Louise Nevelson, who is called the "architect of shadow," was a "dumpster diver" of her time, collecting found objects in the wee hours of the morning before trash pickup. Recognition evaded Nevelson until she created "Mood Garden + One" (1958), when she was almost 60 years old. In this article, students create their own assemblage using…

The author personally started making narrative collaged necklaces about 10 years ago, after being inspired by an artist friend. She would take mini images from magazines and collage them together onto laminate tile samples from a hardware store. She then adds colorful brads and stickers, and then paint and oil pastel over them, finally sealing…

The author's art program includes students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In pondering the "nearly impossible," he wondered how the entire student population could work together on one art project that could be exhibited at the same time. He wanted each of his 700 students to create an original artwork that would display individual and…

"Shells and Patterns" was a project the author felt would easily put smiles on the faces of her fifth-graders, and teach them about unity and the use of watercolor pencils as well. It was thrilling to see the excitement in her students as they made their line drawings of shells come to life. For the most part, they quickly got the hang of…

An art room should be a garden of visual stimulation, born of creativity, inquiry, critical thinking and intellectual conversation--and a little collaboration is not a bad thing either! When the author unpacked the new stools for her art room at the high school, she envisioned something more beautiful than the brown masonite circles that…

Creating a self-portrait of having fun "riding a wave" is a very enlightening and engaging experience for students of all ages, but the author's second-graders had an especially wonderful time with this art experience. To begin the unit of study, the author and her students looked at self-portraits created by Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt,…

In this article, the author describes a class project based on the work of contemporary American artist Red Grooms. Grooms is best known for his "sculpto-pictoramas," which are a combination of both painting and sculpture that literally pop off the page or out of the background.

Describes an art project where students create slab planters that are functional clay objects. Discusses how the students prepare their drawings for the planter and how to create the planter. Explains that the subject matter is depicted in a progression from reality to abstraction. (CMK)

Describes an art project that taught students about the work of two different artists: (1) Edgar Degas; and (2) Alexander Calder. Explains that students created drawings of ballerinas, created sculptures in the style of Calder, and created sculptures of ballerinas. (CMK)

Describes an art project used with eleventh-grade students called, "Close to Mosaic Drawings." Explains that the students learned about Chuck Close and Robert Silvers. States that the students selected a photograph to use in the project and discusses in detail how they created their artworks. (CMK)

Describes an assignment where students in an advanced art class created ten textured backgrounds for future artworks. Explains that there were different stations with tools and media for creating the backgrounds. Offers examples of what subject matter was used with the backgrounds. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of having students learn about the elements of art and design principles in art. Includes a list of projects that can be adapted for any grade level to educate students about art elements and principles of design. (CMK)

Presents a project used with beginning art students that focuses on depicting objects as three-dimensional. Explains that the students select three to five wooden architectural forms and other objects as the subject matter. Discusses the techniques and materials used in the project. (CMK)

Presents an art project that incorporates art history in which high school students create a still-life drawing of one jacket in four styles. Explains that the first drawing should be in the style of the student, while the other three should be in the styles of three well-known artists. Includes a list of artists. (CMK)

Describes an art lesson used in an advanced drawing course in which the students created artworks of a portion of a chosen game board, such as "Monopoly," implementing photographic realism. Explains how the students created their pictures and includes the learning objectives for the lesson. (CMK)