpose of this study was to investigate methods of enhancing kindergarteners' artistic creative thinking and expressive drawing through an activity that involved appreciation of picture books. The study was conducted in a public kindergarten in southern Taiwan, with 27 children aged between 4 and 5. The researcher conducted the study in 16…

The residents of Toyohashi, Japan, believe that art should be a community project. Once a year, for two days, the city's largest park becomes a fantasy land created by the children of Toyohashi. (Author)

Author stresses the need to communicate the values that gave meaning to our forbearers in order to understand more precisely the way we should go, in order to name who we will become. (Author)

Examines the similarities and differences between the artistry of children and adult masters. Suggests that while artists have more highly developed skills, far more control of their gifts, and superior ability to experiment systematically and to choose among alternatives, much in their processes of creation is reminiscent of children. (JMF)

Asserts that teacher attitudes in fostering art creativity in small children count more than specific art materials or art programs. (DS)

Recommends that art projects for children encourage the opportunity to look.'' (DS)

Recommends ways in which parents can foster creative development in their children. (DS)

Describes experience in teaching art in an open classroom for eighth grade students at Martin Kellogg Junior High School, Newington, Connecticut. (DS)

Learning activities that use visual art symbols enhance the creative and artistic potential of gifted and talented students; promote integration of thought and feeling and the development of multiple symbol systems. Proposes combining with Clark's integrative education model to improve the academic success of all American Indian students. (SV)