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Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art? | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios

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I Could Do That | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

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The Art Career Project wants you to be successful doing what you love. Explore hundreds of career profiles and learn more about what it takes to build long-term careers within today's top creative industries.

Search Careers by Industry

Art is a broad field with a wide array of disciplines, ranging from painting to music, performing arts to industrial design. Here, prospective artists can explore a list of distinct career paths within various categories of art to find the information they need to get started on the right foot. Designers, performers, fine artists, and musicians alike can search for options that help them unlock their creativity.

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The Art Career Project wants you to be successful doing what you love. Explore hundreds of career profiles and learn more about what it takes to build long-term careers within today's top creative industries. Art is a broad field with a wide array of disciplines, ranging from painting to music, performing arts to industrial design.

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Here are ten simple ways that parents can get more art into their kids' lives.

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Here are ten simple ways that parents can get more art into their kids' lives.

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10 Simple Ways is also available as a PDF

1. Participate

Sing, play music, read a book, dance, or draw with your child at home.

2. Support

Encourage your child to participate in creative outlets and celebrate their participation in arts activities both in their school and the community.

3. Go Read

Visit your local library and read "the classics" together-from Mother Goose to Walt Whitman.

4. Speak Up

Attend a school board or PTA meeting and voice your support for adequately funded arts education programs as part of the school's budget. Brush up on the facts about arts education beforehand.

5. Take The Lead

Tell your child's teacher or principal about how vital the arts are to quality education. Ask them what they need and how you can help!

6. Think Local

Read your local newspaper or community website to find out about local cultural events for you and your child to enjoy.

7. Volunteer

Donate time, supplies, or other resources to your child's school or a local arts organization's education programs.

8. Join The Cause

Join our Cause campaign called " Keep the Arts in Public Schools." It's free!

9. Be An Advocate

Show your support for arts education by speaking with education leaders and decision makers. For ways to take action, visit Americans for the Arts' website.

10. Stay Informed

Keep up to date on the latest arts education news by subscribing to the RSS Feed on ARTSblog.

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10 Simple Ways is also available as a PDF 1. Participate Sing, play music, read a book, dance, or draw with your child at home. 2. Support Encourage your child to participate in creative outlets and celebrate their participation in arts activities both in their school and the community. 3.

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Visualize a World Where Support for the Arts Abounds...Take Action!

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Implementation of The Good Project Lesson Plans

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Christoph Niemann: You are fluent in this language (and don't even know it)

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Without realizing it, we're fluent in the language of pictures, says illustrator Christoph Niemann. In a charming talk packed with witty, whimsical drawings, Niemann takes us on a hilarious visual tour that shows how artists tap into our emotions and minds -- all without words.

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Are you thinking about what to do the first week of school to quickly get art up in the hallways? Do you need a way to get students creating but still have them practice classroom procedures? You can easily meet both of these goals during the first week of school by creating an art advocacy display.

Check out these 3 ways to create an art advocacy display with your students the first week of school!

1. "Art Is..." Post-it Notes

While Post-it notes are an essential office supply, they are also great for art projects. In this activity, your students will get to practice the routines and procedures for being dismissed from their tables, lining up, and being in the hallway while others are learning.
Materials

A variety of colorful Post-it notes

Pencils

Sharpies

Markers

Procedures

Start with a short discussion about why your students think art is important. This helps get students into the right mindset for this project.

Tell students they are going to write a response to the prompt, "Art is..."

Let students grab a sticky note and write their response on it.

Have students hang their notes in the area you've designated for display. Make sure you've included an "Art is..." sign, so viewers understand what they're viewing. Hanging the notes right away ensures they will be sticky. If you stick them all together with plans to hang them later, you might be disappointed with the adhesive.

Have students spend a few minutes reading their classmates' responses.

For the highest impact, have students arrange their notes in a large square or rectangle. Use a variety of bright colors to catch people's attention!

2. Advocacy Posters

Posters are a great way to get attention and share information. Students can use a variety of materials in the classroom to create their own posters communicating the importance of art. Students could work individually or in pairs.

This activity will also allow your students to practice your routines for gathering and putting away various supplies.
Materials Procedures

Start with a class discussion about why art is important. Try a few essential questions like, "How does art benefit society?" and, "Why is art important to you?"

Once you have discussed the importance of art, tell students they will be creating an informational poster to share with others. Tell students to get creative and list at least three to five reasons why art is important through images and text.

Give students their paper. You can let students work individually or pair them up.

Make sure to have students practice how to get and return supplies according to your classroom procedures.

At the end of class, collect the posters. Display them around the school or all together in a large collaborative display.

3. Group Banner

If you want to practice collaboration, have your students create banners to place in areas with large wall space around your school.
Materials

Sketch paper

Butcher/roll paper (your desired length)

Markers

Crayons

Colored pencils

Sharpies

Tempera/acrylic paint

Procedures

Before you begin, make sure students have a basic understanding of working with classroom supplies. Make sure they know how to get the supplies as well as put them back. Cleanup will be a great time to re-teach if needed.

Have students talk to their table groups about why art is important to them and the world. You can give them a piece of sketch paper to write down their responses.

Tell students they are going to work together to create a banner to share the importance of art.

Let students work together to create with drawing and/or painting supplies. They can choose which supplies they want from the options you give them.

Have students hang their banners in the school.

Each of these activities promotes art advocacy and allows students to take part in sharing their personal views toward art education. This is a great way to spark conversations in school, bring awareness to your art program, and advocate for art overall.
How do you use art lessons to promote art advocacy? What is your favorite lesson for the first week of school?

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3 Ways to Create an Art Advocacy Display the First Week of School - The Art of Ed

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Are you thinking about what to do the first week of school to quickly get art up in the hallways? Do you need a way to get students creating but still have them practice classroom procedures? You can easily meet both of these goals during the first week of school by creating an art advocacy display.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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A nifty tool kit for developing an advocacy plan

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A nifty tool kit for developing an advocacy plan

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http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen/resources/artseducationadvocacytoolkit.pdf

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Ohio Department of Education art content standards copy

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As art teachers, we all understand the importance of the arts. We appreciate that the arts allow our students to express themselves, to gain an appreciation for the wider world, to think outside the box, and to communicate in new ways.

However, we also know not everyone thinks the way we do. So it's vital for us to make our school leaders, school board members, legislators, and community members aware of the benefits of an arts education. And not just in relation to bringing up the scores of other subjects. We must make people see art for art's sake is also important. Art truly benefits the whole child, and it should be accessible to all.

If you're looking for advocacy ideas, check out the list below!

4 Ways You Can Advocate for the Arts

1. Get art into your local community.

Sharing your students' work is a great way to highlight the role art plays in your student's lives. An art display helps stakeholders visualize what you are doing and the impact it has on students. It helps them directly see the type of work and thinking they're supporting. Adding a brief write up of what the students are learning as well as a few process photographs to your display will give viewers a more holistic understanding of arts education.

Arlene Shelton, an 8th and 9th-grade secondary art teacher in Aledo, TX, told me she advocates for the arts in many ways including displaying work on her campus, in her district, in her community, and on social media. I loved when she said, "The results of a solid arts advocacy program in a school district include increased student pride, a deeper understanding of the powerful impact arts education has on students and communities, and ultimately, increased value of the creative process for our students."

Personally, I had a cool opportunity to partner with a local restaurant. The restaurant provided a canvas, paint, and brushes. After students created work, the work was displayed in the restaurant and put up for sale.

Once the painting was purchased, my school received the proceeds. Check around in your community to see what partnerships might be available! Hospitals, coffee shops, and local businesses are all great places to check out! Don't forget to have a chat with your admin or PTA before you begin to make clear you'd like the proceeds to directly benefit your art program.

2. Highlight your students' art within the school.

Displaying student work within your school and hosting art shows are great ways to advocate for your arts program on campus. When you host events, don't forget to invite the local media and your school districts' communication department. Or, write up a blurb and submit it yourself!

Highlighting student work not only lets your coworkers and parents see what your students are making, but it gives your students a chance to shine! Taking every opportunity to get your students' work out there is a great way to show the validity of your art program. Don't forget to write up a description of the projects, including the standards, vocabulary, and techniques students learned. These signs will help educate viewers.

Erin Rowe, an elementary art teacher from Plano, TX, not only suggests displaying art within the school but also says you should take art outside of the school walls through channels such as school newsletters, social media pages, and digital portfolios. She told me, "It is important to advocate for your art program to let parents, teachers, and the school community know what type of art is being made, that the kiln is being fired up, and what materials may be needed for donations."

3. Be aware of legislative polices.

The legislature makes many decisions that revolve around education and may greatly impact support for art education. While No Child Left Behind contained language about art being a core subject, the Every Student Succeeds Act, passed in 2015, has named art and music as topics beneficial to a "well-rounded education."

This language has allowed for the state and local legislatures to make decisions on new funding opportunities for the arts. The Every Student Succeeds Act is written in a way that makes it possible for Title 1 funds to be used for art education. Title I schools are in great need of arts education for their students, and this is a great way to ensure funding for their art programs.

Art is also eligible to get funds under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and the 21st Century Community Learning Center Funding when applied for by state government agencies. While many may not know about these funding opportunities, it is one important reason to stay in the know when it comes to legislative policies and why, as citizens and art teachers, we need to stay informed.

Clyde Gaw, a high school art teacher in New Palestine, Indiana, agrees that funding for the arts is essential. I loved when he told me, "Providing the very best learning conditions so children's cognitive capacities can be expanded through multi-sensory, hands-on learning experiences, and providing opportunities for democratic education through artistic self-expression are the two most important reasons to advocate for the visual arts."

4. Reach out to your representatives and stakeholders.

Making your voice heard is imperative to advocate for the arts. Reaching out to your local city and state officials about the importance of art in schools is a great way to start. To do this, check out The United States House of Representatives website to locate your local and state officials. Click the representative you would like to get in touch with to get his or her contact information.

Writing an email is a good start, but making a phone call is even better. Let your representatives know where you stand when it comes to your views and supporting the arts. If your district is low on funding for the arts, check with them to see if your state government agencies have applied for the funding eligible under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Don't forget to encourage your peers to reach out as well. There is power in numbers!

If you're looking for some talking points, Clyde Gaw shared some thoughts on his blog in a post titled, "What Do Children's Art Classes in School Have to Do with Civic Engagement and Voter Turnout," that would work well. One of my favorite parts said, "The art classroom is that place in school where children develop a critical eye, a critical mind, where visual literacy is emphasized, and where the refinement of the imagination is practiced daily. We need more art education in our schools, not less. I ask you to please stay informed. Remain active as a citizen-advocate. Your voice to elected officials is essential to protect those educational programs that make our schools special."

Here are 5 more resources to help empower you to learn more about advocating for the arts.
How do you advocate for the arts? Why do you believe it is important to be an art advocate?

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4 Effective Ways that You Can Advocate for the Arts - The Art of Ed

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As art teachers, we all understand the importance of the arts. We appreciate that the arts allow our students to express themselves, to gain an appreciation for the wider world, to think outside the box, and to communicate in new ways. However, we also know not everyone thinks the way we do.

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Tracy Chevalier: Finding the story inside the painting

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When Tracy Chevalier looks at paintings, she imagines the stories behind them: How did the painter meet his model? What would explain that look in her eye? Why is that man ... blushing? She shares three stories inspired by portraits, including the one that led to her best-selling novel "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

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The Visual Arts_ So much MORE than what you see... e-Flyer

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SchoolArts Magazine (@schoolarts_magazine) * Instagram photos and videos

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2,696 Followers, 956 Following, 403 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from SchoolArts Magazine (@schoolarts_magazine)