The Smithsonian American Art Museum has created and will tour an exhibition on a most unusual but extremely popular art form--"The Art of Video Games." As one of the largest and first of its type, this exhibition will document and explore a 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the…

During the Great Depression, following the stock market crash of 1929, the nation's greatest financial crisis, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration created the Public Works of Art Project. It was the first federal government program designed to support the arts by putting artists back to work. The program's purpose was to alleviate…

A field trip to an art museum is a very special occasion for students, one they will long remember and that will initiate an association with museums that will endure throughout their lives. When teachers plan ahead and schedule a date and time for their class to attend, the museum will probably provide some pertinent information. Some museums may…

This article profiles Frank Woodberry Applebee (1902-1988) and features Applebee's painting called "Monday." Applebee was born in Boston and attended the Massachusetts College of Art. Throughout his career, Applebee continued his learning, and in the 1940s took a correspondence course in drawing from the Ralph M. Pearson Design Workshop. He…

As soon as they graduate from arm-length viewing in shopping-cart seats, children take off to adventure in aisles, touching just about everything. Kids will pocket fallen signs and lug unusual, empty shelves and packaging materials in hopes of taking them home. Kids recognize and compliment supermarket artists--stock clerks who create container…

This article profiles Patrick Dougherty and features his installation at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. With the help of 100 volunteers and a time span of just three weeks, sculptor Patrick Dougherty harvested the materials and constructed the installation entitled "Lookin' Good! Lookin' Good!" on a lawn adjacent to the entrance of…

Clay is one of the oldest materials known to humanity and has been used for utilitarian purposes and creative expression since prehistoric times. As civilizations evolved, ceramic materials, techniques, purposes and design all became more sophisticated and expressive. With the addition of different minerals and firing methods, clay was used to…

A new traveling exhibition and catalogue produced by the Smithsonian's American Art Museum features works by 31 artists from the United States who came to maturity in the mid-20th century. These artists have become the most significant and influential artists over the past 50 years as their works adorn the modern galleries of hundreds of museums.…

Museum studies will certainly reinforce students' appreciation of art history and art production. A student's understanding of a museum's function will deepen with each museum visit. Students will recognize that a museum can be organized around materials and kinds of art, periods of art history and cultures, and the works of an individual artist.…

Discusses an art exhibit, "The Age of Armor," presented by the Higgins Armory Museum (Worcester, Massachusetts). Includes the itinerary for the exhibit. Provides background information on armor as an artform and examples of armor. (CMK)

Provides background information on the life and career of Gerald Brockhurst, an artist known for his etchings. Includes information on his etchings. Describes the travelling exhibition of Brockhurst's etchings "Gerald Leslie Brockhurst: Etchings from the William P. Brumfield Memorial Collection." (CMK)

Presents background information on the artist Ginny Ruffner who was a "flameworker." Includes information on the exhibition entitled "Creativity: The Flowering Tornado, Art by Ginny Ruffner" and the accompanying art pop-up book. Provides photographs of some of her artwork. (CMK)

Provides background information on the lives and works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Focuses on the artwork of the artists and the museums where their work is displayed. Includes museum photographs of their work. (CMK)

Discusses a workshop that accompanied the author's exhibit, "A Sense of Place: Paintings by Evelyn Busch Klie." Explains that students created a watercolor painting and a clay frame or base with details in it. Includes a list of art materials and learning objectives. (CMK)

Explores the life and work of the artist, Winslow Homer, a 19th century painter and illustrator. Focuses on the exhibition, "Winslow Homer the Illustrator: His Wood Engravings, 1857-1888." Includes the itinerary for the exhibition and examples of his illustrations. (CMK)