CyberBee
Art Renaissance
By Linda C. Joseph • Columbus Public Schools
• Library of Congress
Transform your classroom into a virtual art studio and museum.
Have students create their masterpieces with free online
drawing, painting, and sculpting tools. Then, invite
parents to the school gallery where they can view their
children's artwork. The following Web sites are fantastic
starting points for introducing students to the world
of artistic design.
The Alphabet of Art
Learn about the elements of visual design and "read" works
of visual art to understand these concepts and why
they work the way they do. Examples are included to
illustrate and define composition, shape, value, texture,
and color. This site is for the more sophisticated
high school art student.
Art Interactive
Examine four different sculptures to discover how
modern artists use different methods and materials
to convey ideas. These examples of figurative, biomorphism,
found object, and geometric sculpture are located at
the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington,
D.C. After studying these interesting techniques of
modern artists, create your own sculpture using the
interactive flash tool to see how it would be displayed
in a museum. This is a very cool feature.
Art Kids Rule
View a scene through the camera's viewfinder and
take a virtual picture. This interactive site gives
you access to exposure, shutter speed, and lens aperture
controls. Or, set the camera to auto mode and see how
the camera sets the exposure. Click on the expose button.
The picture will be processed and displayed on the
page in another browser window. Compare your photo
with the original image. A link to World Images: The
world as seen through the lens of a camera allows the
students to browse hundreds of photographed art objects
and images from all over the world.
Art Safari: An Adventure in Looking, for Children
and Adults
Choose an artwork. Look for clues to determine what
is happening in the image. A series of guiding questions
will help you each step of the way. Use your imagination
and write a story about what you see. When you have
completed your safari, craft your own masterpiece of
animals on the computer using the interactive Java
applet. Print your picture and view the works of children
and adults from around the world in the create view.
Explore the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collections.
These Guides for Looking will lead the observer in
exploring interesting questions around the work of
art. This is a great site for encouraging students
to think critically about visual arts.
Artists Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
Discover the tools of the trade such as line, color,
and balance to build works of art. As you explore the
toolkit, you can watch as art is created, find the
same elements in other works of art, and design your
own work using an interactive palette along with the
elements and principles that were demonstrated. Videos
show artists in action and the processes they use for
producing art. Rounding out the site is an encyclopedia
that includes definitions and visual demonstrations
of the artistic concepts.
Etch A Sketch Online
See how Etch A Sketch becomes an art form. Some amazing
Etch A Sketch art is displayed with information on
each of the artists. Browse the gallery to see portraits
of famous faces, landscapes, animals, and sports. Then
try your hand at making a picture using the online
Etch A Sketch tool by following 10 tips and tricks
to a successful piece of artwork.
Eyes on Art
This Learning to Look curriculum is designed for
teachers to help students appreciate art through a
series of engaging activities. Begin with You Choose
and select from a variety of famous artists' works
to hang in your own museum. Once you have made your
selections, explain what you believe is good art. Then,
click on "Make My Museum" and a gallery of your favorites
is displayed. The thinker image database provides information
about each painting. In ArtSpeak, 101 questions are
posed that cause the observer to think about what techniques
artists have used in their paintings. Double Vision
provides activities on comparing and contrasting design
elements of art. Art works are compared with responses
written online. No Fear o' Eras helps the viewer discover
features, aspects, traits, or characteristics that
make up the style of a particular artistic era. Your
True View allows you to be an art critic by examining
works of art on the Web that have not been "certified
masterpieces." How would you interpret the quality
of the art? The Eyes on Art Quiz presents the eyes
of 10 artists' works. Your challenge is to match them
to a famous artist. In addition to all of the great
activities for students, there is a teacher's guide
with visual art standards, rationale for the lessons,
and a review of literature.
Henri Rousseau: An Interactive Story
Find the name of Rousseau's style of art and the
famous artist who was influenced by it.
Enjoy an animated story that explores the style and
technique of Henri Rousseau. By looking at the methods
he employed, students will gain insight into his paintings
and a better understanding of the art of that era.
The interactive story also provides information about
Rousseau and other contemporary artists along with
their paintings. Magnify areas of the paintings with
the click of a mouse for a close-up view. Guiding questions
aid in the investigation.
Long Island Children's Museum
Visit the Long Island Children's Museum for hands-on
fun. Go around the point in KaleiDraw to create a kaleidoscope.
Borderliner makes patterns that can go on forever.
Create your favorite wall pattern in wAllovers and
design your own quilt pattern in QuiltMaker. Kids will
love this site.
Mr. Picasso Head
Create a Picasso painting using shapes, paints, lines,
and design. This interactive painting tool allows the
artist to create and then post in the Picasso gallery
with other Picasso-like artists. You may also print
a paper copy of your work.
NGAKids Art Zone
Children of all ages can produce interesting color
patterns with the collage machine. Select from a variety
of objects, then flip, turn, adjust transparency, modify
the size, and change the arrangement. Want a new design?
Simply erase and begin all over again. Creations may
be saved and printed. Instructions for creating paper
collages are also provided. After completing this activity,
try your hand or brush using PixelFace to draw portraits
and other designs. The children's brochure describing
the life and art of Romare Bearden ties all of the
activities together. Finally, join Lizzy as she takes
a walk through the sculpture garden. Help her make
the sculptures come to life.
Totally Tessellated
Five tessellated works of art greet the viewer before
he or she enters a site that delves into the world
of tessellations. Discover what tessellations are and
the role they have had in history and cultures of the
world. Simple tessellations are explored with illustrations
of how they can be modified to create new and different
ones. Read a short biography of MC Escher and learn
how to create your own tessellations with the templates
provided.
Van Gogh's Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the Van
Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Learn about the different artistic periods of Van
Gogh's life through paintings and audio commentary.
Descriptions of the art and full screen images depict
the style, color, and technique of the artist. Travel
virtually through a 3-D museum and see the magnificent
works of this great artist.
As you expose your students to art through virtual
museum visits, you can feel gratified that you are
developing individuals with an appreciation for creativity,
artistic style, and interest in the arts that will
last a lifetime. By constructing a gallery of art in
your classroom, your budding artists will be even more
connected to the artists they study.
Be sure to visit the MultiMedia & Internet@Schools home
page [http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools] with active
links to all of the Web sites mentioned in this article.
Then fly over to CyberBee [http://www.cyberbee.com] for more curriculum ideas, research tools, and activities
to use with your students and staff.
Linda Joseph is the author of Net Curriculum: An Educator's Guide
to Using the Internet, published by CyberAge Books. The recipient of numerous
awards, in addition to her work in the Columbus Public Schools and the Library
of Congress, Linda is a part-time instructor for Ohio State University. Communications
to the author may be addressed to her at Columbus Public Schools, 737 East Hudson
Street, Columbus, OH 43211; 614/365-5277; ljoseph@iwaynet.net.
|
