National Culture Secretary

Posted on 19. Jan, 2009 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, In The News

A ground swell of excitement for the inauguration of a young hip new president brings a push for the appointment of a cabinet level secretary of the arts. Renowned music producer Quincy Jones has personally advocated for a national culture secretary for the past ten years. Last year an online petition was even started by New York musicians Jamie Austria and Peter Weitzner to grow support for Jones’ idea. 

Today’s article - Quincy Jones urges national culture secretary to Cabinet - published by The Washington Times sites how the arts not only allows children to express themselves, but also creates new jobs and strong growth.

The Inauguration Through Portraiture

Posted on 16. Jan, 2009 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, In The News

I have been searching for a way to honor the Presidential Inauguration through art. Today I found a YouTube video via Free Technology For Teachers that I think it captures exactly what I was looking for. This video is a cronological portrature documentation of all 44 presidents and is a great way to discuss portraiture in American history. Fun fact: Barack Obama is the first president to have his official presidential portrait taken using a digital camera.

(If you can’t access YouTube from your school, try some of the bypass solutions suggested in an earlier post.) You may also find an earlier post: American Revolution Portraitist useful in your discussion.

Art Teacher’s Best of 2008

Posted on 25. Dec, 2008 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Educators in Art, In The News, Tech Stuff

It’s that time of year when the “who’s who” of the blogosphere name their top picks for everything from TV shows to bikini-clad super models. So what does that mean for the art education world?

Well, we have our own “Best of 2008” list according to The Art Teacher’s Guide To The Internet authored by Craig Roland.

Craig’s Best of 2008 list for art educators includes: Ed.Voicethread as Best New Web Tool for Education; Jason Polan as Best New Drawing Blog; Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson as Best New Art Resource; The Teaching Palette as Best New Art Teachers Blog; and many others.  Check out Craig’s full Best of 2008 list.

We are extremely honored to be part of Craig’s Best of 2008 list.  Coming from a veteran art educator, author and tech guru, that means a lot to us.  Thanks, Craig!

National Arts Education Public Service Awareness

Posted on 30. Sep, 2008 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, In The News, Neat Video

Back in May 2008, the Advertising Council joined Americans for the Arts and the NAMM Foundation to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to promote the benefits of arts education.  The 30 second commercial was one of the ads.

If you need to quickly impress parents with stats and facts about the benefits of arts education, check out the campaign website.  As it states, kids need a daily serving of the arts just like they need a well-balanced nutritional diet.  Unfortunately, most kids don’t get enough art – in or out of school.  Be sure to visit the site as it also features a number of resources, activities, case studies and a nice list of 10 simple ways parents can get more art in their kids’ lives.

The Arts:

  • Improve kids’ overall academic performance.
  • Show that kids actively engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.
  • Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more.
  • Teach kids to be more tolerant and open.
  • Allow kids to express themselves creatively and bolster their self-confidence.
  • Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.

« Newer Entries