7369 art teach gd 5819 - ket

© 1996, 1997, KET, The Kentucky NetworkThis guide and the Art On-Air series were funded by the Kentucky Arts Council and by a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Education, U.S. Department of Education.

The KentuckyNetwork

Program 1................................................................... Walking the LineProgram 2......................................................................... Moving LinesProgram 3...................................................................................... ColorProgram 4............................................................................ Geo-VistasProgram 5.......................................................................... TessellationsProgram 6........................................................................ cARTographyProgram 7................................................................. Drawing AnimalsProgram 8...................................... Turning Everyday Objects Into ArtProgram 9......... Exploring the Third Dimension with Captain CookeProgram 10...................................................... Celebrating AncestorsProgram 11................................................ Combining Words with ArtProgram 12..................................................................... Animating Art

Teacher’s Guide

Art On-Air Teacher’s Guide2

Introduction to the SeriesArt On-Air, produced in collaboration with the Kentucky

Arts Council and its Artist-in-Residence program, offersupper elementary students (and their teachers) 12 separatevisual art lessons, taught by experienced KAC roster artists.Each 20- to 30-minute program also includes a discussion ofartists, past and present, and their work; video field trips;and/or examples of student art.

Art On-Air is intended to help children• understand and apply basic art concepts.• see themselves as artists.• value their own creativity as well as the creativity of

others.• learn the “usefulness” of art.• participate in the process of making art from beginning

to end.• explore a variety of media and tools.• increase their awareness of art and artists, past and

present.• see the art present in the world around them.• understand the connections among art and other

disciplines.• relate the process of making art to critical thinking

skills such as decision making and problem solving.All the information you need to introduce Art On-Air in

your classroom is included in this guide. You’ll find sugges-tions for using the series with your students; biographies ofthe eight artist/instructors; a detailed section on eachprogram, including lists of related artists and art, step-by-step instructions, extensions, and resources; a glossary of artterms, as well as a special glossary related to tessellations;and a list of arts resources and books on art.

How To Use Art On-Airin Your Classroom

The Art On-Air series introduces upper elementarystudents to 12 unique visual arts projects—projects theywill be able to do themselves. Each program features anexperienced artist-in-residence demonstrating techniquesand processes and providing students with backgroundinformation about related art works. The students also seeprojects created by their peers in response to the samelessons.

The programs are intended to inspire students and toprovide them with a prompt for producing their own piecesof art. To help you facilitate the art projects, this guideprovides lists of materials and instructions for each lesson;ideas for follow-up, exhibition, and extensions; and sug-gested resources. We suggest that you assemble andprepare all the materials needed for each project beforeyour students view the program. At that point, you have atleast two options for using the lessons:

1. Your students can view the entire program, at thetime of broadcast or on videotape, and then begin ontheir own projects (with your assistance and guid-ance). This model—the one we had in mind when theprograms were created—allows the presentations tohave their full inspirational impact.

or2. You may think your students will get restless sitting

through a 20-minute program without doing some-thing themselves. Or you may want to play down yourrole as guide and instructor. In either case, you canchoose to have your class view the taped program insegments as you start and stop the video. In thismodel, students are able to work along with thetelevision instructor. To follow this approach success-fully, you probably should preview the tape and decidewhen to take breaks ahead of time.

To make the lessons as effective as possible, we encour-age you to allow your students to participate in a “Responseto Art” activity after their pieces are completed and/or toexhibit their work in one of the ways suggested (or in someother way you and/or your students determine). The fulllessons—including the videotape, any warm-up exercises,the work itself, the response to the work, and the exhibi-tion of the work—are designed to help students seethemselves as artists and to help them value their ownwork and the work of others, both classmates and profes-sional artists.

Thank you for using Art On-Air in your classroom. Wehope these lessons inspire creativity and encourage yourstudents to discover the joy of expressing themselvesthrough visual art.

In This Guide …How To Use Art On-Air in Your Classroom ........................... 2About the Artist/Instructors .................................................. 3Program Outlines1. Walking the Line .............................................................. 52. Moving Lines .................................................................... 63. Color .................................................................................. 74. Geo-Vistas ......................................................................... 95. Tessellations ................................................................... 116. cARTography .................................................................. 167. Drawing Animals ............................................................ 208. Turning Everyday Objects Into Art ................................ 249. Exploring the Third Dimension with Captain Cooke ... 25

10. Celebrating Ancestors .................................................... 2811. Combining Words with Art ............................................ 3212. Animating Art ................................................................ 36Resources and Books on Art for Students and Teachers ..... 40Glossary of Art Terms ........................................................... 44Glossary of Terms Related to Tessellations ......................... 47Acknowledgments ................................................................ 48

KET, The Kentucky Network 3

About the Artist/Instructors

Maude AlexanderThe artist/teacher appearing in “Cel-

ebrating Ancestors” has enjoyed a longcareer in education and the arts. Her ex-perience includes working in program de-velopment for educational and recreationalagencies; teaching and administering earlychildhood programs; directing a recre-ational center; serving as playgrounddrama supervisor for a staff of 60; and pro-viding workshops in art, puppetry, drama,poetry, and writing for children and adults.In addition, Maude has put hermulticultural approach to learning and artinto practice as an art instructor at KingElementary in Louisville and as amulticultural arts teacher for the Louis-ville Visual Arts Association. This year, sheembarked on a new experience: teachingart to special-needs children at the Spe-cial Arts Festival at the Kentucky Centerfor the Arts and at Louisville’s Home of theInnocents.

Maude’s educational background in-cludes a B.A. in sociology from the Univer-sity of Louisville plus 33 additional creditsfrom U of L, Montclair State College, Chi-cago Teachers College, Kean College, andSeton Hall University in children’s litera-ture, child development and early child-hood curriculum language development,learning disabilities, education of the blackchild, and multicultural education.

Cynthia CookeThe instructor for “cARTography” and

“Exploring the Third Dimension with Cap-tain Cooke” is a roster artist and cartogra-pher for the Kentucky Arts Council inFrankfort. Cyndi has been a guest speakerat numerous schools throughout Ken-tucky and Indiana and has written severalsuccessful grants for educational projectsand activities. She specializes in teachingintegrated portfolio projects to students atall levels.

Cyndi also provides education clinicsand summer institutes to minority at-riskstudents at Louisville’s Lincoln Founda-tion and has taught cartographic tech-niques in the Geography Department atthe University of Louisville. Her other ex-perience includes designing hands-on ac-tivities for the Children’s Museum of In-dianapolis and working as a cartographerfor the Defense Mapping Agency in Louis-ville and in Washington, DC. Cyndi has aB.A. in geography from the University ofLouisville.

Thomas FreeseThe featured artist in “Tessellations”

and “Combining Words with Art” has stud-ied arts and crafts since 1976 in variouslocales, including the Southwest CraftCenter in San Antonio, TX; the McNay ArtInstitute, also in San Antonio; and ElTecnologico de Estudios Superiores deNuevo Leon in Mexico. He also spent 11years in New Mexico, where he becamefamiliar with Native American art andculture.

Thomas has mastered a variety ofcrafts, including calligraphy, eraser carv-ing, rubber stamp design, and jewelrymaking, and offers classes for schools injewelry making, printing, Native Americancrafts and culture, the art of rubber stamp-ing, and Spanish and Mexican folk-artcrafts. His recent work experience includesan extended art residency at Spottsville El-ementary in Henderson County, KY.

Rebecca GallionThe instructor for “Walking the Line”

is an artist-in-residence with the KentuckyArts Council. She also serves as an artworkshop specialist, providing on-site artworkshops for social service and arts or-ganizations, and as a film and video pro-duction artist, creating props and sets aswell as paintings for promotions and spe-cial events. In 1994, under a Teacher In-centive Program Grant from the KentuckyArts Council, Becky conducted a two-month arts workshop for special-needs andregular education students, ages 6 to 12,at Minors Lane Elementary in Louisville.A recent art residency took her to RowanCounty Middle School in Morehead.

Becky has also served as education out-reach coordinator for the J.B. Speed ArtMuseum in Louisville and has taught a va-riety of arts classes for children and adults.She frequently exhibits her work, most re-cently at the Kentucky Center for the Artsand at Louisville’s RIPE Gallery. Becky hasa B.A. in painting from the University ofKentucky and an M.F.A. in drawing fromthe University of Cincinnati.

© Thomas Freese


Ruben MorenoThe instructor for “Geo-Vistas” and

“Animating Art” is an experienced artistand art educator who conducts school artresidency programs in Florida, Kentucky,and Ohio. Ruben has an M.F.A. in paintingwith a minor in cinema from the Univer-sity of Cincinnati. He has conducted nu-merous clay animation programs and hashad animation projects featured in exhibi-tions at the Cincinnati and Lexingtonchildren’s museums.

Ruben’s recent projects include a one-month animation residency in Derry,Northern Ireland and service as an artist-in-residence with the Elizabethtown Inde-pendent Schools, where he designed visualarts curricula and worked with facultyand staff in grades P–6 at three elemen-tary schools. He has also taught visual artsfor the Kentucky Governor’s School for theArts, Maysville Community College, andthe University of Louisville and has servedas the assistant coordinator for visual andperforming arts for Hillsborough CountySchools in Tampa, FL.

Alice NoelThe instructor for “Moving Lines” and

“Turning Everyday Objects Into Art” hasbeen an artist-in-residence at public el-ementary schools in Owensboro and Bowl-ing Green. She has also been awardedTeacher Incentive Program grants to pro-vide art classes at the Lutheran School andat Cumberland Trace Elementary in Bowl-ing Green. Her previous teaching experi-ence includes several years of private artinstruction and four years as art teacherfor special-needs students in DawsonSprings, KY.

In the past few years, Alice has exhib-ited her own work in Louisville, BowlingGreen, Nashville, and Chicago. Her artis-tic focus is mixed media sculptures involv-ing interactive elements of motion andlight, sculptures that reflect her West Ten-nessee background.

Alice has a B.F.A. from Murray StateUniversity with a dual concentration inpainting and sculpture and a K–12 art edu-cation certification.

Rex RobinsonThe featured artist in “Drawing Ani-

mals” is a veteran artist-in-residence, with1996-97 residency programs at DrakesboroElementary School, Daviess County HighSchool, and Dawson Springs MiddleSchool. He has more than 25 years’ expe-rience in promoting students’ creativityand expression through workshops anddemonstrations.

Rex is a successful visual artist whoserealistic paintings have received numerousnational and regional honors in competi-tions. He has completed more than 30 soloand group exhibits in museums and gal-leries across the country, and many of hisworks are included in corporate, private,and museum collections. Although Rexenjoys a variety of media and subjects, hemainly uses aqua-media to create portfo-lios on Southeastern states, includingpaintings of historic landmarks, gardens,the contemporary environment, and ani-mals. He also has painted murals for Ken-tucky schools, businesses, and institutions.

A certified K–12 art education instruc-tor, Rex earned a B.A. in art education fromKentucky Wesleyan College and completedadditional graduate work at Western Ken-tucky University.

Catherine RubinThe instructor featured in “Colors” is

technical assistant/art consultant for theCollaborative for Elementary Learning.Catherine is also a practicing artist and aformer artist-in-residence for the KentuckyArts Council. Since 1985, she has con-ducted residences in 15 different schoolsthroughout Kentucky. She has also devel-oped and conducted workshops on mul-tiple intelligences theory for a variety ofschool systems, state agencies, and orga-nizations.

Catherine has a B.F.A. in printed/painted textiles and paper making from theNational School for Decorative Arts inKolding, Denmark. She has also studiedat the Arrowmont School of Crafts inGatlinburg, TN; the Haystack MountainSchool of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME; thePenland (NC) School of Crafts; the SkalsSchool of Crafts in Skals, Denmark; theHindman Settlement School; the VestbirkFolk School in Vestbirk, Denmark; and theJohn C. Campbell Folk School inBrasstown, NC. In 1991-92, Catherine re-ceived the Foxfire National DevelopmentTraining at Berea College.

© Rex Robinson


Walking the LineRebecca Gallion,Artist-in-Residence

In “Walking the Line,” artist/instruc-tor Becky Gallion leads students throughthe process of contour drawing. Beckydefines “contour” as the outline ofsomething, especially something curvyor odd-shaped. She says contour draw-ings are fun to do because they’re fastand kind of funny-looking: “All you haveto do is observe very closely the objectyou’re looking at and then draw thatobject very quickly. You are concentrat-ing on just the shapes you see, not thedetails.”

Lesson FocusAn introduction to basic line draw-

ing, including a definition, examplesfrom art history, and three drawingexercises. Children will focus on drawingwhat they see rather than on drawingfrom memory.

Time RequirementOne hour would give enough time for

an introduction, discussion, and threedrawing exercises.

Skill DevelopmentThe cognitive skills developed in

“Walking the Line” include eye/handcoordination, concentration and observa-tion, and—most importantly—risk-taking. In doing contour line drawing,students experience the act of drawing.They see how to take a real object and leta continuous line capture its shape. Theylearn the concepts of positive andnegative space, and they experience theenjoyment of manipulating a line, butonly after the experience of having torelinquish control of the product.Contour drawing helps students learn todraw what they see rather than what theythink they see, allowing them anopportunity to observe how each studentperceives objects differently.

PurposeThe purposes of teaching contour

line drawing to children are• to show them how to observe real

objects, people, and landscapesclosely, and

• to teach them basic eye/handcoordination skills.

Related Artists/Art WorksBarry Flanagan (Dry Point #1)William Scott (Blue Cup and Plate)Andy Warhol (Leonardo da Vinci)

Connections toEducational Standards

“Walking the Line” relates to thefollowing Kentucky Academic Expecta-tions:

2.22: Students create works of art andmake presentations to convey apoint of view.

2.23: Students analyze their own andothers’ artistic products.

2.26: Through the arts and humani-ties, students recognize thatalthough people are different, theyshare some common experiencesand attitudes.

Materials Needed• four sheets of white drawing paper

(9″ × 12″) per student• black felt-tip pens (markers)• one object small enough to hold in

one hand: a toy, stuffed animal,kitchen utensil, potted plant, hat,etc. Encourage each student tobring an object from home, andhave an assortment of objects onhand to use as needed.

• students’ own shoes (for extensionactivity)

Vocabulary Usedin the Lesson

dotlinecontour linepositive shapenegative shapeabstract linesrealism

Lesson InstructionsGuide students through the following

process.

Exercise 11. Place the hand you write with,

marker in hand, at the top of a9″ × 12″ sheet of paper.

2. Make a design on the paper withone long, twisty line. Don’t lift upyour marker until the design iscompletely finished. Create a designthat fills the whole page.

Exercise 21. Place the hand you don’t write with

at the bottom of your second pieceof paper.

2. With the hand you draw with, startat the top right corner and, withoutlooking at your paper, try drawingthe shape of the whole sheet ofpaper. Go around the top, the leftside, and the bottom of the pageuntil you reach your hand.

3. When you reach your hand, feelyour way around each finger,tracing the shape of your own hand.

4. Continue on up the right side of thepaper to the point where youstarted.

5. Now look at your paper. A perfectcontour line drawing should belooking back at you!

Exercise 3Remember the rules! Don’t look at

your paper, and don’t lift up your marker.1. Place your object (a toy, a stuffed

animal, etc.) on the table or desk infront of you.

2. Hold your object up in the air infront of you with the hand you don’twrite with.

3. Place your other hand at the top ofyour object and, with your firstfinger, begin to trace around theoutside shape. Go slowly, as if youwere an ant crawling along theedges of your object, pulling astinger behind it.

4. Fix your eyes on your object (stillholding it in front of you)—not onyour paper. Begin to draw with yourmarker in the same direction youreyes are moving along the outsideshape of your object.

PROGRAM 1


Related Artists/Art WorksHenri MatisseEdward MundtJoel Shapiro


“Moving Lines” has connections tothe following Kentucky AcademicExpectations:


2.23: Students analyze their own andothers’ artistic products andperformances using acceptedstandards as they select thegestural drawing they like best andthen offer reasons for their choice.


Materials Needed• pencils, conté crayons, oil pastels,

crayons, or markers• inexpensive sketching paper

(newsprint, for example)—thelarger, the better

• lap boards or clipboards(if possible)

• a model or models—the instructor,one of the students, or both


linegesturesketch

Lesson Instructions1. Have each model (teacher and/or

student) pose for 15–30 seconds ata time.

2. Remind students• to look at the person’s body, not

at the paper.• to forget detail (no eyelashes, no

facial expression, etc.).• not to do contour drawing.

3. Have students quickly sketch themodel, working through six toeight sketches (as many as timeallows).

5. Don’t look down at your paper anddon’t lift up your marker until youfeel as if you have traced all the wayaround your object.

6. When you’re through drawing, lookat what you’ve done. It will lookfunny, but also beautiful andrealistic.

Response to ArtHave students go around the

classroom and show their drawings toone another. They can discuss howdifferent each drawing looks and whatthey learned about perception anddrawing what they see rather than whatthey think.

Exhibition SuggestionThe contour drawings look best

displayed on colorful mats. Constructionpaper works well. Put glue on the backof the drawing at each corner and centerthe drawing in the middle of theconstruction paper mat. Be sure to havethe students sign their names at thebottom of the drawings. This is impor-tant because it allows students to takepride in their finished products.

ExtensionsThere are many ways to conduct this

exercise. A student or two can volunteerto pose for a figure drawing, or theinterior of the classroom can be used asthe subject. Students particularly enjoydrawing one of their shoes or their ownhand. Innovative computer applicationsalso abound. (IBM’s Paintbox is just oneprogram that works well. Students willlearn to use the mouse instead of thepencil or other drawing tools.)

ResourcesEdwards, Betty. Drawing from the

Right Side of the Brain.

Moving LinesAlice Noel,Artist-in-Residence

In “Moving Lines,” artist/instructorAlice Noel guides students through theexciting process of gestural drawing—quick sketches of people or objects thatincorporate large, directional move-ment. Alice’s advice is to keep thisactivity fun, allowing students to getaway from detail-focused drawing and toembrace the spontaneity of the moment.

Lesson FocusAn introduction to gestural line

drawing providing basic definitionsalong with art history correlations.Children will be encouraged to focus onthe energy, mass, and expression of thesubject rather than on illustratedreplication.

Time RequirementEasily accomplished in a 45- to 60-

minute period.

Skill DevelopmentThe cognitive skills developed

include eye/hand coordination, observa-tion, and concentration. Gesturaldrawing has an element of gross-motorskill development as well as the expectedfine-motor skills. The concept ofreproducing the essential posture of afigure (rather than specific details) isreinforced in this speedy process.

PurposeGestural drawing finds its value in

loosening students up from the rigidityof tight, overly detailed drawing andfostering techniques necessary inproducing quick sketches. Gesturaldrawing teaches the concept of makingart for its intrinsic process-orientedvalue rather than for the production of arefined finished product. (However,teachers will delightfully discover manyexciting and individualized drawingssuitable for exhibition.)

PROGRAM 2


4. Then have students review all theirsketches and choose the one theylike best.

General tips:✓ Incorporate examples that are age-

appropriate (see list of artistsabove).

✓ Tell students, “Anything you cansee, you can draw.”

✓ Remind them that the more theydraw, the better they get.

✓ Suggest to students that they stop“trying” and just have fun.

Response to ArtHave students take turns explaining

to the class how they chose their favoritesketch. They may also want to title theirwork.

Exhibition SuggestionsStudents often enjoy the instant

gratification of exhibiting their workimmediately after creating it. Manyschools have large 4 1/2-foot rolls ofcolored paper to display in randomlengths of 10, 12, or 14 feet along theirhallways. Ask the students to create adisplay of all the “favorite sketches”from the class. They can quicklydesignate a title using the democraticprocess and then decide how to arrangethe artwork on the colored background.

Mounting the gestural drawings onblack construction paper first gives amore finished look, as well as giving thenewsprint more rigidity.

This same presentation format maybe used in a gymnasium, cafeteria,faculty conference room, or library.

ExtensionsAny student visiting a dance class or

organized sports practice has ampleopportunity for gestural drawing. Sincethese quick sketches require poses oflittle more than 15–20 seconds, even ashopping mall, a bank, or a publiclibrary can be a prime setting. Childrencan also sketch on vacations and atfamily reunions and gatherings.

PROGRAM 3

ColorCatherine Rubin,Collaborative forElementary Learning

In “Color,” Catherine Rubin intro-duces children to the concept of warmand cool colors and encourages them touse contrasting colors in the creation ofcut-paper collages. Children are offeredthe opportunity to work in groups aswell as individually as they explore waysin which color can communicate ideasand convey mood.

Lesson FocusIntroduction to color relationships

with a focus on warm and cool colorsand the ways artists use them to createartwork. The students will assemble acut-paper collage using a variety ofcolors.

Time RequirementTwo one-hour class periods: one

hour for instruction and group warm-upactivity and one hour for individualhands-on work.

Skill DevelopmentCreative Problem Solving

Students will• transform ideas from imagination

to visual form.• brainstorm ideas during group

work.• modify and eliminate parts of a

design.• experiment with design concepts to

produce different effects.

Perceptual and Technical SkillsStudents will

• practice using colored paper,scissors, and glue to produce artwork.

• classify art works by color, style,mood, etc.

Responding to Art WorksStudents will

• view and compare reproductions tostimulate classroom discussion.

• speculate on meanings of subjectsand themes in works of art.

Critical Thinking SkillsStudents will

• plan and organize visual executionof ideas.

• make informed decisions based onpersonal aesthetic criteria.

• discern elements of art and prin-ciples of organization in a work ofart.

• perceive and describe works of art.

Purpose“Color” will enable students to

recognize and describe how artists usecolor to evoke mood and communicateideas. They will also create their own artworks reflecting this understanding ofcolor, specifically contrasting warm andcool colors.

Artists/Art Works That UseCollage and RelatedTechniques

Romare Bearden (Carolina Shout)Stuart Davis (Combination Concrete)Henri Matisse (Beasts of the Sea)Faith RinggoldSarah Mary Taylor


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “Colors”:



2.24: Students appreciate creativityand values of the arts and thehumanities.

2.25: In the products they make andthe performances they present,students show that they understandhow time, place, and societyinfluence the arts and humanitiessuch as languages, literature, andhistory.


Materials Needed• 9″ × 24″ or longer white paper

(background paper for groupactivity)

• 18″ × 24″ or 12″ × 18″ white orcolored paper, one piece perstudent (background paper forindividual work)

• assorted colors of 9″ × 12″ sulfiteconstruction paper (Tru-Ray andPacon are two possible brands)

• scissors• glue (glue sticks are less messy)• art reproductions (see “Resources”

below, under “Suggested Reproduc-tions”)

Alternative MaterialsSulfite construction paper is recom-

mended because it has especially vibrantcolor. However, if sulfite paper isunavailable in your area, you cansubstitute regular construction paper inbright colors.

To alter the surface of the construc-tion paper, students may choose to drawor color on the paper, creating morevisual and textural interest. Studentsmay also use bright colors cut out frommagazines to create their collages. Orthey can paint pieces of paper and usethose in the collages.


appliquécollagefolk artimprovisationcool colorswarm colors

Lesson InstructionsPre-Lesson Motivation

• Introduce the lesson by talkingabout how colors create mood.Some colors are warm and exciting;others are cool and peaceful. Theways colors are combined in apicture help create the mood. Youcan also talk about how emotionsare linked symbolically with colors,as in “tickled pink,” “green withenvy,” “feeling blue,” etc. (Askstudents to come up with someexamples.) Have students brain-

Response to Art/Lead-Into Individual Activity

Hang the warm and cool composi-tions together and discuss the moodevoked, the choices of colors andthemes, etc. This is also an opportunityto discuss how the individual groupsworked together.

As a further response to the warm-upactivity or as a lead-in to the individualactivity, have students further analyzetheir group art work. Were they able toarrange colors and shapes in a unifiedcomposition? Were their designs variedand complete? How did the colors theychose relate to one another? Talk abouthow working like this is improvisa-tional—as soon as you put another coloron the background, the colors start tointeract or “talk” (sometimes theyscream) to one another. Each new colorchanges the picture. What kinds of“conversations” are the colors andshapes in their art work having?

Part 2: Individual Activity1. Have each student choose a theme

or story for an individual collageand think about what colors wouldbest convey the theme.

2. Allow each student to choose asheet of paper for background(18″ × 24″ or 12″ × 18″) and threecolors (9″ × 12″) to cut and arrangeon the background.

3. Follow Steps 7 and 8 from thegroup activity above.

Response to Art• After students have worked on their

collages for about 25 minutes, askthem to take a “walking break” andlook at the pictures their peers havebeen working on.

• Hang and discuss students’ artworks (see above).

Exhibition SuggestionHave students title their pictures. If

you choose to display the pieces atschool, you might try arranging themaccording to their colors—from hottestto coolest, for example. The studentscould determine what the order shouldbe.

storm and list things they associatewith warm and cool colors.

• Display reproductions and pointout how the artist’s choice of colorshelps create the mood of thepicture. Ask students to identify thecolors they see, encouraging themto use descriptive words. What dothey think was the artist’s intent?What is the mood/feeling they seein the picture?

Part 1: Warm-Up Group Activity1. Divide students into groups of no

more than six.2. Designate some groups as cool-

color groups (blues, greens) andsome as warm-color groups (reds,oranges, yellows).

3. Give each group a sheet of whitebackground paper, 9″ × 24″ orlonger.

4. Give the cool-color groups a varietyof cool-color construction paper,9″ × 12″ and 12″ × 18″ (greens,blues, and violets).

5. Give the warm-color groups avariety of warm-color constructionpaper (reds, oranges, and yellows).

6. Have students brainstorm withintheir group to come up with atheme for a cool- or warm-colorcollage.

7. Have the students use scissors tocut large shapes from the coloredpaper. Next have them startarranging the shapes on thebackground paper. Students do notuse pencils. Instead, they usescissors as a drawing tool. Empha-size that they need to experimentwith sizes, shapes, and the arrange-ment of their collage. Encouragethem to cut big, interesting shapesand to overlap the shapes on thebackground paper.

8. After students have worked onarranging the shapes, give themglue or a glue stick to start gluingtheir collages.


Another possibility would be toexhibit the collages in various commu-nity locations—everyday places likedentists’ offices, restaurants, or banksrather than museums. Students couldchoose places they think would fit themood or idea of their pieces.

ExtensionsStudents could create another paper

collage. If their first collage was ab-stract, they might do a representationalcollage, or vice versa. A book thatdemonstrates a representationalapproach to a collage-like technique(appliqué) is Mary E. Lyons’ StitchingStars: The Story Quilts of HarrietPowers. It contains photographs ofquilts created in the 19th century by aformer slave.

Students might also create their ownnarrative collages—collages that tell astory. An interesting book to share withthe children is Arctic Memories byNormee Ekoomiak. It includes photo-graphs of Inuit narrative fabric collages,with the story each one tells printedbeside it.

Students could also design a flag,using sayings and/or symbols particu-larly meaningful to them. Good ex-amples of such flags may be found inAsafo! African Flags of the Fante.

ResourcesChildren’s Books

Ekoomiak, Normee. Arctic Memories.New York: Henry Holt, 1988.

Lyons, Mary E. Stitching Stars: TheStory Quilts of Harriet Powers.New York: Macmillan, 1993.

Munthe, Nelly. Meet Matisse. Boston:Little, Brown & Co., 1983.Introduction to the cut-outs ofMatisse with lessons on how to dothem. Excellent lessons on colorand shape.

Yenawine, Philip. Colors. New York:Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1991.Discusses thoughts and feelingsconveyed by colors and how theycontribute to a work of art. Veryuser-friendly, with great reproduc-tions.

Books for Teachers and StudentsAdler, Peter and Nicholas Barnard.

Asafo! African Flags of the Fante.London: Thames & Hudson, 1992.

Elderfield, John. The Cut-Outs ofHenri Matisse. New York: Braziller,1978.

Waniman, Maude Southwell. Signsand Symbols: African Images inAfrican-American Quilts. New York:Penguin Books, 1993.

Suggested ReproductionsReproductions may be ordered from

Shorewood Publications, 27 Glen Road,Sandy Hook, CT 06482.

#624 Beasts of the Sea by HenriMatisse

#1399 Starry Night by Vincent vanGogh

#1407 Combination Concrete byStuart Davis

#1818 Carolina Shout by RomareBearden

Related MaterialsThe Folk Art Society of Kentucky has

a catalog of works by Sarah Mary Taylorand another folk artist from Mississippi,Mary Tillman Smith. You can purchasethe catalog for $4.50, including ship-ping. Write to the Folk Art Society ofKentucky, Box 22564, Henry ClayStation, Lexington, KY 40522.

PROGRAM 4

Geo-VistasRuben Moreno,Artist-in-Residence

Ruben Moreno’s “Geo-Vistas” activityis an excellent way to encouragestudents’ creativity. The project allowschildren to become descriptive andexpressive as they demonstrate a richsense of inner relationships through art.“Geo-Vistas” also encourages students tothink and work in divergent ways andchallenges them to express theirinformation or story visually and torelate the two different parts of theirstory—the inside and the outside.

Lesson FocusCreating a geometric cardboard

sculpture covered with personaldrawings.

Time RequirementThe entire “Geo-Vistas” activity,

including construction and assembly,requires approximately two 45-minuteclass periods. (The time may vary basedon the children’s ages and abilities.)

Skill DevelopmentThis activity lets children practice

isolating different sections of theirartwork and creating structure andsequence within a visual storyline. Italso fosters spatial engineering andconstruction skills by allowing childrento work with balance and angles to puttheir final piece together. In the process,children develop their ability to manipu-late and assemble two- and three-dimensional art pieces.

Purpose“Geo-Vistas” allows students to

• freely explore organic and geomet-ric shapes in a sculptural manner.

• explore and compare observationsof two favorite and familiar places(one inside and the other outside)that children frequently see or visit.

• take a closer look at favorite insideplaces, such as bedrooms wherethey play and sleep, and at favoriteoutside places, such as the park,woods, or yard where they play.


• observe and communicate visuallycomplex things they see (such asrooms and settings), letting themisolate and break down the separateelements within spaces.

Related Art Works/Buildings

pyramidsGerrit Rietveld (Schroder House,

Utrecht, the Netherlands; Red andBlue Chair)

Piet Mondrian (Composition in Blue,Red, and Yellow)

Moshe Safdie (“Habitat EXPO 67,”Montreal World’s Fair, 1967)

Lascaux, France, circa 15,000–13,000BC (Hall of Bulls)

Egypt, circa 2530 BC (Geese ofMedum)

villa of Juila Felix, Pompeii, pre-79 AD(Still Life with Eggs and Thrushes)

wall painting, Tarquinia, Italy, circa510-500 BC (Tomb of Hunting andFishing)

David Smith (Cubi 19, 1964)

The photographs of “Habitat Expo67” (from the Montreal World’s Fair),the Lascaux Hall of Bulls, the EgyptianGeese of Medum, the Still Life with Eggsand Thrushes, and the wall paintingfrom the Tomb of Hunting and Fishingare all reproduced in Henry M. Sayre’s AWorld of Art (Prentice Hall, Inc.,Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1994).

The photographs of Gerrit Rietveld’sSchroder House and of his Red and BlueChair are reproduced in Art Past, ArtPresent (2nd edition, ed. David G.Wilkins, Bernard Schultz, and KatherynM. Linduff, Prentice Hall, Inc., Harry N.Abrams, Publisher, 1990).


“Geo-Vistas” connects to the follow-ing Kentucky Academic Expectations:

1.13: Students make sense of ideasand communicate with the visualarts.



5.2: Students use creative thinkingskills to develop or invent novel,constructive ideas or products.

Materials Needed• mat board precut into simple

geometric shapes—squares,rectangles, and triangles of varyingsizes (Provide a square, a triangle,and a rectangle plus two moredifferent shapes—a smaller squareand a differently shaped triangle,for example—per child. Othergeometric figures like ovals, circles,hexagons, octagons, etc. are alsopossibilities, but these can be moredifficult to cut out and to gluetogether.)

• crayons• graphite pencils• colored pencils• markers• cool glue guns (as opposed to hot)

for final construction and assembly(Younger students will requireadult assistance, and all studentswill need supervision.)

Alternative Materials andConstruction Methods

• mat board: any flat, stiff, two-dimensional surface that can bedrawn on. It could be poster board,cardboard, note cards, or even thinpieces of wood.

• gluing: Notching the shapes so theycan be fitted together is a possiblealternative to using glue guns. Youcan also use Elmer’s glue or otherliquid glue, but you must figure outa way to hold the sculpturestogether while the glue dries. Onemethod is inserting straight pins atthe junctures between pieces;another is wrapping rubber bandsaround the sculptures.


organicgeometricnegative space

positive spacesquarerectangletriangleovalhexagonoctagonpolygon

Lesson InstructionsGuide students through the follow-

ing process:

1. Choose two favorite places, oneinside such as your bedroom—where you do lots of things likedream, sleep, play, and do home-work—and one outside where youlike to play—the yard, woods, park,etc.

2. Begin with the largest piece of matboard (usually a square or arectangle). Draw and color oneentire side of the piece with aninside scene of your bedroom orother inside place. Feel free to uselots of colors.

3. Turn the piece over to make a newdrawing—this one of your favoriteoutdoor area. Include enoughvisual clues in your picture so aperson could find the places in yourpictures as you explain them.

4. Once you’ve completed both sidesof your piece, stop and look at yourinside picture. Find an object youlike—a TV, for example. Now take asecond, different shape and showmore about that part of yourpicture. For instance, take your TVand show me what you’re watchingor what’s on the screen.

5. On the other side of the secondshape, make a detailed drawing ofone part of your outside scene. Forexample, take the tree you drewand show who lives inside the treeand what the tree dweller is doing.

6. If time allows, choose anotherobject from your original picturesof your inside and outside places.Make a detailed drawing of theobjects on opposite sides of a thirdmat shape. If possible, continuethis process, drawing on a mini-mum of two more shapes (for atotal of five different shapes).


7. Determine a way to put your matpieces together to create a three-dimensional sculpture. Think aboutthe story you’re telling, therelationship between the drawings,and the stability and visual designof your structure. Use the glue gunto glue the mat pieces into thestructure you’ve chosen (or have anadult help you to assemble thestructure).

Response to ArtInterview students about their shape

pictures—what they made and why—orhave them share this information withclassmates.

Exhibition SuggestionsExhibiting sculptures is always a

challenge. You need lots of space, andyou need a display area that allowspeople to see all sides of the sculpture(like a table in the middle of a room).Plus, the “Geo-Vistas” sculptures areeasily broken if people knock into them.If you do not have a suitable space forexhibiting all your students’ sculptures,you might consider exhibiting a few at atime and then rotating the display untileveryone’s sculpture has been exhibited.

Another idea is to videotape thestudents holding the sculptures andexplaining what they represent. You canget close-up angles on the sculpturesand have the students rotate them so thecamera can see all sides. You can alsotake snapshots of the sculptures. Get atleast three different angles for eachpiece, and photograph them against adark background and surface so you willhave enough contrast. Students as wellas teachers could be involved in thevideotaping and photography process.The photographs or videos can bepresented at parents’ night or at othergatherings.

ExtensionsHave your students title their

sculpture pieces and write creativestories that involve their artwork.Students could also do a similar projectusing organic or free-form shapes.

PROGRAM 5

TessellationsThomas Freese,Artist-in-Residence

In “Tessellations,” artist/instructorThomas Freese shows students how theycan make a tessellating stamp and use itto create an interlocking pattern. Thelesson integrates mathematics and art asthe children use geometry, measure-ment, repetition, and patterning tocreate unusual, appealing designs.

Lesson FocusAn introduction to the world of

tessellations: definition, examples, andthe construction of a tessellating stamp.Children create a paper template of amodified square, a grid based on thatsquare, a foam and Plexiglas stamp, anda checkerboard-stamped pattern ontheir grid page.

Time RequirementTwo 90-minute sessions would allow

for the hands-on work and a minimumof discussion on the geometry involved.

Skill Development“Tessellations” encourages children

to explore the cognitive and observa-tional skills required to understandrelative conservation of space in a two-dimensional, repetitive pattern of aninterlocking shape or unit. The activityallows children to learn and review basicgeometric terms, definitions, and theory,including regular polygons, lines,angles, points, etc. Children employbasic mathematical skills in creatingtheir stamp and their tessellating art:They use a ruler to measure and form agrid with sections and parallel borders,they find the center of the page, andthey construct a uniform stamping gridof same-size squares.

The activity requires dexterity andcoordination of craft materials to createa stamp within acceptable standards.This is a basic lesson in understandingthe printing process: how imagesreverse and the need to register themini-prints precisely within the gridguidelines. And it allows the child tocreate a recognizable creature or symbolfrom an irregular tessellating contour.

PurposeThis lesson helps students under-

stand tessellations through a combina-tion of art and mathematics conceptsand then put their intellectual under-standing to work through the construc-tion of a paper template of tessellatingshape, the use of measurement to makea stamping grid, and the creation of astamp with a unique and possiblyrecognizable image.

Related Artists/Art WorksM.C. Escher (Lizard II, Bird, Fish)

Lizard II appears in Jill Britton andDale Seymour’s Introduction to Tessella-tions (Palo Alto, CA, Dale SeymourPublications, 1989). Bird and Fish areboth reproduced in DorisSchattschneider’s M.C. Escher: Visionsof Symmetry (New York, W.H. Freeman& Co., 1990).


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “Tessella-tions”:

2.9: Students understand space anddimensionality concepts and usethem appropriately and accurately.

2.10: Students understand measure-ment concepts and use measure-ments appropriately and accurately.

5.1: Students use critical thinkingskills such as analyzing, etc.


Materials Needed• index cards• pencils• rulers and scissors• 9″ × 12″ light-colored construction

paper• craft foam• doublestick foam• glue (if doublestick foam is not

available)• 2-1/2″ Plexiglas squares• stamp pads• ink• scrap paper to protect surfaces

from ink


Alternative Materials/Sourcesfor Materials

index cards: any card stock that iscrisp, not soft like construction paper—tag board or scrap paper from a printshop is fine.

Plexiglas: Plexiglas scraps areavailable from hardware, glass, or frameshops. They are cheap; in fact, storeowners often will donate them toteachers or schools. Other materials,such as cardboard, could be used tomount the stamps; the advantage to thePlexiglas is that you can see through it.Dale Seymour (see “Resources” below)makes materials that stamp: a foamsponge class kit for printing on paperand fabric. Students could also carvepotatoes, erasers, or linoleum blocks tocreate stamps for this activity.

doublestick foam: If doublestickfoam is not immediately available, youcan glue together two layers of craftfoam to make the stamps. Craft foam isavailable from arts and crafts stores. Ifyou don’t have an arts and crafts store inyour community, look for craft foamand/or doublestick foam at office supplystores or K-Mart or Wal-Mart. If yourstudents carve rubber into stamps, youwon’t need Plexiglas, craft foam, ordoublestick foam at all; but this methodis recommended for older studentsonly—4th grade and up.

Vocabulary Relatedto the Lesson

acute angleequiangular triangleequilateral triangleglide reflectionhexagoninterior (stamp) detailsline of reflection modified squaremosaicobtuse angleoctagonpaper templateparallelogrampentagonperpendicular linesplane (surface)polygonprint registrationquadrilateralrectanglereflection (in a plane)

regular polygonrhombusright anglerotation (in a plane)scalene trianglesymmetrytessellation (plane)tessellation (space)tilingtransformationtranslationtranslational symmetrytrapezoidvertex (of a polygon)vertex (of an angle)

Lesson InstructionsGuide students through the follow-

ing process:

Constructing a PaperTracing Shape

1. Place your finger on the bottomright corner of an index card orother piece of stiff paper stock.

2. Using a ruler to measure thedistance, place a pencil mark 1-1/2″to the left on the bottom of the cardand 1-1/2″ above the right corner ofthe card, on the right edge.

3. Place your ruler upright on thebottom 1-1/2″ mark so the ruler isparallel to the right edge of thecard.

4. Using the 1-1/2″ mark on the rightedge of the card as a guide, mark apoint 1-1/2″ up.

5. Using the ruler, connect the three1-1/2″ marks to form a 1-1/2″square at the corner of the indexcard.

6. Along each side of the square,measure off 1/2″ spaces, makingtwo marks evenly spaced along theside. Carefully connect the marksto form two sets of parallel lines—two horizontal lines and twovertical lines. (See the illustrationon page 14.)

7. Now make two changes to thesquare, going from the square’s twoopen sides. For example, you coulddraw a simple half-circle going infrom the bottom side and a trianglegoing in from the right side. (Seethe illustration on page 14.)

Hints: Avoid placing changes onthe corner. Also, simpler figureswill be easier to cut out with yourscissors.

8. Cut out the two pencil-drawnchanges, taking care to cut alongthe drawn lines and to remove thecut-outs in one piece.

9. Slide the two cut-out pieces to theirrespective opposite sides and placethem, pointing the same directionas the cut-out sections, even withthe square’s line. (See the illustra-tion on page 14.) Trace the cut-outpieces and then cut out the entireshape for a final, tessellatingtemplate or tracing form.

Making a Full-Page Grid1. On a piece of light-colored 9″ × 12″

construction paper, find the centerby marking a point 4-1/2″ up oneach of the 9″ sides. Then connectthese two points with a straightline. Then place a mark at the 6″center point of the 12″ sides andconnect these two points with astraight line.

2. Draw a tiny circle around the pointwhere these two lines intersect—this is the center point of the paper.

3. Measure and mark every 1-1/2″along the two center lines. Thenuse these marks to draw horizontaland vertical lines. (See the illustra-tion on page 15.)

Assembling the Stamp1. Place your tracing form on top of

the craft foam and trace and cutout the shape.

2. Repeat Step 1 with the doublestickfoam.

3. Check to see whether the two cut-out foam pieces are accurate to thetracing form.

4. Remove one side of the doublestickfoam’s paper covering and mountthe craft foam.

5. Remove the other side of thedoublestick foam’s paper coveringand attach the combined forms tothe Plexiglas. The Plexiglas pro-vides a mount for your stamp.


6. If you wish, use a pencil to pressinto the foam and draw linepatterns. These will stamp outwhite and provide interior details tothe tessellating shape (see theillustration on page 14).

The Stamping Process1. Always line up the corners of your

1-1/2″ square stamp with the insidecorners of the squares on your9″ × 12″ construction paper grid.

2. Working with a partner and using asingle color of ink, fully stamp thepage in an alternating pattern tocreate a checkerboard effect (half ofthe squares will be stamped andhalf blank). Place scrap paper underyour grid to protect your desk ortable from ink stains. Keep yourstamp in the same position; don’tflip or rotate it.

3. Rinse your stamp in running water,dry it, and then start stamping theblank squares in a second color.Once again, keep your stamp in thesame position, neither flipping norrotating it.

Response to ArtChildren can create creatures,

designs, or messages within the form oftheir tessellating shape. They can talkabout these embellishments and howthey fit in the contour of the shape. Theyalso can review and report on the basicsof the lesson: the definition of tessella-tion; examples; how they created amodified, parent polygon (from asquare); how they made a grid andstamp; what challenges to stamping orprinting they encountered; and howthey solved these problems (they mayhave learned to inscribe letters inreverse into the foam).

Exhibition Suggestions• Make cards for a sale.• Stamp on large, foam-core sheets

and suspend them as mobiles in alarge indoor space.

• Make T-shirts to wear.• Put the 9″ × 12″ stamped paper

sheets all together in a hallwaymosaic.

• Laminate the prints and use themas placemats.

• Put prints on posters (along withstudent-written instructions) fordisplay and for teaching otherstudents about tessellations.

ExtensionsWhat would the students like to do

next with tessellations? Possibilitiesinclude more stamping; creating adifferent stamp, different details, or adifferent parent polygon and grid;stamping T-shirts; etc.

Additional extension ideas:• constructing larger stamps for a

paper-print mural• designing tessellating figures on a

computer• making tessellating shapes out of

wood for a puzzle• finding and photo-documenting

tessellations in building construc-tion

• researching Islamic tile patterns• doing a study of M.C. Escher and

the influences that led to his workwith tessellations

• doing a video interview with a quiltmaker

• creating new kinds of tessellationsby starting with different parentpolygons (rectangles, triangles,hexagons)

• researching the geometry—thesum of the angle measurements—which prove the tiling theory

• creating prints on fabrics• creating tessellating shapes from

fabric and sewing them together• locating a tessellation in your home

or town, sketching it, and writing abasic analysis

• studying patterning in nature (havea beekeeper visit and show thehexagons of the honeycomb)

• cutting out non-tessellatingpolygons and experimenting to findrepeating shapes that could fill inthe gaps

• exploring M.C. Escher’s books todiscover and analyze underlyinggrids

By the way, students’ papers abouttessellations, along with examples of thetessellating patterns they have created,make excellent portfolio entries.

Resources• books by and about the Dutch artist

M.C. Escher• local quilt makers• mathematics teachers• Books, materials, manipulatives,

and posters related to tessellationsare available from Dale SeymourPublications, P.O. Box 10888, PaloAlto, CA 95303, (800) 872-1100.The company offers an extensivecatalog that includes these items aswell as other K–8 educational andteacher resource materials inmathematics, science, and the arts.

• Craft foam (the non-sticky variety)is available from local craft storesor from “S” and “S” Arts and Crafts,Norwich Avenue, Colchester, CT06415, (800) 937-3482.

• Order the doublestick foam for thestamps from Imaginair Designs,1007 Woodland Avenue NW,Albuquerque, NM 87107, (505)345-2308.

• Tesselmania is a software programdesigned to help children or adultscreate tessellations in black andwhite or color. It is available fromEducational Resources, 1550Executive Drive, P.O. Box 1900,Elgin, IL 60121-1900, (800) 624-2926 or Egghead, (800) 726-3446.


Tessellationsby Thomas Freese


PROGRAM 6

cARTographyCynthia Cooke,Kentucky Arts CouncilRoster Artist/Cartographer

In “cARTography,” artist/cartogra-pher Cynthia Cooke shares a method forcreating a map of an imaginary island.Cyndi’s approach to cartography offersteachers a unique way to blend art,science, mathematics, social studies, andwriting while providing their studentswith a fun and creative activity.

Lesson FocusAn introduction to the world of

cartography: definitions, examples, andthe construction of a map. Childrencreate their own map or space usingscientific terminology and a variety ofpoint, line, and area symbols.

Time RequirementMinimum of one hour for the hands-

on work. Teachers can allocate moretime as needed for students to writejournal entries about imaginary voyagesto their islands.

Skill Development“cARTograpy” provides skill develop-

ment across the curriculum in art,math, science, and the humanities. Theactivity encourages students to takeintellectual and creative risks as theydepict scientific information artistically.Students learn to design ideas on paperwith accuracy and to use all the basicelements of art—shape, line, color,texture, and space. They also learn thetechniques of the artist/cartographer—researching and gathering information;designing the basic layout of geographi-cal information with title, text, scale,legend, north arrow, etc.; making amosaic or compilation of the informa-tion with point, line, and area features;and creating a legend to include allrepresented symbols.

Purpose“cARTography” gives students the

opportunity to experience maps as worksof art, historically and culturally; asexpressions of perceptions and ideas; astools for information using art tech-niques; and as products of value in theworld of work.


“cARTography” helps students meetthe following Kentucky AcademicExpectations:

2.22: Students create works of art andmake presentations to convey apoint of view. (The students’ mapsdisplay their point of view about aplace—real or imagined—toothers.)

2.23: Students analyze their own andothers’ artistic products andperformances using acceptedstandards (presenting their mapprojects to peers after havinglearned the basic mapping prin-ciples and techniques).

2.25: In the products they make andthe performances they present,students show that they understandhow time, place, and societyinfluence the arts and humanitiessuch as languages, literature, andhistory. (Maps are composites ofart, history, language, and culture.)

2.26: Through the arts and humani-ties, students recognize thatalthough people are different, theyshare some common experiencesand attitudes. (Differences andsimilarities are easily discernedthrough area, line, and pointsymbols and through maps fromdifferent places and times.)

Materials Needed• pencil• lined notebook paper• colored pencils or markers• rulers


archipelagoaltitudearea/symbolsatlasbaycanyoncartographycapechartscoastcontourscovecultural featuresdeltadepressiondepthdirectiondistortiondrainageeastelevationequatorfjordgeographygeologygeomorphologyglobegulfharborhemisphereislandkey/legendlakelandmarkslatitudelongitudelinear symbolsmapmazemodelmountainmountain rangemouthnomenclaturenorthpeninsulaphysical featuresplain


plateaupoint symbolspolitical featuresPrime Meridianreliefriverscaleseasoundsouthstraitsurveysymbolsterrain, topographytributaryvalleyvegetationwest

Lesson InstructionsPreparation

Have filler paper, pencil, coloredpencils or markers, and rulers on hand;have the students number the lines onthe paper in the far left margin beforethey begin. (See the illustration onpage 19.)

Guide students through thefollowing process:

1. To first see your amazing island,start out on a quiet lake in a boat.To represent water, make a slightlywavy pencil line across line 3 of thefiller paper.

2. On the left side, make three marksfor height: 0′ at the water line (line3), 100′ at Line 2, and 200′ at Line1.

3. Draw your island rising above thewaves, like a volcanic eruption fromthe bottom of the lake! Draw withwavy lines a little above the 200′mark with one side steeper, oneside gentler.

4. Begin to create a view of the sameisland as if you are a bird flyingover it by dropping very lightstraight lines from both ends of theisland down to line 15 with yourpencil (these will be erased later).Line 15 is your baseline.

5. Draw a curvy line between thepoints where the two lines intersectthe baseline. This is one side ofyour island’s coastline. To makeyour island big, curve the line downat least 8 to 10 lines.

6. Continue the coastline by drawinga curving line going up 8 to 10lines between the points of inter-section. Your island’s shape is nowcomplete.

7. Drop light lines down to thebaseline from the points on theoriginal island that are 100′ and200′ high—the points where the100′ and 200′ lines (lines 2 and 3)intersect or cross the island. (Thereshould be a total of four suchpoints—two on the right side of theisland and two on the left—andfour parallel lines leading down tothe baseline.)

8. Draw a similar, but smaller, islandshape between the points where the100′ lines cross the baseline (insideyour bird’s-eye drawing of theisland’s outline). Within thisconcentric shape, draw a stillsmaller version of the island’sshape, this time between the pointswhere the 200′ lines cross thebaseline. Now you have a represen-tation of the sea-level, 100′, and200′ elevations of your island usingthe shape of your contour lines.Contour lines are one of manysymbols you can show on yourisland.

9. Erase the light parallel lines youdrew to help you create the island’scontours accurately.

10. With this wonderful start on yourisland, create and use othersymbols. Make a record of all ofthem in a legend (using the bottomlines of your paper). Use threegroups of symbols: areas, lines, andpoints. Areas are features such asforests. Lines are features like roadsor rivers—with beginning and endpoints. And points are features suchas dots that can look like squares torepresent houses. Use symbols toshow real objects and places—likelittle pictures. You can also use lotsof colors to make interestingsymbols. Begin with the areas youwant to show, then the “line” kindsof things, then the “point” kinds ofthings. Add each symbol you use toyour legend. And think carefullywhere you really want everythingto be.

Response to ArtHave students share their island and

their ideas with classmates. Studentsmay even make up a story about theisland—about how they and maybesome friends got there and what they didthere.

Students can also create a journalabout their adventures. They shouldremember that their maps could helpsomebody find them. As artists, we wantto be accurate in portraying things. Byusing their skill and creativity together,students can make an accurate map oftheir island.


Exhibition Suggestions• Create a festive presentation

occasion featuring products andletting all the students presenttheir maps and read excerpts fromtheir journals. The audience couldbe the class itself, other classes,and/or parents.

• Laminate the maps and havestudents use them as placemats.Display the placemats in the schoolhallways.

• Create posters with travel bro-chures for the mapped islands.Display the maps, posters, andbrochures in the hallways.

ExtensionsStudents can also discuss as a group

what kind of government and what rulesmight exist on their islands, what theclimate and economy of their islandswould be, how they would plan theislands’ development, etc. They couldthen make their personal choicesconcerning their island’s government,rules, climate, economy, and develop-ment plan and record these choices intheir journal.

ResourcesCassidy, John. Earthsearch: A Kids’

Geography Museum in a Book.Palo Alto, CA: Klutz Press, 1994.ISBN 1-878257-74-9.Perhaps the greatest geographybook yet! Klutz Press’ address is2121 Staunton Court, Palo Alto, CA94306.

Claridge, Marit and Paul Dowswell.Geography Quizbook. Tulsa, OK:EDC Publishing, 1993. ISBN 0-7460-0710-8Usborne is the British publisher ofGeography Quizbook. EDC’saddress is EDC Publishing, 10302E. 55th Place, Tulsa, OK 74146.

Green, Nicolette. Junior Atlas of theWorld. London: Bracken Books,1993. ISBN 1-85891-065-X.Richly illustrated. Available fromBracken Books, an imprint ofStudio Editions Ltd., PrincessHouse, 50 Eastcastle Street,London, W1N 7AP, England.

Heimann, Rolf. Amazing Mazes: MindBending Mazes for Ages 6–60.Watermill Press, 1989. Produced byJoshua Morris Publishing Inc. inassociation with The Five MilePress. ISBN 0-8167-2201-3.

Knowlton, John and Harriett Barton.Maps and Globes. New York:HarperCollins Children’s Books.ISBN 0-690-04457-7.A brief history of mapmaking, asimple explanation of how to readmaps and globes, and an introduc-tion to different kinds of maps.

Miles, Lisa and Carol Varley. Geogra-phy Encyclopedia. London:Usborne Publishing, Ltd., 1993.ISBN 0-7460-0955-0.Very comprehensive. Available fromUsborne Publishing Ltd., UsborneHouse, 83-85 Saffron Hill, LondonEC1N 8RT, England.

Morris, Scott. How To Read a Map.Chelsea House Publishers, adivision of Main Line Book Co.,1993. ISBN 0-7910-1812-1.Describes how to use and under-stand maps and apply them in thestudy of geography.

My Sticker Book Atlas. New York:Dorling Kindersley Publishing,Inc., 1994. ISBN 1-56458-714-2.Gives children the opportunity todecorate their own atlas withpicture stickers. Available fromDorling Kindersley, 95 MadisonAvenue, New York, NY 10016.

Myers, Norman. GAIA: An Atlas ofPlanet Management. New York:Anchor Books by Doubleday, 1984,1993. ISBN 0-385-42626-7.Beautifully illustrates global issues,conditions, and resources. AnchorBooks by Doubleday is a division ofBantam Doubleday Dell PublishingGroup, Inc., 666 5th Avenue, NewYork, NY 10103.

Taylor, Barbara. Maps and Mapping.New York: Kingfisher Books,Grisewood and Depsey Inc., 1993.ISBN 1-85697-863-X.Explains what maps are and whythey are used, introduces symbols,and explains how cartographersmap the world. Includes activities.Available from Kingfisher Books, 95Madison Avenue, New York, NY10016.


Illustration for cARTography


Drawing AnimalsRex Robinson,Artist-in-Residence

In “Drawing Animals,” Rex Robinsondemonstrates a three-step method ofdrawing animals. By following thisprocess—and by practicing—artists areable to draw anything they want. Studentartists can learn to draw anything theywant, too!

Lesson FocusDrawing animals as an example of

the process of “representational lineardescription” (or, how to draw anythingyou want!).

Time RequirementOne hour is generally enough time to

begin on the third step, when studentsfinish the face or accent area andcomplete a contour (outline) of theanimal. Another session would providetime to complete the image and its basicenvironment. Practice in the skillsincreases confidence, accuracy, andspeed.

Skill DevelopmentThe challenge of drawing something

develops the greatest degree of observa-tion and awareness as well as hand-eyecoordination skills. The more realisticthe drawing is, the more intense theexperience becomes.

Purpose“Drawing Animals” will

• increase observation skills andawareness, enabling the viewer to“see” what the student is looking at.

• inspire the investigation of naturaldesign and function.

• allow students to break complexsubjects into workable large,medium, and small shapes by usingthe process of general to specific.

• encourage students to cross thecreative threshold of self-expressioncomfortably. Beginning around the4th grade, students need examplesand assistance for their drawingability to mature.

• increase self-confidence andfreedom of expression.

PROGRAM 7

• demystify fine art and visualexpression and make it moreaccessible to students.

• proclaim to students that we are allart students together (if we useboth sides of our brains).

• propose that the main differencesbetween an experienced art student(artist) and young art students arean understanding of process andpractice, practice, practice.

• demonstrate that people who canwrite their names can draw (withdesire and practice).

• help students communicate ideas,solve problems, and expressthemselves.

Related Artists/Art WorksAll the numbered reproductions are

available from Art Connection (see theresource list on page 22).

John James Audubon, *Wild Turkey(#7534, $22 retail), *MallardDucks, Cardinal Gross Beak,American Gold Finch

Debra Butterfield, *Untitled (horsesculpture, Speed Museum Collec-tion)

Albrecht Dürer, *Young Hare (#2040,$9 retail), Little Owl (#2033, $7retail)

Charles Landseer, The SutherlandChildren (Speed Museum Collec-tion)

Pablo Picasso, Bullfight (#5105, $18retail)

Frederic Remington, Arizona Cowboy(#1146, $3.50 retail)

Norman Rockwell, A Boy and HisDog—Pride of Parenthood (#2684,$7 retail)

* Particularly good examples to usewith students.

Additional ExamplesJohn James Audubon, Robin, Canvas-

back DucksAlbrecht Dürer, Squirrels (#2037, $8

retail)Edward Hopper, Cape Cod Evening

(#1003, $3.50 retail)Georgia O’Keeffe, Ram’s Skull with

Brown Leaves (#7573, $25 retail)Paulus Potter, The White Horse

(#1123, $3.50 retail)

Frederic Remington, The Scout:Friends or Enemies (#1197, $3.50retail)

The Yoruba People, “Carved DoorPanels” (coiled snake carving,Speed Museum Collection)


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “DrawingAnimals”:


1.3: Students make sense of thevarious things they observe.




2.25: In the products they make andthe performances they present,students show that they understandhow time, place, and societyinfluence the arts and humanitiessuch as languages, literature, andhistory.


5.1: Students use critical thinkingskills such as analyzing, prioritiz-ing, categorizing, evaluating, andcomparing to solve a variety ofproblems in real-life situations.


6.3: Students expand their under-standing of existing knowledge bymaking connections with newknowledge, skills, and experiences.


Materials Needed• pencils (2b, 4b, 6b, or any drawing

tool)• eraser (gum, kneaded)• paper (drawing or all-purpose)• models (Photographs or pictures

from such sources as Audubon,Ranger Rick, National Geographic,or nature posters may be used—thelarger the better. Mounted animalsare preferable; these can sometimesbe borrowed from universitybiology or history departments,parents, taxidermists, museums, orother sources.)

Alternative Materials• watercolor pencils and markers• watercolor brushes (larger for

wash, smaller for detail)• watercolor paper

Other approaches could include anydrawing tools and paper.


awarenessblocking incolorcompositioncontour linecreativitycrosshatchingcylinderdemonstrationedgeforeshorteningformgeometric shapesnegative space (shape)pushingrealistic artsighting (sight measuring)value

Lesson InstructionsPre-Lesson Inspiration

Students are highly motivated byanimals and have an urgency to commu-nicate the subject with believability andaccuracy. As young art students mature,their technical drawing ability generallyrequires demonstration and assistancefrom a more experienced artist. Oncestudents see the process broken down,they can apply it to any subject. Show-

ing examples of realistic art highlightsthe beauty, design, and information thatinspired the artist to apply the requireddiscipline and effort. After students canexpress themselves realistically, othermodes of expression are opened up.

ProcessThe best inspiration is the real thing.

Animals have complex detail and exactproportion difficult to see in a living,moving creature. Using borrowedmounted animals as models, studentscan take their time to follow each step ofthe demonstration. If such models arenot available or if you have a personalobjection to using them, photographsmay be used as described under “Materi-als” above. While students work, eachanimal is demonstrated to round out theexample and increase the understandingof the process. Personal assistance andencouragement should always beavailable.

1. Have students align their pencils tothe subject and find the longest,straightest lines vertically andhorizontally, then lightly startplacement on paper. They shouldblock in with pencil and lightlydraw the largest, most basic shapes.Next they add medium and smallershapes.*Helpful hint: Have students checktheir drawing using measurement,at least by comparing height towidth. With their arms straighttoward the subject, they hold thepencil perpendicular. Then theyshould sight over the top at theedge of the animal and slide thethumb down until they sight themeasurement.

2. Have students round off thegeometric shapes with a morenaturalistic contour line. At thispoint, they define features (eyes,ears, and nose) and other medium-size areas.

3. Have students fill in areas withlines of information (i.e., textures,colors, values, size/length, anddirection). They should emphasizehow the lines follow the form; forexample, radiating lines around acylinder (a tail) brings out the form

or creates a three-dimensionaleffect. Having one main lightsource on the subject brings outlight, medium, and dark values.Pushing or exaggerating the valuerange and textures in line clarifiesthe drawing. Suggest that studentsfinish the work with some sugges-tion of grass or the animal’s naturalenvironment.

As a final check, tell students tosquint at their drawings, closing theireyes almost all the way, to see thestrongest lights and darks. Generally,good value range makes a work morevisible and follows a formula of 1/4lights, 1/4 darks, and 1/2 middle values.

Follow-UpAfter the pencil process is practiced

and understood, students could addcolor with watercolor pencils and/ormarkers. They should continue to uselines of information rather than “colorin” outlines. Using a damp brush and alittle water can soften under edges andareas. The top and forward areas shouldbe kept dry.

Tips for TeachersIf possible, provide students with

side views of animals. Profile views haveless foreshortening and are less involvedwith perspective, so they are lesscomplicated. Remind students to startwith light lines, which are easier toadjust.

Don’t tolerate the phrase “I can’tdraw” or other negative excuses aboutartistic ability. Encourage students totry the steps and visual drawing aids likeblocking in basic shapes and drawingthem lightly. Students should comparetheir progress only to themselves and bereminded that everyone improves withpractice.

Teachers should be available forencouragement (the only “wrong” effortis not trying) and assistance (positivesuggestions—i.e., try this). Moreimportantly, though, teachers should setthe example with their own drawing,freely making mistakes, expressingthemselves with determination andpassion, and revealing their excitementabout the subject, their observations


about it, and their motivation to maketheir best effort. Stress the idea that Fun+ Discipline = Success. Doing a good jobtakes effort; but as practice increases, sodo freedom of expression, satisfaction,and, yes, fun!

Exhibition Suggestion• After students use the technique to

create several drawings, pick thebest and exhibit it with a “before”animal drawing.

• Create a collage environment wall,including drawings of large trees,etc., and place the larger-scaleanimals down front and the smallerones behind.

• Draw from photos marked withbasic shapes and show the photoswith the drawings.

• On one piece of paper, havestudents draw all three steps andthen exhibit them behind a widepaper panel with a window so thedrawings can be slid to showsequence.

Extensions• Survey how artists have responded

to nature and animals from cavedrawings to the present.

• Cut out animal drawings, reinforcethem with stiff paper, make a set,and choreograph a play showingactions and reactions betweenanimals and between animals andpeople.

• Concentrate on grade-appropriatethemes: a backyard pond; Kentuckyanimals; endangered species;animals of the continents, history,or pre-history.

• Create collages of animal photos inthe shapes of states, continents, etc.

• Take a photo trip to a zoo.• Illustrate poems, stories, or songs

about animals, nature, and pets.

ResourcesField Trip Destination

Game FarmDepartment of Fish and Wildlife

Resources#1 Game Farm RoadFrankfort, KY 40601

Call (502) 564-6508 for informationabout programs and materials availableto schools. The Game Farm providesstudents with the opportunity to observea variety of Kentucky wildlife.

BookEdwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right

Side of the Brain.

Sources for ReproductionsArt ConnectionAttn: Sue Jarvis111 East Second StreetOwensboro, KY 42301(502) 685-3770

John James Audubon reproductionsare available from:

Audubon Museum Gift ShopP.O. Box 576Henderson, KY 42420(502) 826-2247Don Boarman, Director

Speed Museum Collection reproduc-tions are available from:

J.B. Speed Art MuseumGift Shop2035 South Third StreetP.O. Box 2600Louisville, KY 40201(502) 636-2893 for tours

Available from Nasco Arts & Crafts(1-800-558-9595):

Art Lessons for Children, Volume 5(videotape) ($29.95)

de Reyau, Rudy. How To Draw WhatYou See ($16.95)

Foster, Walton T. How To Draw Dogs(also Horses, Animals, Cats, andTrees) ($6.95 each)

How To Draw Dinosaurs (also Ani-mals) ($4.95 each)

Of Animals and Birds (art history)seven-print collection ($67.65)

The Usborne Complete Book ofDrawing ($14.95)

AcknowledgmentsThanks to the J.B. Speed Museum for

allowing KET to reproduce two imagesfrom its collection:

Deborah Butterfield, American,born 1949

Untitled (Horse), 1981Paper and stick on wire armatureHeight: 8′6″; Length: 14′; Depth: 3′Acc. No. 82.1; Gift of Mr. and Mrs.

Henry Heuser Sr.

attributed to Charles Landseer,British, 1799–1879

The Sutherland ChildrenOil on canvasHeight: 23-3/4″; Width: 19-3/4″Acc. No. 64.31.6; Gift of Mrs.

Blakemore Wheeler


Turning EverydayObjects Into ArtAlice Noel,Artist-in-Residence

In this program, Alice Noel intro-duces students to the art of assemblage—the process of taking ready-madematerials (plastics and other synthetics,fabric, glass, metals, even lights) andordinary “found” objects and using themto create sculptures. She shares someexamples of portrait boxes and thenshows students how they can build theirown portrait boxes—“me-boxes”—usinga variety of objects and materials chosento represent themselves.

Lesson FocusCreating an imaginative self-portrait

using the materials and methods ofassemblage sculpture.

Time RequirementThis activity can be accomplished in

one to two class periods.

Skill DevelopmentThrough this activity, students gain

skills in analysis and reflection. Theyalso learn how to express themselvesthrough visual means (specificallythrough assemblage) and how symbolscan be used to represent personalitytraits and experiences.

PurposeStudents will

• understand that sculpture can bemade by assembling and joiningready-made and discarded materi-als.

• understand that ready-made anddiscarded materials can be imagina-tively recycled to create sculpture.

• create a self-portrait by assemblingand joining found objects in a “me-box.”

• explore their identity and sharesomething about who they are withothers.

Related Artists/Art WorksJerry Ross Barrish, Citroën, 1989Marcel Duchamp, Bicycle Wheel, 1951

(Museum of Modern Art, New York)Photographs of these two assem-

blages may be found in Adventures inArt (see the resource list below).

Jacque ParsleyYou can see examples of Jacque

Parsley’s assemblages by visiting the ArtOn-Air Web site:

http://www.ket.org/Education/KidArt.html

or by visiting Jacque’s Web site:[email protected]


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “TurningEveryday Objects Into Art”:






5.1: Students use critical thinkingskills such as analyzing, prioritiz-ing, categorizing, evaluating, andcomparing to solve a variety ofproblems in real-life situations.


6.3: Students expand their under-standing of existing knowledge bymaking connections with newknowledge, skills, and experiences.

Materials Needed• shoeboxes• wallpaper or other colorful paper

for covering boxes (boxes may alsobe painted)

• permanent markers

• scissors• glue (a low-heat glue gun is the

best choice)• assortment of materials for decorat-

ing the boxes (colored glue, lace,stickers, fabric swatches, ribbon,etc.)

• assorted found objects (small toys,photographs, cards, etc.) broughtin by the students to representthemselves

• wire to attach to the back of the boxso it can be displayed on a wall

Alternative MaterialsThe method students use to attach

objects to their boxes depends upon theweight of the objects. Attaching heavyobjects might require wires, bolts, orscrews rather than glue.


assemblagecolorconceptconsistenticonportrait conceptsculpturesymbol

Lesson InstructionsLead your students in the following

process:1. Fit your paper to your shoebox,

cutting it as needed. Carefullycrease the paper at the corners andalong the edges. When the paper iswell fitted to the box, glue it down.(An alternative is painting your boxor using a combination of paint andpaper.) Think about how you willdisplay your box and what theviewer will be able to see. Cover allthe surfaces that will be visible.

2. Decide which materials and objectsyou will use in your box. Thinkabout choosing colors that blend orcontrast and about the placementof your objects. When you areready, begin gluing the objectsinside your box with the low-heatglue gun. If the objects are heavy,you may have to use an alternativemethod to attach them to your box,such as wires or screws.

PROGRAM 8


3. When you are through assemblingyour box, attach a wire to the backor top of the box so you can hang itup on the wall for display.

4. Remember: How your box looks isnot as important as what it saysabout you.

Response to ArtStudents should be encouraged to

talk about their boxes with one another,sharing what the objects and symbolsrepresent and asking questions abouttheir classmates’ creations. Students canalso include private symbols in theirboxes whose meanings are not sharedwith the class.

Tips for TeachersThe most important part of this

project is the process of analyzing whoand what you are and how much you’rewilling to share. Students should feelsuccessful because they have experi-enced this process of self-discovery andexpressed their concept of self throughthe collection and placement of objectsin their “me-boxes.” The productsthemselves are secondary to the process.

Exhibition SuggestionDisplay the boxes at child’s-eye level

along a hall. By displaying the sculp-tures one after another in a long line,you will create the effect of a single largesculpture without losing the impact ofeach individual self-expression.

ExtensionRead about and research the life of a

famous person in order to create thatperson’s portrait box.

ResourceChapman, Laura. Adventures in Art.

The Discover Art Program.Worchester, MA: Davis Publishers,1994 (ISBN 87192-254-1)

Exploring the ThirdDimension withCaptain CookeCynthia Cooke,Artist-in-Residence

With the British explorer andcartographer James Cooke as inspira-tion, “Exploring the Third Dimensionwith Captain Cooke” shows studentshow to use contour lines to create athree-dimensional map of an island. Asartist/cartographer Cyndi Cooke says,students are limited only by theirimagination in choosing the islands’shapes and features. The project can alsoprovide opportunities for portfoliowriting as students explore their islands’government, plant and animal life,history, and more.

Lesson FocusAn exploration of the way in which

topographical maps are created. Chil-dren construct their own three-dimen-sional map of an island using scientificterminology, contours, and a variety ofpoint, line, and area symbols.

Time RequirementA minimum of one to two hours is

needed for the hands-on work. Teachersneed to schedule the activity over two ormore days so the glue used in theproject will have time to dry betweensessions.

More time can be allocated as neededfor students to write portfolio piecesabout their islands.

Skill Development“Exploring the Third Dimension

with Captain Cooke” provides skilldevelopment across the curriculum inart, math, science, and the humanities.The activity encourages students to takeintellectual and creative risks as theydepict scientific information artistically.Students learn to build a three-dimen-sional map using all the basic elementsof art—shape, line, color, texture, space,and form. They also learn the techniquesof the artist/cartographer—researchingand gathering information; designingthe basic layout of geographical infor-

PROGRAM 9

mation with title, text, scale, legend,north arrow, etc.; making a mosaic orcompilation of the information withthree-dimensional contours and point,line, and area features; and creating alegend to include all representedsymbols.

Purpose“Exploring the Third Dimension

with Captain Cooke” gives students theopportunity to experience maps as worksof art, historically and culturally; tomake connections between topographi-cal maps and other three-dimensionalart works; and to see maps as expres-sions of perceptions and ideas and astools for information using art tech-niques.

Related Artists/Art WorksM.C. Escher, Self-Portrait in Spherical

Mirror (1935), Reptile (1943),Drawing Hands (1948) (Photo-graphs of these works appear inMeulenhoff’s M.C. Escher, pub-lished in 1983 by Harry AbramsPublishing; ISBN 0-8109-2268-1.)

Vincent Van Gogh, Landscape of Arles(1889)

Claude Monet, Field in Spring (1887)Ed Hamilton (of Louisville, KY), Civil

War memorial sculpture to African-American soldiers (a work inprogress for Washington, DC)

Kano Ikkei Joryo, detail from Japanesefolding screen, c. 1650

Egyptian wall relief mural, c. 2550B.C.

Stenosaurus fossil relief, c.160,000,000 B.C.

architect’s model by H. Hollein forAbteilberg City Museum, Germany


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “Explor-ing the Third Dimension with CaptainCooke”:

2.22: Students create works of art andmake presentations to convey apoint of view. (The students’ mapsdisplay their point of view about aplace—real or imagined—toothers.)


perspectivesymbol

(For additional geographic termsrelated to mapping, see “cARTography.”)

Lesson InstructionsGuide your students through the

following process:1. Using graph paper, draw the

coastline of your island. This canbe a free-form shape or a tracing ofsomething else, like your hand.The coastline is the island’s sea-level contour. Add a variety ofinteresting coastal features, suchas bays, capes, or fjords—long,narrow, deep river valleys withsteep cliffs.

2. Repeating the shape of yourcoastline, draw the contour linerepresenting 100 feet above sealevel. Label it 100′. Remember,contour lines never cross, and theyshould be kept far apart. Oneexception is drawing steep cliffs,like the cliffs bordering a fjord. Thecontour lines up to the height ofthe cliff are drawn close to orconjoining the lower contour lines.

3. Draw the contour line for 200 feetabove sea level, still echoing theshape of your coastline. Label it200′.

4. Draw the highest contour line, theline 300 feet above sea level. Labelit 300′.

5. Decide what features you want tohave on your island and where theywill be placed. Features mightinclude lines, like rivers, creeks,roads, and railways; areas, likeforests, beaches, and lakes; andpoints, like houses, schools, andother buildings.

6. Choose symbols or patterns foryour features—a dashed line for astream, a piece of blue yarn for ariver, a crosshatched pattern forthe beach, etc. The symbols shouldmatch the symbols you provide inyour map legend.

7. Using colored pens, pencils,crayons, or other materials, addthe features to your map.

8. Cut out each contour level of themap, using the innermost part ofthe scissors and your other hand tomove the paper.

9. Glue the 100′, 200′, and 300′contours to the foam. Glue the sea-level contour to the heavy piece ofpaper. (If you’re using a cardboardbox, pre-cut the paper to fit insidethe box.) Make sure you allowenough room to include yourmap’s title, compass, key, andscale. Wait overnight or longer tobe sure the glue has bondedproperly.

10. Cut out the 100′, 200′, and 300′contour levels around their outsideedges and then assemble the mapas you would a puzzle, stackingeach one on the map and gluingthem together. Make sure you lineup the pieces correctly.

11. Color your map. If you like, youcan add bits of material or three-dimensional objects for more detailand interest.

12. Add your title, legend, compass,and scale. You can create theseitems separately and then gluethem to your paper base, or drawthem directly on the paper.

Response to ArtHave students share their islands and

their ideas with classmates. They canalso keep a journal about their adven-tures discovering and exploring theirisland.

Exhibition SuggestionsCreate a festive presentation occa-

sion featuring the islands. Let eachstudent present his or her own map andread an excerpt from the journal orportfolio piece inspired by the activity.The audience could be the class itself,other classes, and/or parents.

These maps also make a colorfulpresentation when mounted side by sideon a hallway wall or on tables in thehalls or classroom.

ExtensionsSocial Studies

Have students discuss and/or writeabout one or more of the followingtopics:

• What happens if someone alreadylives on your island when youdiscover it? What if someone comesto live on your island after you’re

2.23: Students analyze their own andothers’ artistic products andperformances using acceptedstandards (by presenting their mapprojects to peers after havinglearned the basic mapping prin-ciples and techniques).

2.25: In the products they make andthe performances they present,students show that they understandhow time, place, and societyinfluence the arts and humanitiessuch as languages, literature, andhistory. (Maps are composites ofart, history, language, and culture.)

2.26: Through the arts and humani-ties, students recognize thatalthough people are different, theyshare some common experiencesand attitudes. (Differences andsimilarities are easily discernedthrough area, line, and pointsymbols and through maps fromdifferent places and times.)

Materials Needed• graph paper• pencil• colored markers, pencils, or

crayons• fabrics, yarn, or other materials to

represent features on the maps• scissors• low-heat glue gun• glue sticks• 3-D material (preferably foam,

available from craft or fabric stores.Baer Fabrics, 515 East MarketStreet, Louisville, KY 40202,1-800-769-7778, offers greatdiscounts to schools on foam.When you call, ask for KevinPayne.)

• heavy paper or cardboard (formounting contours)

• cardboard box


areacontoursthree-dimensionaltwo-dimensionalkeylegendlinepattern


already there? What happens to theother people’s traditions? To yourtraditions?

• What is the currency of yourisland? What do the residentsexchange in trade? What is yourisland’s economy based on?

• What rules do the people of yourisland follow? Do they need to haverules? What kind of governmentwould you pick for your island?Monarchy? Democracy? Dictator-ship? Why?

MathematicsDetermine your island’s dimen-

sions—its length, width, altitude,perimeter, circumference, area—usingthe scale you have set up (one inch = 10miles, one inch = 1,000 miles, etc.).

Language Arts• Create a descriptive piece on the

life forms (unique plants andanimals) found on your island. Thispiece could be illustrated withdrawings of the life forms.

• Write a personal narrative describ-ing how you arrived at your island,how your island looks, and whatyou did to survive.

• Create different writing piecesbased on your island (a journal, anadvertisement to attract tourists, ascientific study).

• Write a poem about your island foryour writing portfolio. Like yourcontour map, a poem reflectspatterns—both auditory patternssuch as rhythm and rhyme andpatterns of meaning (repeatingwords, images, and phrases).Putting together a poem canresemble putting together a puzzleas you figure out what words youwant to use, possible rhymes forthose words, a rhythm pattern youwant to follow, etc.

ResourcesField Trip Destination

Printing House for the Blind1839 Frankfort AvenueLouisville, KY 402061-800-223-1839

The Printing House has a greatmuseum for students to visit.

BooksBednarz, Sarah. Geography for Life.

National Geographic Society, 1994.ISBN 0-7922-2775-1

Berthon, Simon and AndrewRobinson. The Shape of the World:The Mapping and Discovery of theEarth. (Also a PBS series.) RandMcNally, 1991. ISBN 0-528-83419-3

Carlisle, Madelyn W. MarvelouslyMeaningful Maps. Barron’s Books,1992. ISBN 0-8120-4735-4

Starkey, Dina. Atlas of Exploration.New York: Scholastic, 1994. ISBN0-590-27548-8

Strain, Priscilla and Frederick Engle.Looking at Earth. Turner Publish-ing, 1993. ISBN 1-8786885-24-4

Taylor, Barbara. Maps and Mapping.Kingfisher Books, 1993. ISBN 1-85697-936-9

Internet SitesSpace Environment Center: http://

www.sec.noaa.govNational Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) Home Page:http://www.noaa.gov

University of Illinois Public Gopher(good central ftp site locator):telnet://uxl.cso.uiuc.edu

EINet Galaxy: WWW sources forscience, math, other: http://www.einet.net/galaxy.html

Catalog of WWW resources: http://cui_www.unige.ch/w3catalog

NCSA Internet Resources Meta-Index:http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu

NASA Home Page: http://www.nasa.gov

JASON Electronic Field Trips: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/JASON/JASON.html

NASA K-12 Gopher: gopher://quest.arc.nasa.gov

NASA Spacelink: gopher://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

The Observatorium: http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/observe.html

Questacon—National Science andTechnology Centre, Australia: http://sunsite.anu.edu.au/Questacon

The Math Forum: http://forum.swarthmore.edu

Cornell Theory Center Math andScience Gateway: http://www.tc.cornell.edu/Edu/MathSciGateway

VolcanoWorld: http://volcano.und.nodak.edu

U.S. Geological SurveyHydroclimatology of San FranciscoBay: http://s101cascr.wr.usgs.gov/~mddettin

University of Arizona Students for theExploration and Development ofSpace: http://www.seds.org

Science Education Archive: ftp://ftp.bio.indiana.edu

Stanford Software Archive forMacintosh: ftp://sumex-aim.stanford.edu

Access to Macintosh Software: http://www.netam.net/~baron/infomac

NSF Science and Technology Informa-tion System: gopher://stis.nsf.gov

The Exploratorium (San Francisco):http://www.exploratorium.edu

National Education Bulletin Board(with supercomputer access):telnet://nebbs.nersc.gov,login:nebbs

Federal Government Information:telnet://fedworld.gov,login:new

U.S. Library of Congress: telnet://marvel.loc.gov,login:marvel

NetFind User Lookup: telnet://bruno.cs.colorado.edu,login:netfind

“Uncover” Periodical Database: telnet://database.carl.org

MidContinent Regional EducationLaboratory: gopher://gopher.mcrel.org

MIDI Music Archive Lists: ftp://ftp.cs.ruu.nl

Annenberg Science and Math Initia-tives: http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~jspeck/SAMI-home.html

GLOBE Program (Global Learning andObservations To Benefit theEnvironment): http://www.globe.gov

Monterey Bay Aquarium: http://www.usw.nps.navy.mil

Boulder (Colorado) CommunityNetwork: telnet:// or http://bcn.boulder.co.us

Xerox Map Viewer: http://www.xerox.com/PARC/docs/mapviewer.html

Cleveland Freenet (with access toother community networks):telnet://freenet-in-c.cwru.edu

Education Library: http://www.csu.edu.au/education/library.html


PROGRAM 10

CelebratingAncestorsMaude Alexander, Artist

After artist and teacher MaudeAlexander shows students examples ofAfrican masks, she challenges them tovisualize one of their ancestors andcreate a mask that will emphasize,through applied features, that ancestor’smajor characteristics.

Lesson FocusUsing a “hands-on” activity, students

will understand that African masks wereand are more than aesthetic artifacts:They are functional implements of themany cultures of the African continent.Students will develop their masks usingthe symbolism, style, and naturalismused in the masks of Africa—exaggera-tions, animal features, geometric shapes,protrusions, ornaments, and naturalfibers—to enhance their feelings andexpressions.

Time Requirement90 minutes will allow the application

of plaster craft to dry enough forpainting, adding features, and gluing onornaments.

Skill Development• Whether students choose to

represent their masks with anatural or a more stylized form,they will develop skills in spatialrelationships, geometric design,multimedia usage, and symmetry.

• Students will learn culturalmeanings of color, contrasts,patterning, form, and dimensions.

• Students will develop skills inidentifying locales of some of thehundreds of mask designs andcultural functions of the mask insocietal rituals and ceremonies.

• Students will be able to list themany materials and symbols usedin mask making in Africa.

PurposeThrough mask making, students will

combine social studies and art. They willcompare masks historically and cultur-ally all over our world, using the masksof many societies. Learning about masksas spiritual and ritualistic expressionswill encourage them to view art artifactsboth culturally and aesthetically.

Related Artists/Art WorksLois Mailou Jones, Magic of Nigeria

(1971), Les Fétiches (1938)Photographs of Jones’ art works

appear in Tritobia Benjamin’s The Lifeand Art of Lois Mailou Jones (see theresource list below).

Pablo Picasso, Les Demoisellesd’Avignon (1907)

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and a1908 photograph of Picasso seated infront of African masks are both repro-duced in Juliet Heslewood’s IntroducingPicasso (see the resource list below).

Wadsworth Jarrell, The Jocks #2(1981)

Included in Robert L. Douglas’Wadsworth Jarrell—The Artist asRevolutionary (see the resource listbelow).


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “Celebrat-ing Ancestors”:

2.22: Students create works of art andmake presentations to convey apoint of view. (Students will createa mask conveying the value of oneof their ancestors.)

2.23: Students analyze their own andothers’ artistic products. (Studentswill exhibit their finished masksbefore their peers and tell about themeanings of all the features ontheir masks.)

2.25: In the products they make andthe performances they present,students show that they understandhow time, place, and societyinfluence the arts and humanitiessuch as languages, literature, andhistory. (Students will state what

types of ceremonies their masksrepresent and where in historytheir masks might have been used.)

2.26: Through the arts and humani-ties, students recognize thatalthough people are different, theyshare some common experiencesand attitudes. (Students will havean opportunity to compare masksfrom around the world using realmasks and magazine photos; a listof common features will be madeand differences noted.)

Materials Needed• plaster craft (available from medical

supply companies and from artsand crafts stores—for example,Preston Arts and Crafts, Dee’s inLouisville, or Michael’s)

• masking tape (1″ or 1-1/2″)• newspaper• plastic grocery store bags• cardboard sheets to protect the

desks from paint and paste• acrylic paint• paintbrushes• rulers• scissors• low-heat glue gun• glue sticks• tacky glue• junk items for features• raffia (available from florists or arts

and crafts shops)• old jewelry• cowrie shells (available from stores

that sell African products or frombead stores)

• fur (fake fur from fabric stores isprobably the best bet)

• hair (old wigs are a good source)• feathers• bells• beads• dried berries, beans, seeds


abstractarmatureattributescharacteristicscolordesignformfunction


geometric shapeshigh contrastslinemultimedianaturalismpatternsprimary huesrhythmsculpturesecondary huesshapespacesymmetrytechniquetexturethree-dimensionaltwo-dimensionalvalue

Lesson InstructionsPreparation

Have the plaster craft cut into four-or five-inch pieces. Basins of watershould be ready, or you can use squirtbottles to dampen material. You mayalso want to pre-stuff plastic bags withcrushed newspaper for the masks’armature. Have the four stages of maskmaking ready as examples:

1. plastic bag stuffed,2. application of first layers of plaster

craft,3. features added, and4. paint applied and ornaments added.

ProcessGuide students through the follow-

ing process:1. With the flat side of the bag on a

large piece of cardboard, begin toplace wetted strips of plaster onyour mask. You will need at leastfour layers of material before youbegin to add features.

2. Now think about one of yourancestors and create the mask’sfeatures to represent that ancestor’scharacteristics. Was it someonewith great vision or someone whowas wise? If so, you might create alarge forehead for your mask orplan to decorate the forehead toemphasize that feature. If theperson told great stories, enlargethe mouth. If he or she was a greatlistener, exaggerate the ears, usingcut-out cardboard for ears. Animal

teeth indicate protection for thegroup; slit eyes symbolize feminin-ity. Cowrie shells indicate wealthand symbolize women. Horns aresymbols of fertility, and elephantfeatures represent strength.

3. After the plaster dries, apply acomplete coat of paint. Use black,brown, or white for the base.Remember that colors havesymbolic meanings (i.e., red for theancestor or white for death).

4. Apply additional colors, geometricdesigns, horns, teeth, jewelry, etc.

5. Complete the mask with raffia.African masks are considered art inmotion, so all masks should includesomething movable.

Response to ArtStudents should take turns telling

about their ancestors by exhibiting theirmasks and pointing out how the featureson the masks relate to the characteris-tics of the people.

Exhibition Suggestion• Students can mount their masks,

label them, and place them in thehallway or in an exhibit area forpublic viewing.

• Students may also share theirmasks with family members on aschool family night. The schoolmight organize a family nightfeaturing the displayed masks alongwith African food, dancing, andstorytelling.

• Teachers may check with libraries(in school and citywide) to find outwhether they would like to exhibitthe masks during African-AmericanHistory month. Museums andsenior citizens’ facilities also mayenjoy these colorful art pieces.

• If students used actual Africanmasks to inspire their work, thetwo sets of masks could be exhib-ited together. Research on theactual use of the mask will benecessary so our use will notoffend. (For example, some masksare not seen except by certainpeople in the societies.)

• Ethnic and cultural festivals andparades will offer more opportuni-ties for students to exhibit the

masks. Masks may also be lent toother schools that are trying thesame project or want decorations.

Extensions• Study masks and their use the

world over. Each student or groupof students can research a differentcountry and make sample masks orcreate large posters showing theiruse. The December 1994 issue ofSmithsonian magazine would be agood starting point for this activity.

• Make head-to-toe costumes foreach mask using raffia, burlap, andcloth.

• Choose an African mask andresearch its use, draw it in fullcolor, or make it in three dimen-sions using cardboard. Then sharethe mask, its locale, its use, and itsplace in the history of Africanpeople with classmates.

• Visit museums, stores, and collec-tors’ homes to view a variety ofAfrican masks. Two excellentstorehouses of African masks areKente International and the AfricanAmerican Heritage House, both inLouisville (see the resource list formore information).

ResourcesChildren’s Books on African Artand Culture

Allen, William D., Jennings, Jerry E.,and Thomas, Benjamin E. Man inAfrica. Grand Rapids, MI: TheFideler Company, 1974.

Aardema, Verna. Who’s in Rabbit’sHouse? New York: The Dail Press,1977.

Dakari, Hru. Joshua’s Masai Mask.New York: Lee and Low, 1993.

Davison, Basil. African Kingdoms.New York: Time-Life Books, 1966.

Davrell, Elphinstone. Why the Sunand the Moon Live in the Sky.Boston: Houghton Mifflin Com-pany, 1968.

Grifalconi, Ann. Fly Away Girl.Boston: Little, Brown and Com-pany, 1992.

Heslewood, Juliet. IntroducingPicasso. Boston: Little, Brown andCompany, 1993.


Kreikemeier, Gregory S. Come withMe to Africa. New York: GoldenBooks, 1993.

McCoy, Brendeema. ABC AfricaColoring Book, Volume II. Atlanta,GA: World Publishing Co., 1990.

McDermott, Gerald. The Magic Tree.New York: Holt, Rinehart andWinston, 1973.

—— Zomo the Rabbit. San Diego:Harcourt Brace, 1992.

Meyer, Lare. Arts and Crafts of Africa.Paris: Pierre Terrail Publishers.

Monti, Franco. African Masks.London, New York: Paul Hamlyn,1966.

Musgrove, Margaret. Ashanti to Zulu.New York: Dial Books for YoungReaders, 1976.

Onyefulu, Ifeoma. A Is for Africa. NewYork: Cobblehill Books, Dutton.

Paris, Peter J. The Spirituality ofAfrican People. Augsburg: Foress,1996.

Parrinder, Geoffrey. African Mythol-ogy. New York: Peter BedrickBooks, 1986.

Rupert, Janet E. The African Mask.New York: Clarion Books, 1994.

Savory, Phillis. Zulu Tales. New York:Hastings Publishing Co., 1961.

Sibbett, Junior. Ancient EgyptianDesign Coloring Book. New York:Dover Publications, 1978.

The Smiley Lion Book. New York:Golden Press, 1964.

Terzlan, Alexandra M. The Kid’sMulticultural Art Book. Charlotte,VT: Williamson Publishing, 1993.

Warren, Sean and McKinnan, Eliza-beth. Small World Celebrations.Everett, WA: Warren PublicationHouse Inc.

Yarbrough, Camille. Cornrows. NewYork: Coward-McCann, Inc.

Books for Teachers/Advanced Students

Adler, Peter. African Majesty. NewYork: Thames and Hudson, 1992.

African Studies Handbook for El-ementary and Secondary Teachers,3rd edition. University of Massa-chusetts, Center for InternationalEducation, School of Education,1993.

Bascom, William. African Art inCultural Perspective. New York:W.W. Norton Company, 1973.

Bearden, Romare. History of AfricanAmerican Artists. San Francisco:Pomegranate Art Books, Inc. 1992.

Benjamin, Tritobia Hayes. “LoisMailou Jones: The DecorativePattern of Her Life.” AmericanVisions, June/July 1993, pp. 16–20.

—— The Life and Art of Lois MailouJones. San Francisco: PomegranateArt Books, 1994.

Bolling, John. Soul Force: ThePsycho-Spiritual Development ofBlack Folks. Mandala Risingi Press,1988.

Boltin, Lee and Douglas Newton.Masterpieces of Primitive Art. NewYork: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978.

Christoph, Henning, Hans, andOberlander. Voodoo: Secret Powerin Africa. New York: TaschenPublishers. (Selected photographsand information on the use ofmasks suggested.)

Contemporary African Art. New York:Studio International and AfricanaPublishing Corporation, 1968.

Corwin, Judith Hoffman. AfricanCrafts. New York: Franklin WattsCompany, 1990.

Douglas, Robert L. WadsworthJarrell—The Artist as Revolution-ary. San Francisco: PomegranateArt Books, 1996.

Fagg, William and John Pemberton.Yoruba Sculpture of West Africa.New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982.

Frayling, Christopher. The Face ofTutankhamun. Boston: Faber andFaber, 1992.

“Round and Round the World: Life Is aMasquerade.” Smithsonian,December 1994, pp. 94–99.

Glubok, Shifley. The Art of EgyptUnder the Pharaohs. New York:McMillan Publishing Co., 1980.

Gordon, Rene. African ContinentRevealed. New York: St. Martin’sPress, 1988.

Kerina, Jane. African Crafts. NewYork: The Lion Press, 1970.

Koloss, Han-Joachim. Art of CentralAfrica. New York: The MetropolitanMuseum of Art, 1990.

LaDuke, Betty. Africa Through theEyes of Women Artists. Trenton,NJ: African World Press, 1991.

Matthews, Rupert O. Africa: TheMighty Continent. Gallery Books,1988.

Mazrui, Ali A. The Africans. Boston:Little, Brown and Co., 1986.

Perry, Regina A. Free Within Our-selves. San Francisco: PomegranateArt Books, Inc.

Preston, George Nelson. African ArtMasterpieces. New York: MacmillanCo., 1991.

Rosman, Abraham and Paula Rubel.The Tapestry of Culture. New York:Random House, 1989.

Segy, Ladislas. Masks of Black Africa.New York: Dover Publications,1976.

Steiner, Christopher B. African Art inTransit. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Thompson, Jerry and Susan Vogel.Close Up. New York: The Center forAfrican Art, 1990.

Thompson, Robert F. Flash of theSpirit. New York: Vintage Books,1984.

Walther, Ingo F., ed. Pablo Picasso,Volumes I and II. Benedikt TaschenPublishers, 1995.

Whiti, John. African Religions andPhilosophy. Portsmouth, NH:Heinemann, 1969.

Willet, Frank. African Art. New York:Thames and Hudson, 1993.


Other MaterialsArt Deck (playing cards featuring 53

African artifacts). Manufactured byAristoplay Ltd., Ann Arbor, MI48107.

Recommended magazines: AmericanVisions, Archaeology, Caribbean,Contemporary Africa, Ebony,Focus on Africa (Bush House,London), National Geographic,Smithsonian

Museums and Field TripDestinations

The African American Heritage HouseMuseum

52l W. Ormsby AvenueLouisville, KY 40203(502) 636-3754

This museum is dedicated to thedocumentation, preservation, andperpetuation of the historical, cultural,educational, and spiritual experiences ofAfrican Americans. It includes artifactsfrom the African continent and African-American culture from the colonialperiod through the present.

J.B. Speed Museum2035 South Third StreetP.O. Box 2600Louisville, KY 40201(502) 636-2894; fax (502) 636-2899

In addition to its permanent collec-tion of African art, the Speed Museumoffers schools suitcase exhibits ofartifacts and objects, including one onAfrican culture. Contact the Speed formore information.

Background Informationon African Masks

Thanks to Dr. Robert Douglas,director of Pan African Studies at theUniversity of Louisville, for supplyingthis information.

Types of Masks1. Face Mask: Worn over the face to

hide the identity of the wearer andto focus the people on the functionof the mask.

2. Head Pieces: Masks carved of woodworn on the front of the head.

3. Helmet Masks: Large carved ormetal masks made to rest on theshoulders.

Philosophical Ideas andPractices Governing Mask Useand Functions

These ideas may exist in only oneculture group, or they may be commonto many African culture groups.

• When masks are used, there isusually a transcendence of thespirit.

• The mask is a symbol of a force ordeity. Sometimes the mask repre-sents important people or anancestor. (Close resemblance to theactual person is forbidden.)

• Masks often include somethingfeminine to reinforce the cherishedidea that men can do nothingwithout women.

• Music and dance may accompanythe wearing of the mask, but notalways.

• The entire costume is consideredthe mask.

• The mask spirit does not speak tothe people. An interpreter is used togive the people the spirit’s message.

• The masked person needs time totranscend to the “higher plane” andoften requires time to return toreality after the appearance. Wewould call this de-briefing.

• Africans do not use any image torepresent the God force.

• The masks represent lesser gods ordeities.

• The mask wearer becomes pos-sessed.

• The mask is an attempt to putthings in balance between theforces and man. The use of themask is also an attempt to controlthe forces that affect humankind.

• Ancestors are not worshipped; butthey are revered, commemorated,and respected.

• All things have spiritual force(earth, wind, fire, man, water, andanimals—all things have the waterforce).

As we study African masks, we mustinterpret them in their cultural contextof functions and attributes. When we dothis, we shall truly be looking at Africanculture honestly, as “We Wear theMask.”

Masks: Their Functions, Use,and Purposes

African masks have many uses. Thelist below indicates a few:

• to celebrate• to honor ancestors or important

persons• to symbolize spirits• to elegize group members• to control deities (forces: air, land,

and water)• to vitalize and extol certain group

members• to give energy (for dangerous or

strenuous tasks)• to use for sacrifice (to use in

circumcision and initiationceremonies such as the rites ofpassage)

• to identify (every masked priest isrecognized by the “Maa go”—smallmask—he carries on his person)

• to teach and continue the passingof the group’s traditions

• to honor the spirits of the largermasks

• to give courage to fight dangers• to encourage peace, stop wars, and

praise victories• to identify with social authority• to teach etiquette by doing the

wrong thing dramatically• to empower, uplift, and sometimes

subdue the group members• to judge, punish, and set group

limits• to exemplify calmness, fierceness,

or any needed attribute• to appease spirit forces• to encourage the fertility of the

land• to protect group members from evil• to heal and make women fertile• to install a successor or political

figure• to propitiate the ancestors when a

disaster threatens the village


PROGRAM 11

Combining Wordswith ArtThomas Freese,Artist-in-Residence

In “Combining Words with Art,”Thomas Freese teaches children how tomake an accordion-fold book. Theprogram also provides an introductionto calligraphy, a review of the vocabularyof visual art, and a chance to learn bydoing.

Lesson FocusAn introduction to the making of a

folded-page book, including the defini-tion of a “book,” examples of accordion-fold books, and a brief study of writtenforms (calligraphy).

Time RequirementTwo one-hour sessions would work

well for making a practice book (inpencil only) and the finished book.

PurposeTo help students understand and

appreciate the creation of a simple,hand-made book. Topics covered includea historical perspective of bookmaking,the elements of a simple story or theme,layout and folding, construction, andcalligraphy.

Skill Development• This lesson provides an opportunity

for students to analyze a hand-made book using the vocabulary ofvisual art.

• Children are able to focus on thewritten letter and to construct two-dimensional calligraphic forms.

• The accordion-fold book is anengineering experiment; studentslearn by doing how to encapsulateletters and images within theconfines of a folded strip of paper.

• Children must plan a story using asequence of words and sentences;often the stories demonstratephysical cause-and-effect reason-ing.

• Children must divide the paperstrip into even segments by foldingor by first measuring and thenfolding.

• The activity helps developchildren’s reading and writingskills.

• Making a book can become anopportunity for social interaction.

• Books can be created in conjunc-tion with traditional academic areassuch as science or social studies.

Related Artists/Art Works• Carolyn Whitesel, regional artist

and bookmaker (examples of herwork are featured in the program)

• An excellent source for photo-graphs of unusual books to sharewith students is Shereen LaPlantz’sCover-to-Cover (see the resourcelist).


The following Kentucky AcademicExpectations are all related to “Combin-ing Words with Art”:

1.2, 1.3, 1.7, 1.9, 2.10, 2.22, 2.32,2.35, 2.45, 5.2, and 5.51. In particular,the lesson helps students meet expecta-tions 1.2 and 1.7 (reading and writing);1.9, 2.21, and 2.35 (visual aesthetics);2.10, 2.45, and 5.2 (measurement skillsand other skills used in book construc-tion); and 2.32 (perspective on thehistory of books and writing).

Materials Needed• 4″ × 18″ tag board strips of paper• two 4″ × 4-1/2″ pieces of colored

paper (for covers)• pencil and pen• markers, crayons, or colored

pencils• glue• scissors• calligraphy marker (optional)

Alternative MaterialsAny medium-weight, flexible paper

which is blank or blank on one side; e.g.,recycled paper or “construction” paper.Print shops often throw away or recyclevery nice paper stock (sometimes inlong strips) which can be wonderful foraccordion-fold books!


accordion-foldcalligraphyscriptstoryboardversal

Lesson InstructionsLead your students through the

following procedure:1. Take a 4″ × 18″ strip of tagboard

and fold it in half, to a 4″ × 9″ size.Match the edges carefully andcrease the fold by firmly pressing itwith your fingernails.

2. Take one of the open ends of thepaper and fold it in half again,doubling it up even with the closedend. Do the same thing with theother open end of the paper strip.Once again, the folds should becreased. Now you should have anaccordion-folded strip of papermeasuring 4″ × 4-1/2″.

3. Check for alternation of folds byholding your strip up with thepages slightly spread apart. Froman edge view, the strip of papershould make a “W” pattern. If yousee an “M,” you simply need to turnyour strip over. If necessary, refoldto make the “W” pattern. Now youare ready to write in your book!

4. Using very small writing, numberyour pages at the bottom, from leftto right, 1 through 4.

5. Think of an original story or acreative way to retell a traditionaltale. Story ideas could come fromacademic themes, personal experi-ences, family history. Youngchildren can simply put a word anda drawing on each page.

6. In this first version (“rough draft”or “storyboard”), you should writeor sketch in pencil, so you will beable to erase and modify. Remem-ber to keep your sentences withinthe page (rather than writing asingle sentence across severalpages).

7. The teacher should show how touse “versals” (beginning, capitalletters) and “script” (neat printingor writing in a particular style).


8. Fold a second strip for yourimproved, final copy.

9. Trace your folded, 4″ × 4-1/2″ booktwice on colorful paper to have anoutline for the cover paper (or use aruler to measure two 4″ × 4-1/2″pieces). Then cut out the coversheets and glue them to the back ofpages 1 and 4. Don’t use too muchglue!

10. In the final copy, you can usemarkers, colored pencils, orcrayons to create color illustra-tions. You also can come up with acreative title. And you might like tonote your authorship of the bookwith a “pen name,” an imaginaryname for yourself. Before writing inthe final copy, practice calligraphyor versal capitals on separate sheetsof paper.

Response to ArtEncourage children to share, admire,

and read one another’s books. You alsomight lead children in discussing someor all of the following questions:

• What is a book, and how have booksshaped history?

• How do you feel about a book thathas no illustrations? What about abook that has no writing?

• Can a song become a book?• If you could watch the movie, why

would a book of the same story stillbe important?

• What ideas do you have for addi-tional projects?

• Why can’t all books be accordion-fold books?

• Can you design alphabet lettersbased on animals or people?

• Books can take a lot of time andmoney to produce; why wouldpeople burn them?

Exhibition Suggestion• Have a book fair or connect all the

children’s books together for a longhallway display.

• Scan the accordion-fold books(with the authors’ permission) ontoa computer for other children todiscover.

• Copy the book pages onto a singlesheet and collate into a copyablemaster book.

• Make a very large accordion-foldbook by connecting poster-sizedpages. Carry it to youngerchildren’s classrooms to teach alesson or to tell a story.

• Videotape the children readingtheir books.

• Do a school bulletin board displayof calligraphy that connectsdifferent scripts with their match-ing country and historical period.For example:

Roman alphabet—100 A.D.Celtic “uncial”—600 A.D.German “Gothic”—1200 A.D.Italian “italic”—1500 A.D.

Extensions• Practice lettering, doing quotations

or names. Children can sell theircalligraphy to buy a book aboutcalligraphy.

• Do a literature search for book arts,lettering, calligraphy, fonts, scripts,bookmaking, papermaking, andbibliotherapy.

• Tape two pencils together, tipseven, and write letters displayingthick and thin parts.

• Make a bound book.• Make an accordion-fold book where

the page folds turn corners (such asa “spiral book”).

• Make an “old-fashioned” pen orquill out of a feather. Experimentwith writing using a bottle of inkand the quill.

• Invite an author, illustrator, orbookmaker to share his or herstories about bookmaking and toshow sample books at variousstages of production.

• Tour a book publishing company ora print shop.

• Make mini-books to documentnews events or humorous eventsfrom your school.

• Make a longer accordion-fold bookthat is autobiographical.

• Make a book with a page for eachletter of the alphabet.

• Rubber-stamp on your book pages.Design and hand-carve stamps foryour book.

• Mount children’s smaller drawingsor watercolors into an accordion-fold book.

• Combine pop-up card techniqueswith accordion-fold book construc-tion.

ResourcesBooks on Calligraphyand Bookmaking

Baker, Arthur. Celtic Hand, Stroke byStroke. New York: Dover Publica-tions, 1983. (ISBN 0-486-24336-2)Available from Dover Publications,180 Varick Street, New York, NY10014.

Hiner, Mark. Paper Engineering forPop-Up Books and Cards. Norfolk,England: Tarquin Publications,1985. (ISBN 0-906212-49-9)

Johnston, Edward. Writing, Illuminat-ing, and Lettering. London:Pitman, 1979.

LaPlantz, Shereen. Cover-to-Cover:Creative Techniques for MakingBeautiful Books, Journals, andAlbums. Asheville, NC: Lark Books,1995. (ISBN 0-937274-81-X)Available for $24.95 from LarkBooks, 50 College Street, Asheville,NC 28801.

Suaren, Jacqueline. Written Letters.Freeport, ME: Bond WheelrightCo., 1980. (ISBN 0-87027-161-X)

2000 Years of Calligraphy. Baltimore:Baltimore Art Museum, PeabodyInstitute, Walter’s Art Gallery, 1965.

MaterialsA bookmaking kit is available at the

following address: “The Bookmaker Kit,”P.O. Box 346, Corona del Mar, CA92625; phone (714) 673-7319.


PROGRAM 12

Animating ArtRuben Moreno,Artist-in-Residence

In “Animating Art,” artist/instructorRuben Moreno takes students on a quicktrip through movie-making history andthen shows them how they can maketheir own animations by creatingzoetropes. Children will expand theirunderstanding of how film replicatesmotion and see how movie-makingcombines science, technology, and art.

Lesson FocusStudents will learn the basics of

animation and cinematic motionthrough building the zoetrope. Theemphasis will be on understanding andusing the scientific concepts of the phiphenomenon and “persistence of vision”to make an animated strip. Students willlearn about the history of animatedimages and the connection betweentheir animated strips and the processused to develop “movies” throughanimated cartoons.

Time RequirementThe initial activity takes students 30

minutes to one hour to complete. Allowat least another hour for students tocreate their own picture strips.

Skill DevelopmentSkills developed by the lesson

include visual thinking, measuring,cutting, building, and drawing. Thelesson is not about being a “good” artist:Anyone can learn to make a series ofimages appear to move. Students willlearn how to transfer their still imagesinto moving images and to transformtheir visual images into a series of othermoving images.

Purpose“Animating Art” will help students

understand light, vision, and filmmotion as well as how to use visualthinking to build a sequence of images.

Related Artists/Art Works• 19th-century mechanical toys

(examples are shown in PaperMovie Machines—see the resourcelist below)

• Edward Muybridge, pioneer inshutter photography. His photo-graphs of horses at LelandStanford’s farm in Californiachronicled the stride of Kentuckyfilly Sally Gardner and establishedthat horses do lift all their feet offthe ground at once. (See the stripsof moving horses included for usein making the zoetrope.)

• Thomas Edison, photographer andearly pioneer in motion picturemaking

• Gregory Barsamian, creator of therevolving sculpture at the base ofthe tower in the Creative DiscoveryMuseum in Chattanooga, Tennessee


The following concepts and skills areused in the process of creatingzoetropes:

• art concepts—visual composition,use of shape and line, visualthinking, and developing a logicalvisual sequence

• music concepts—rhythm andtiming sequences

• logical and mathematical skills—determining how many frames areneeded to create certain forms ofmovement such as running orwalking

• kinesthetic and spatial skills—learning how movement is depictedthrough animated space and time.

Materials Needed• clear plastic cup (short highball

style)• scissors• glue• tape• pencil• protractor/compass• ruler• black poster board• push pins• needle-nose pliers

Alternative MaterialsIn lieu of the black poster board, you

can use white poster board and black(matte) poster paint.


animationframekinestasismagic lanternpersistence of visionphenaskistoscopephi phenomenonstroboscopicthanumatropezoetrope


Lesson InstructionsBefore beginning the lesson, make

two copies of the horse figure panels onpage 38 for each child and one copy ofthe blank panels (page 39). You also maywant to use a compass to pre-draw5-3/4″ circles on poster board for thechildren. (Ruben usually cuts the boardinto pieces, with one circle on a piece,and allows students to cut out thecircles themselves.) To provide a mountfor the panels, pre-cut the poster boardinto 3″ × 18″ strips. Then instruct thechildren in the following process:

1. Cut out the disk and the two ridingpanels.

2. Glue the horse figure panels to thetag board. The other side of theposter board should be black forhigh contrast. (If you don’t haveblack poster board, use blackpaint.) Cut out slits as markedabove the riding figures.

3. Glue the rider panels together toform a cylinder around the disc(the rider panels go on the inside ofthe cylinder; the black surface onthe outside). Tape the disc to thebottom of the cylinder.

4. Insert a push pin through thecenter of the disc and then throughthe bottom of a plastic cup. Bendthe pin from inside the cup with apair of needle-nose pliers.

5. Spin the cylinder to achieve theillusion of movement.

6. Now use the blank panels (on page39) to create your own animationdrawings. These new panels can beplaced over the horse panels inyour original zoetrope. Or you canfollow steps 1 through 4 to createanother zoetrope. (You can glue

your drawings over the horsefigures on a copy of the ridingpanels so you will have guidelinesfor cutting slits on your newzoetrope.)

Response to ArtBefore the students make their

original animation drawings but afterthey create the zoetropes using theriding figures, discuss what animatorsneed to know in order to draw successfulanimations. What makes the horse lookas though it is really moving? How canstudents analyze motion in order tocreate a natural-looking effect?

Exhibition SuggestionTo display your group’s animations,

collect all the available turntable recordplayers from your media center and/orbring in record turntables from home.Use the moving turntables as portabledisplay stands for your students’ work. Ifyou don’t have enough to display all thezoetropes, display them on an alternat-ing basis.

ExtensionsOther related projects include

making flip books, thanumatropes (a flatdisk with pictures on either side that issuspended with string and then spun),and phenaskistoscopes (a wheel ofimages constructed like a top).

ResourcesLafe, Locke. Film Animation Tech-

niques: A Beginner’s Guide andHandbook. White Hall, VA:Betterway Publications, Inc., 1992.(ISBN 1-55870-236-9)

Laybourne, Kit. The Animation Book.New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.,1979. (ISBN 0-517-52946-7)

Wenz, Bob. Paper Movie Machines.San Francisco: Troubadour Press,1975.


Resources and Books on Artfor Students and Teachers

Reproductions of Art WorksShorewood Reproductions, 27 Glen Road, Sandy Hook, CT

06482.Universal Color Slide Co., 1221 Main Street, Suite 203,

Weymouth, MA 02190.

Museum Reproductions(Catalogs Available)

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park,San Francisco, CA 94118.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 255 Gracie Station, NewYork, NY 10028-0198.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, P.O. Box 244, Avon, MA02322-0244.

Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York,NY.

Children’s Books on Art and ArtistsBjork, Christina. Linnea in Monet’s Garden. New York:

R & S Books, 1985.Blizzard, Gladys S. Come Look with Me (series).

Charlottesville, VA: Thomasson-Grant, Inc., 1991, 1992.Includes Enjoying Art with Children, ExploringLandscape Art with Children, Animals in Art.

Bober, Natalie S. Marc Chagall, Painter of Dreams.Philadelphia and New York: The Jewish PublicationSociety, 1991.

Brenner, Leah. An Artist Grows Up in Mexico. Albuquer-que, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1987.

Brown, Laurene K. and Marc Brown. Visiting the ArtMuseum. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1986.

Chapman, Laura H. Adventures in Art. Worcester, MA:Davis Publications, Inc., 1994.

Cumming, Robert. Just Imagine: Ideas in Painting.Middlesex, England: Kestrel Books, 1982.

—Just Look: A Book About Paintings. New York: CharlesScribner’s Sons, 1979.

Cummings, Pat, editor and compiler. Talking to the Sun:An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People.New York: Bradbury Press, 1992.

Daffron, Carolyn. Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer.New York: Chelsea House, 1988.

D’Alelio, Jane. I Know That Building: Discovering Archi-tecture with Activities and Games. Washington, DC:The Preservation Press, 1989.

Edeen, Susan and John. Artists and Women Artists. PaloAlto, CA: Dale Seymour Publications, 1988.

Edmonds, Mary Jane. Samplers and Samplermakers:American Schoolgirl Art 1700–1850. New York: RizzoliPublishers, 1987.

Epstein, Vivian. History of Women Artists for Children.Denver: VSE Publishers, 1987.

Everett, Gwen. Li’l Sis and Uncle Willie. New York: RizzoliPublishers, 1992.

Florian, Douglas. A Potter. New York: William Morrow &Co., 1991.

Garza, Carmen Lomas. Family Pictures, Cuadros deFamilia. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press, 1990.

Gordon Parks, Photographer. Black Americans of Achieve-ment Series. New York: Chelsea House, 1991.

Grant, Joan. The Blue Faience Hippopotamus. La Jolla, CA:Green Tiger Press, 1984.

Herberholz, Barbara and Donald. The Real Color Book.Gold River, CA: 1905 Studebaker Place, 1985.

Hollingsworth, Patricia and Stephen. Smart Art, LearningTo Classify and Critique Art. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press,1989.

Isaacson, Philip. Round Buildings, Square Buildings, andBuildings That Wiggle Like a Fish. New York: AlfredKnopf, 1990.

—A Short Walk Around the Pyramids and Through theWorld of Art. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.

Lamarche, Melene. Miró for Children. Montreal: MontrealMuseum of Fine Arts, 1986.

Lepscky, Ibi, translated by H.R. MacLean. Pablo Picasso.Woodbury, NY: Barron’s, 1984.

Lerner, Sharon. The ______ in Art (series). Minneapolis:Lerner Publishers, 1970. Includes Self-Portrait in Art,Kings and Queens in Art, Warrior in Art, Farms andFarmers in Art, etc.

Macauley, David. Cathedral, the Story of Its Construction;also Castle and others. New York: Doubleday, 1973.

Mayers, Florence. ABC, The Museum of Fine Arts. Boston:Museum of Fine Arts, 1986.

Micklethwait, Lucy. I Spy: An Alphabet in Art. New York:Greenwillow Books, 1990.

Millbrook Arts Library Series. Stories in Art; People in Art;Places in Art; Nature in Art. Brookfield, CT: MerlionPublishing, Ltd., 1991.

Morris, Ann, photos by Ken Heyman. Houses and Homes.New York: Greenwillow Books, 1992.

Munthe, Nelly. Meet Matisse. Boston, MA: Little, Brown &Co., 1983.

O’Neill, Mary. Hailstones and Halibut Bones. New York:Doubleday, 1989.

Raboff, Ernest. Art for Children (series). New York: J.B.Lippincott, 1987-88.

Richardson, Wendy and Jack. The World of Art Throughthe Eyes of Artists (series). Chicago: Children’s Press,1991. Includes The Natural World, Animals, Cities,Entertainers, Families, Water.

Richmond, Robin. Children in Art: The Story in a Picture.Nashville, TN: Ideals Children’s Books, 1992.

Ringgold, Faith. Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House. NewYork: Hyperion Books, 1993.

Sills, Leslie. Inspirations: Stories About Women Artists.Niles, IL: Albert Whiteman & Co., 1989. IncludesGeorgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Alice Neel, FaithRinggold.


Sky-Peck, Kathryn, editor. Who Has Seen the Wind? NewYork: Rizzoli Publishers, 1991.

Sullivan, Charles. Imaginary Gardens: American Poetryand Art for Young People. New York: Henry N. Abrams,1989.

Turner, Robyn Montana. Portraits of Women Artists(series). Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1991. IncludesRosa Bonheur, Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt, FaithRinggold, Georgia O’Keeffe.

Ventura, Piero. Great Painters. New York: G.P. Putnam’sSons, 1987.

—Michelangelo’s World. Kirkwood, NY: The PutnamPublishing Group, 1989.

A Weekend with … (series). New York: Skira/Rizzoli, 1991.Includes Degas, Picasso, Rembrandt, and Renoir.

Willard, Nancy. Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch. NewYork: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1992.

Wilson, Forrest. What It Feels Like To Be a Building.Washington, DC: The Preservation Press, 1988.

Winter, Jeanette and Jonah. Diego. New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 1991.

Woolf, Felicity. Picture This: A First Introduction toPaintings. New York: Doubleday, 1989.

Yenawine, Philip. How To Show Grown-Ups the Museums.New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1985.

—Shapes, Lines, Colors, Stories (series). New York:Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1991.

Zadrynska, Ewa. The Girl with a Watering Can. New York:Chameleon Books, Inc., 1989.

Art from Diverse CulturesAlden, C. Sunrise Island: A Story of Japan and Its Arts.

New York: Parents’ Magazine Press, 1971.Baylor, Byrd. When Clay Sings. New York: Charles

Scribner’s Sons, 1987.Brown, Marcia, translator and illustrator. Shadow. New

York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1991.Fillerup, Michael. Don’t Tell Anybody But … There Are

Anasazi in Canyon de Chelly. Chinle, AZ: NavajoCurriculum Development and Production Center, 1990.

Kanawa, Kire Te. Land of the Long White Cloud: MaoriMyths, Tales, and Legends. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.,1990.

Sullivan, Charles, editor. Children of Promise. New York:Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991.

Wisniewski, David. Sundiata. New York: Clarion Books,1992.

Books About Children’s Art for TeachersCole, Natalie Robinson. Arts in the Classroom. John Day

Co., 1940.Herberholz, Barbara and Lee Hanson. Early Childhood Art.

Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1985.Schuman, Jo Miles. Art from Many Hands: Multicultural

Art Projects. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc.,1981.

Topal, Cathy Weisman. Children and Painting. Worcester,MA: Davis Publications, Inc., 1992.

Education Programs from the KentuckyCenter for the ArtsKentucky Center Express: A Transportation SubsidyProgram of the Kentucky Center for the Arts

The Kentucky Center Express program provides match-ing funds (up to 50%) for the cost of transporting studentsfrom Kentucky’s public and non-public schools to educa-tional arts activities and performances at the KentuckyCenter for the Arts and venues managed by the KCA, such asthe Louisville Gardens and the Macauley Theatre.

In 1994/95, the bus subsidy program served approxi-mately 13,000 students from 81 schools in Kentucky. Thesestudents traveled more than 23,000 miles on 310 schoolbuses to attend activities and performances at the KentuckyCenter and its venues. Information on this program ismailed annually to all Kentucky principals.

Arts Education Showcases (ARSC)The Arts Education Showcases are day-long events where

parents, educators, and administrators gain firsthandknowledge about arts education programs and resourcesavailable to their students. The showcase day consists of liveperformances and demonstrations by artists. Audiencemembers can also view exhibits by additional artists, muse-ums, and cultural institutions. The participating artists andinstitutions are required to audition for the program and, ifaccepted, may showcase at as many of the eight Kentuckylocations as they choose. The showcases are held in March ofeach year in Ashland, Bowling Green, Crestview Hills,Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro, Paducah, and Whitesburg.

More than 100 artists and cultural organizations partici-pated in the 1996 showcases across the Commonwealth.

Kentucky Institutes for Arts in Education (KIAE)A joint program of the Kentucky Center for the Arts,

Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University, andthe University of Louisville, the Kentucky Institutes for Artsin Education are two-week professional developmentseminars for teachers, school administrators, parents, andothers interested in promoting and implementing arts ineducation. The institutes are designed to involve participantsin “hands-on” experiences in creative writing, dance, drama,music, and visual art. The “students” explore their owncreative potential in the arts while designing arts educationcurricula for their classrooms. In addition to the valuableprofessional development opportunities, participants canreceive graduate credit from the partner universities. Theinstitutes typically take place in June of each year.

For information on Kentucky Center for the Arts educa-tion programs, call (502) 562-0151. The address for the KCAis 5 Riverfront Plaza, Louisville, KY 40202-2989.


Kentucky Arts Council: EducationGrants, Programs, and Resources

The Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Educa-tion, Arts, and Humanities Cabinet, makes matching grantsto schools and other nonprofit organizations that wish tosponsor arts residencies or performances in Kentucky.

Teacher Incentive Program (TIP) GrantsTIP grants support innovative one- or two-week residen-

cies designed by one or more teachers in collaboration with aprofessional artist to integrate the arts into the regularclassroom or to strengthen or enrich teaching in the arts.Application deadlines for December TIP grants are inOctober of the preceding year (for example, the deadline forDecember 1997 TIPs was October 15, 1996). Call the Ken-tucky Arts Council and request a TIP Grant application.

Artists-in-Residence (AIR) GrantsOutstanding professional artists conduct residencies in

Kentucky schools and communities to demonstrate their artforms and share their ideas, creativity, and talents. Inschools, emphasis is placed on involving students directly inthe process of making art and providing professional devel-opment for teachers. Residencies are available for 20 days, 12weeks, or nine months in all arts disciplines. An artist rosteravailable from the Kentucky Arts Council lists approvedartists in each discipline. The application deadline for thecoming school year is in January (for example, the deadlinefor the 1996/97 school year was January 22, 1996). Call theKentucky Arts Council for details.

Project GrantsProject grants support projects that demonstrate the

value of arts in education, such as performances, consulta-tions, model arts curriculum and assessment development,and summer institutes. The application deadline for projectsoccurring between July 1 and June 30 of the following year isin the spring (i.e., the deadline for projects between July 1,1996 and June 30, 1997 was March 30, 1996). Call the ArtsCouncil and request a project grant application.

Kentucky Craft Marketing Program Craft ResourcesThe Kentucky Craft Marketing Program, a division of the

Kentucky Arts Council, can provide numerous resourcesrelated to crafts in Kentucky. In addition to an extensivelisting of crafts people (many available for class demonstra-tions, lessons, etc.), the program staff can refer teachers tocraft organizations, events, exhibits, suppliers, publications,and more. Staff members will be happy to help teachers andothers locate sources appropriate to your special needs. In-school presentations or slide sets on craft marketing mayalso be available.

KAC Publications and HandbooksPublications include• An Artist in Our Midst (Artists-in-Residence Program

publication)

• A Guide to Arts and Cultural Education Programs andServices in Kentucky (a 1992 publication listing theeducation programs of 148 Kentucky organizationsstatewide), and

• The Blue Moon (the Kentucky Arts Council’s quarterlynewsletter).

For ideas on integrating craft education into the class-room, the Craft Marketing Program has a directory, Year ofAmerican Craft Education Resource Directory, available atthe address below. Additional information in specific artseducation program areas includes handbooks on long-rangeprogram planning, cultural resource planning, arts educa-tion advocacy information, and more.

For more information about Kentucky Arts Councilgrants, programs, and resources, contact the Kentucky ArtsCouncil, 31 Fountain Place, Frankfort, KY 40601-1942,phone (502) 564-3757, or the Crafts Marketing Program, 39Fountain Place, Frankfort, KY 40601-1942, phone (502)564-8076.

KET Arts Programming and RelatedProfessional Development Opportunitiesfor Elementary TeachersArts Programming for Children

Check the arts section of your current KET instructionalresources book for descriptions of arts programs for elemen-tary-age children and broadcast dates and times. A StarChannels Calendar with updates and changes is mailedmonthly to all Kentucky schools.

Sampling of KET Professional DevelopmentSeminars Available on Tape

Please note: Videotapes of past KET Star ChannelsProfessional Development Seminars, along with accompany-ing print materials, may be purchased from KET at areasonable cost. Call the professional development staff at(800) 432-0951 for more information or to place an order. Orcheck out our professional development catalog in theSchool Resources section of the KET World Wide Web site:

http://www.ket.org

Arts and Meeting KERA Goals(two 90-minute seminars, first aired live 1992)

In this two-part series, experienced teachers demonstratehow they translate core arts concepts and academic expecta-tions into integrated classroom projects and units. Seminar1 focuses on the concept of patterns; Seminar 2 exploresintegrating arts into the curriculum, developing thematicunits, and identifying arts resources in the community. (P–8)

Arts In and Across the Elementary Curriculum: ExtendingDifferent Ways of Knowing(six 90-minute seminars, first aired live 1996-97)

This six-part series shows how teachers can use thephilosophy and approach inherent in “Different Ways ofKnowing” to incorporate the arts into their classroom


instruction. Topics include dance, drama, visual arts, music,writing, and integrated arts.

Classroom Transformation Through DifferentWays of Knowing(six 90-minute seminars, first aired live 1995/96)

This series focuses on transforming the elementaryclassroom through the use of six DWoK curriculum moduleslinking curriculum and assessment through thematicinstruction. Seminar topics include the arts, writing, diverselearners, assessment, mathematics connections, and scienceconnections.

Education Reform the Dramatic Way(two 90-minute seminars, first aired live 1994)

This series shows how teachers can successfully incorpo-rate creative dramatics into their classrooms and howcreative dramatics can help students meet educational goals.Included are strategies for making literature and writingcome alive for students. (grades 4–8)

Museums, Schools, and Education Reform: CreatingClassroom Museums(one 90-minute seminar, first aired live 1996)

In Museums, Schools, and Education Reform, fourteams, each made up of a classroom teacher and a museumeducator, demonstrate how to incorporate museum re-sources into the curriculum and how students can createclassroom museums. The teams showcase their projects,describe the process involved, and provide ideas for otherclassroom museums.

National Standards in the Arts: Implications for Kentucky(one 90-minute seminar, first aired live 1994)

Four presenters from visual arts, dance, music, anddrama demonstrate how to apply the national arts standardsto classroom planning and instruction. (all levels)

Posters, Books, and Writing: Design forElementary Teachers(two 90-minute seminars, first aired live 1996)

Seminars 1 (“Posters”) and 2 (“Books”) take teachersthrough the design process so they will feel comfortableteaching it to their students. The series also explores howwriting can be integrated into the process of creating art andhow writing can inspire art and visa versa.

Up to Speed: Learning from Objects(two 90-minute seminars, first aired live 1995)

This series showcases the traveling exhibits and otherresources available to Kentucky teachers through the J.B.Speed Art Museum in Louisville and demonstrates how theseresources can be incorporated into the P–12 classroom.

The Galef Institute—KentuckyCollaborative for Elementary Learning

The Collaborative for Elementary Learning, based inLouisville, supports elementary schools in their implementa-tion of restructuring initiatives at the preschool, primary,and upper elementary levels. The school reform initiativeDifferent Ways of Knowing is the cornerstone of the work ofthe collaborative in supporting reforms in curriculum,instruction, and assessment to ensure learning success forevery child in the elementary schools of Kentucky.

The Galef Institute is a nonprofit educational organiza-tion whose primary goal is to work with educators in publicschools, schools of education, and other reform agencies toimprove student achievement and accelerate school reformby strengthening the teaching profession.

To achieve its goal, the Galef Institute has developed andsuccessfully field-tested Different Ways of Knowing, a whole-school change initiative for teachers and students in kinder-garten through grade 6. Different Ways of Knowing connectsprofessional development for teachers and administratorswith a content-rich interdisciplinary history and socialstudies curriculum that integrates literature, the arts,writing, reading, math, and science.

Different Ways of Knowing is a philosophy of educationwith positive expectations for all children, thematicallyintegrated instruction across disciplines, active studentparticipation, early intervention, teacher collaboration, andparental involvement. It supplies a powerful curriculumincluding planning guides for teachers; strategies forreaching at-risk populations; a library of culturally diverseliterature and reference books for every classroom; historicaldocuments, maps, videos, and related media; thematicallyintegrated math and science connections; and visual andperforming arts materials. Different Ways of Knowing alsoprovides teachers with a three-year course of study forprofessional growth, including annual summer institutes,seminars and workshops, in-class demonstrations andtechnical assistance, fellowships and leadership training, andteacher-to-teacher communications.

For more information about Different Ways of Knowing,contact:

Dr. Linda Hargan, Executive DirectorThe Galef Institute—Kentucky Collaborative for

Elementary LearningWatterson Tower, Suite 4031930 Bishop LaneLouisville, KY 40218Phone: (800) 825-8739Fax: (502) 451-7594

Check out KET’s Web site athttp://www.ket.org

for our Art On-Air Web pages and foradditional resources and materials related

to other KET arts programming for children.


Glossary of Art Termsabstract art: art works that stress the importance of theelements and principles of design rather than recognizablesubject matter. (Abstract artists select and then exaggerate orsimplify forms suggested by the world around them.) Asecond definition refers to works having no recognizablesubject matter.

accordion-fold: a technique for folding a long strip of paper,alternately in and out, applied to the construction of a hand-made book.

aesthetics: branch of philosophy dealing with the study ofbeauty. It involves elements of art and principles of design aswell as psychological, sociological, cultural, and historicalconcepts.

analysis: the critical examination of art works using ele-ments of art and principles of design.

animation: the study of movement; making something comealive or move (from anima, meaning life or soul).

appliqué: stitchery technique in which layers of cloth arestitched or glued to a background cloth to form a design.

appreciation: recognition of the inherent values of art formsresulting from historical, cultural, and aesthetic issues.

armature: the underlying structure of a sculpture.

art criticism: skill of studying, understanding, and judging awork of art (description, analysis, evaluation, and interpreta-tion).

assemblage: a significant sculptural form of the 20th centurythat uses a variety of materials—often in combination—including plastics and other synthetics, fabric, glass, foundobjects, metals, and even lights. Welding metal has becomean important construction technique for assemblages. Someof these sculptures also are kinetic art—an art form thatadds movement to the sculpture, using air currents, water,motors, or other devices to provide motion. Also referred toas construction.

asymmetrical balance: a way of organizing the parts of adesign so that one side differs from the other withoutdestroying the overall harmony. Also known as “informal”balance. The two sides are visually equal without beingidentical.

attribute: a characteristic or quality of a person or thing; anobject used in literature or art as a symbol for a person orthing.

author: the originator of the ideas in a written artwork; theoriginal writer of the words in a book.

awareness: consciousness; the act of “taking account” of anobject, a person, or the surroundings. Possible synonyms areseeing and cognition.

blocking in: sighting past a pencil or straight tool to clarifythe basic shape of an object.

book: a collection of thoughts, words, images, ideas, explana-tions, and/or a story; usually in small segments called pages.

calligraphy: the ancient art of hand-writing using one of themany styles of the alphabet.

characteristic: a distinguishing trait, feature, or quality.

collage: art work made of materials attached or glued to aflat surface; i.e., cut paper, photographs, string, fabric, etc.

color: a result of the reflection or absorption of light by asurface. The sensation of color is aroused in the brain byresponse of the eyes to different wavelengths of light. Coloris an element of art with three properties: hue, intensity, andvalue.

additive colors: colors made by using light rays. Theprimaries are red, blue, green, and sometimes violet.

subtractive colors: colors made by using pigments.Primaries are red, blue, and yellow.

color properties: As used in the subtractive system(pigment), color has three properties: hue, value, andintensity.

hue: refers to the name of the actual color (red,yellow, red-violet, etc.).

primary hues: red, yellow, blue—hues that cannotbe produced by a mixture of other hues but are usedto mix all other colors.

secondary hues: orange, green, violet—achieved bymixing two primary colors.

intermediate hues (tertiary): colors achieved bymixing a secondary and an adjacent primary. Theprimary color is always the first-named color of atertiary hue: red-orange, blue-green, etc.

value: lightness or darkness.

tint: a high-value color made by adding white.

shade: a low-value color made by adding black.


intensity: the purity (brightness or dullness) of acolor. Intensity may be controlled by manipulating asurface. For example, smoothing a surface shouldbrighten it, while roughing a surface should dull it.Intensity may also be controlled by the mixing ofcolors. It may be changed by diluting a color, addingwhite or black, or adding other hues. Each hue isinherently more intense at a particular place on thevalue and hue scales. For example, yellow is purewhen at a high level on the value scale. Blue, bycontrast, is usually pure when at a lower level onthe value scale. A hue may also have its intensitychanged by the addition of another hue such as itscomplement. For example, yellow may be dulled bythe addition of its complement, violet.

color relationships: groupings of colors that havecertain likenesses or differences (schemes or families).

monochromatic: consisting of variations of a singlehue and using black and white.

complementary: any two colors that are oppositeeach other on the color wheel. When mixed, theywill tend to subdue the intensities and produce agrayed hue. When placed side by side, they produceoptical vibrations.

analogous: colors closely related, neighbors on thecolor wheel (i.e., yellow, yellow-orange, and orange)with no more than a 1/3 ratio of the color wheel.

triadic: three colors equidistant from one anotheron the color wheel, forming an equilateral triangle;e.g., red, yellow, and blue; orange, green, and violet;and red-orange, yellow-green, and blue-violet.

cool: family of related colors ranging from thegreens through the blues and violets. Usuallyassociated with water, the sky, and foliage. Theyappear to recede in space.

warm: family of related colors ranging from the redsthrough the oranges and yellows. Usually associatedwith fire, the sun, and the earth. They appear toadvance in space.

color wheel: primary, secondary, and intermediate (tertiary)colors as they appear on a circular or hexagonal chart.

composition: the ordered arrangement of elements (colors,shapes, lines, etc.) in a work of art, usually according to theprinciples of design.

construction: See assemblage.

contour: a continuous line that follows the edge of a form.

creativity: the ability to find new solutions to a problem ornew modes of expression; the bringing into existence ofsomething new to the individual.

critique: to analyze and evaluate the quality of an art work.

crosshatching: a series of intersecting sets of parallel linesused to indicate shading or volume in a drawing.

demonstration: a descriptive example to benefit others ofhow an experienced art student follows a process.

design: the organization, plan, or composition of a work ofart. An effective design is one in which elements and prin-ciples have been combined to achieve an overall sense ofunity. May also be used as a verb.

dot: a single point in space.

edge: in drawing, the place where two things meet, denotedby a change in value, texture, etc. A realistic effect is pursuedby less emphasis on an outline and more on edges.

elements of art: the basic components of visual communica-tion. They include line, space, shape, form, texture, value,and color (definitions may be found by alphabetical listing).

focal point: that area at which the emphasis is greatest(center of interest).

folk art: art that originates among the common people, whotransmit the artistic culture of their group through succeed-ing generations.

foreshortening: a perspective technique in which parts of aform or object are contracted to make them look fartheraway, creating the illusion of spatial depth.

form: an element of design that is three-dimensional andencloses volume.

frame: a single image in a strip of movie film; a singlepicture in a series of related pictures.

free-form: invented or improvised form.

function: a special duty or performance required in thecourse of work or activity.

geometric shapes/forms: mechanical shapes or forms suchas squares, triangles, circles, spirals, pyramids, and cubes.

gesture: that which captures the essence of an imagewithout detail—usually quick and spontaneous.

illustrator: a person who does visual artwork (pictures,drawings, paintings, etc.) for books or other printed media.


contrast: a principle of design that refers to the differ-ences in values, colors, textures, and other elements toachieve emphasis and/or a center of interest. Contrast-ing patterns or colors add excitement, drama, andinterest to the picture.

emphasis: concerned with dominance. The developmentof a main idea or focal point. Subordination is alsonecessary to achieve emphasis.

movement: the arrangement of the parts of a design tocreate a sense of motion by using lines, shapes, colors,and patterns that cause the eye to move over the work.

pattern: the repetition of shapes, lines, colors, etc. in adesign. The pattern can also be a model or mold de-signed to be copied.

proportion: the relationships of height, width, and depthto the whole. In determining proportions, it is necessaryto see an image or shape in relationship to its surround-ings or how it relates in scale. Proportions may bedistorted to heighten the visual effect or emotionalquality the artist is attempting to achieve.

rhythm: implies visual movement of the eye through adesign, creating a sense of tempo or beat. It may beachieved through planned arrangements of shapes,colors, textures, and lines.

subordination: the opposite of emphasis. While empha-sis provides the view with a focal point in a composition,subordination moves the eye away to less dominantareas. (See emphasis.)

transition/gradation: refers to a series of gradual designchanges in the combination of elements of art. Unlikecontrast, which stresses sudden changes in elements,gradation refers to a step-by-step change. Gradualchanges from dark to light values or from large to smallshapes are examples.

unity/harmony: the quality that is achieved when the artelements and principles of design function together inan integrated way, each supporting the other.

variety: refers to the combination of art elements ininvolved ways to achieve intricate and complex relation-ships. Variety is often obtained through the use ofdiversity and change by artists who wish to increase thevisual interest of their work. Themes can be enhanced byvariation.

pushing: exaggerating an effect (value, texture, etc.) toclarify the image.

realism: picturing people and things as it is thought theyreally are.

improvisation: creating something on the spur of themoment, without any preparation.

interpretation: the understanding of works of art and theirstyles in relation to their cultural, historical, and aestheticcontexts.

kinestasis: the study of how motion is represented.

line: An identifiable path of a point moving in space. Linesmay vary in character, width, direction, and length. A linemay define contour.

magic lantern: an old-fashioned term for a slide projector.

medium: a material used by an artist to produce art (paint,charcoal, or clay, for example). Also, in paint, the vehicle thatcarries pigments is a medium.

mixed-media: the use of more than one material in an artwork.

naturalism: a faithful adherence to nature; realism.

negative space: the area around images in a two- or three-dimensional form which defines those objects.

neutral colors: black, white, grays, and browns. Colors maybe “neutralized” by mixing complements.

organic shapes: the opposite of mechanical or geometricshapes. Free-form, or derived from nature.

persistence of vision: the tendency of the human retina toretain an image for a brief time after the physical object hasdisappeared. This phenomenon is what allows filmmakersand animators to create the illusion of smooth movement.

phenaskistoscope: the earliest animation device, consistingof a wheel of images that is spun like a top to make it appearthe images are moving.

phi phenomenon: the psychological tendency to see twoimages close together as related.

positive space: the primary images in a work of art, asopposed to the background or unoccupied space.

principles of design: concepts for organizing elements of artinto successful two- and three-dimensional art forms. Noneof these is absolute, but all serve as general guidelines.

balance: the arrangement of the parts of an art work tocreate a sense of equilibrium. The weight or size ofobjects, their placement, and colors are all balanced in awork of art.


realistic art: the objective depiction of objects, forms, andfigures attentively perceived. Also called naturalism andbelievability.

representational: using identifiable subject matter.

script: the unique set of alphabet letters characteristic of aparticular country and/or time (for example, Roman, Celtic,and Italic).

shape: an element of art. It is an enclosed space defined anddetermined by other art elements such as line, color, value,and texture. Shape can be divided into two basic classes:geometric (square, triangle, circle) and organic.

sighting: in drawing, measuring relative sizes by means of aconstant measure (the pencil held at arm’s length is themost usual measuring device); determining relative points ofan object compared to the same section of the drawing.

sketch: a simple, rough drawing or design, done rapidly andwithout much detail.

space: the area in which a two- or three-dimensional artwork is composed. (See positive space and negative space.)

storyboard: the sequential planning of a story or film;experimenting with a variety of layouts, actions, perspec-tives, etc.

stroboscopic: light going on and off.

symmetrical: a way of organizing the parts of a design sothat each side equals the other. Also called formal balance.

technique: the method of procedure (with reference topractical or formal details), or way of using basic skills, inrendering an artistic work.

tessellation: a pattern of one or more shapes that completelycovers a plane without any gaps or overlaps.

texture: an element of art which refers to surface quality (itssmoothness, roughness, softness). Textures are actual orsimulated. Actual textures can be felt. Simulated textures aresuggested or implied.

thanumatrope: a flat disk with pictures on either side. Whensuspended with string and spun, it creates the illusion ofmovement.

value: the degree of lightness or darkness, as compared towhite or black. (See color properties—value.)

versal: the capital letter, usually large and often decorated,that begins a word (or the full number of letters in the firstword in a sentence). Versals are often stylized Roman capitalletters.

zoetrope: an animation device employing paper strips ofpictures to create the illusion of movement.

Glossary of Terms Related to“Tessellations”

acute angle: an angle that measures less than 90°.

congruent angles: angles that have the same measure.

equiangular triangle: a triangle with all three angles congru-ent (of equal measure).

equilateral triangle: a triangle with all three sides congruent(of equal length).

glide reflection: a transformation that moves a figure in aslide and mirrors it.

hexagon: a polygon with six sides.

interior (stamp) details: within the exterior line of the shapeused for the stamp; the lines and pattern that create anartistic image.

line of reflection: a line in a plane that lies equidistant fromany two corresponding opposite points in a figure that hasreflective symmetry; also called mirror line.

modified square: the original polygon (square) that has beenchanged according to geometric rules in order to tessellate.

mosaic: synonym for tessellation or tiling.

obtuse angle: an angle that measures more than 90° but lessthan 180°.

octagon: a polygon with eight sides.

paper template: the cut-out tracing form of a tessellatingshape used to construct the stamp.

parallelogram: a quadrilateral whose opposite sides arecongruent and parallel.

pentagon: a polygon with five sides.

perpendicular lines: lines that meet at right angles in aplane.

plane (surface): a two-dimensional, flat surface that isinfinite.

polygon: a simple closed shape, bounded by line segments.

print registration: lining up the stamped image according tothe grid guidelines and shape.


Maude AlexanderArtist/EducatorLouisville, KY

John BenjaminDirector of Arts Education

ProgramsKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Cynthia CookeArtist-in-ResidenceKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Thomas FreeseArtist-in-ResidenceKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Rebecca GallionArtist-in-ResidenceKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Ruben MorenoArtist-in-ResidenceKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Alice NoelArtist-in-ResidenceKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Arthur PattersonArts ConsultantKentucky Department of

EducationFrankfort, KY

Rex RobinsonArtist-in-ResidenceKentucky Arts CouncilFrankfort, KY

Catherine RubinArts Education ConsultantCollaborative for Elementary

LearningLouisville, KY

Debbie ShannonDirector of Education

ProgramsKentucky Center for the ArtsLouisville, KY

KET Staff

Darlene CarlOffice ManagerProfessional Development

Nancy CarpenterDirectorArts and Cultural

Programming

Barbara CliftonManagerPublications

Martha ChuteGraphic Designer

John DawahareGraphic Designer

Mary DuncanWriterProfessional Development

Chela KaplanInternet CoordinatorEducation

Marianne MosleyPublicistProfessional Development

Lynda ThomasEvaluationProfessional Development

AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council for funding

and supporting the Art On-Air project. And thanks to thefollowing individuals for their contributions to this guide.

quadrilateral: a polygon with four sides.

rectangle: a quadrilateral that contains four right angles.

reflection (in a plane): a transformation that mirrors afigure in a plane.

regular polygon: a polygon with all its sides congruent andall its angles congruent.

rhombus: an equilateral quadrilateral.

rotation (in a plane): a transformation that turns a figureabout a point in a plane.

scalene triangle: a triangle with sides of three differentlengths.

tessellation (plane): a covering of a plane, without any gapsor overlaps, by a pattern of one or more congruent shapes.

tessellation (space): a filling of space, without any gaps oroverlaps, by a pattern of one or more three-dimensionalshapes.

tiling: synonym for tessellation or mosaic.

transformation: in this book, a movement of a figure to anew location, leaving the figure unchanged in size andshape.

translation: a transformation involving a slide of a rigidfigure without rotation.

translational symmetry: characteristic of a figure thatcoincides with itself after an appropriate translation or slide.

trapezoid: a quadrilateral with exactly two parallel sides.

vertex (of a polygon): the point of intersection of any twoadjacent sides of the polygon.

vertex (of an angle): the point of intersection of the two raysthat form the angle.

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