Art Advocacy Fab Five for February 4-8!

Long winter days need some special events built in to move them along.  These ideas lend themselves perfectly to classroom curriculum, build the concept of teamwork and planning, and can become great advocacy PR pieces for the local newspaper.  The old saying "You have to be a hero in your community first" is so true in art advocacy!

1
Valentine's Day excitement have you feeling blue rather than red?  Create a school-wide UNITY event based on the work of Jim Dine and his Hearts series in multiple media for K-5. Tie right in with PE, as may schools celebrate Heart Month with different event challenges.  Dovetail with classroom teachers talking about the need for good nutrition and organize a healthy snack day for all.  Need ideas? Check out Pinterest under Jim Dine (click here) to find some exciting lessons. Here are direct links to a couple of heart project ideas at There's a Dragon in my Art Room: click here and here.

 2 
Hungry for more?  Older students (grades 6-12) can do the Empty Bowls project and join forces with community food banks in raising money.  Tie in a nutrition study with Family and Consumer Science classes and have local grocery stores donate dried soup ingredients to package up in Ziploc Bags to be auctioned off with bowls (if you cannot do the actual meal event).  To find more info, click here.
3
Partner with neighboring school district and set up a traveling art show - 5 to 6 pieces that move from school to school.  Great way to collaborate for the arts, and showcase not only your own students, but also those in your area.
4
Using the food theme, combined with a study of Andy Warhol, do a community service canned soup food drive.  Use Warhol's Soup Can series and the theme "You CAN make a difference", plus a sculptural installation of the donations (in a safe area, of course), plus recognition for those who contribute, and help stock up the local food pantry at a time of the year when things may be scarce.  Involve your Art Club, Honor Society, Student Council, or K-Kids (Kiwanis organization for younger students).
5
Budget time, for many, is getting close.  Schedule a time slot at the next Board of Education meeting and share with them the interdisciplinary value of art, and how you are preparing students with valuable 21st century skills.  Bring students along with examples of their work, and invite all of your parents who supported the program!

Art Advocacy Fab Five - January 28 - February 1

2019 is one month old!  Here are some ways to liven up February as we move closer to Youth Art Month.  Many high schools have a Senior Night/Spirit Week during this time, and there are some GREAT ideas here guaranteed to energize the celebrations!

1
Do a Stop, Drop & Draw - everyone in the school - for 15 minutes.  Then have entire school (and staff) display their work!
2
Hold a 'So You Think You Can Draw' challenge - do this by grade level/class challenge/faculty and staff challenge.
3
Invite local artists to YAM openings.  Make them honorary chairpersons.  Line these folks up now!
4
If your community has an electronic billboard for community events, see if they can scan in a piece of student work to promote YAM as it approaches, or to promote one of the school-wide events listed here.
5
Create a famous cut-out of a work of art (ex: The Scream or Mona Lisa).  Have photos taken of kids  for $1, and donate proceeds to a local charity.  Be sure the cut-out has the YAM logo on it!  Or create a large scale cut-out of your school mascot to try this at sporting events!  Better yet, bring it out into the community!

Second semester is starting!  Plan now how you will be celebrating Make Art Monday and involve students in the brainstorming!

Art Advocacy 'Fab Four' - January 22-25, 2019

It's a short week (and even shorter because I'm posting this a day late), but anyhow, here's 4 great ideas that, if you want, you can use to move you closer to Youth Art Month!

1
Create a virtual art gallery for your school website.
2
Love the work of George Rodrigue and his "Blue Dog"?  Take a trip to New Orleans via Google and step foot in his gallery on Royal Street.  For elementary students, read Why is Blue Dog Blue? and create some mini Blue Dogs for the local humane society. 

3
Create a Photo Story of a collection of work by an artist.  Include some biographical material, title slides, and music.  Display on your school webpage. 
4
Can't get to a museum?  Build a "Gallery Walk" - 5 famous works of art and gallery tags.  Challenge students to visit the gallery, observe quietly and write a "Twitter" style short critique/statement on Post-it notes as they choose their favorite work.  Post the notes and use different color Post-its for classes or grades.  Do an informal poll to see what the top artwork is and announce to the school (best at the elementary level).  A great way to teach gallery manners too!  Added idea: have the staff and teachers choose their favorite to write about as well!

Art Advocacy Ideas for January 14-18

Here's this week's fabulous 'Fab Five' advocacy ideas!

1
Stage a Living Artist Night - Teams of students study a particular painting, research and recreate it as living models.  Match clothing, props, etc, as closely as possible to the original piece to be displayed.  Build a booth and frame, light the instillation, and invite the public in to view the installation. Set this up around an art history unit.  Or, pair up with a social studies class and create this around a particular period in history that the bulk of your students are studying. (ex: Early 20th Century, WW2, the Industrial Revolution, etc.  Start now!
2
Invite parents of art students, who own local businesses, to hang student artwork at their place of business.  Create a sign that says "XYZ Supports Youth Art Month!"  Promote on social media and local print media.

3
Have student design placemats and table tents that can be used by local restaurants.
4
Plan an Artist in Residence Program during March, invite in local community artists to demonstrate and/or talk to students.  Line them up now.
5
Participate in an Artist Trading Card Swap with another school in a different state.

'Art Advocacy Fab Five' is back!

It is never too early to get started on your March YAM (Youth Art Month) plans... and these are guaranteed success stories ready for you to use in your school!

1
Make prints of student artwork, frame and present to local officials.  Walmart or Walgreen's make cost efficient 5x7's or 8x10's.  Use this as a photo opp for YAM during our first week in March.
2
Ask your BOE for an endorsement of Youth Art Month now.  Approach your local elected officials as well.
3
How about a school-wide mural project? - Use the Youth Art Month theme Your Art: Your Story.  Everyone creates a panel to add.  Or use the Post It Challenge.  Plan colors of Post It notes to spell out school mascot or initials.  (ex - Liverpool Middle School = LMS).

4
Have a 10x10 (or 12x12) art challenge for students and staff using any media.  Install in school foyer.
5
In cold climates... YAM Snow Sculpture Challenge!  Bundle up and brave the cold to create a temporary sculptural piece!  Compete in teams or classes.  In warm climates, go outside and create Andy Goldsworthy temporary installations; photograph and enlarge to display indoors.

And don't forget our bonus...
6
Plan ahead for Make Art Monday - which will be every Monday in March - share with us what you are doing in your classroom/school/community for the visual arts.  Use the hashtag #MakeArtMonday and share on Facebook, on Twitter, or if you're in NY state, at our YAM NYS page. 

Start the New Year right, with Art Advocacy!

It's a short school week this week, but why not start off the New Year and dive right into some advocacy lesson inspirations!  Beat the mid-winter blues with these ideas for Youth Art Month. Start now and build momentum for March 1st!

1

Organize an Urban Sketching event (you don't have to be in an urban area - any size local community has tons of great places to sketch) in your community for students - particularly good to tie in with a study of local history.  Think about a historic place, with an indoor space to sketch.  Or, do it virtually with Google Street view on a Smart Board if you cannot travel!    

*Many years ago, my college painting professor in New Paltz NY, had us sketching regularly in the community, and in particular sent us to sketch and paint at the historic Huguenot cemetery.  I've never forgotten the experience, and while it's the wrong time of year to sketch outdoors in a graveyard, keep it in mind for the spring!

2

Make an in-house video on what art means.  Have student releases signed, and have 'interviewers', volunteers to speak, and 'videographers.  Edit and play in-house or on your district web/Facebook page.  Students can use a prop titled "What Art Means to Me" and write their responses to hold up.

3

Use props from #2 and post daily to Twitter.

4 Bonus Idea!

Create walking paintings - cardboard with a face cut out from a famous work of art. 

Putting your best foot forward

How we present ourselves can make a big difference.  

If we want people to value our programs, we need to make an extra effort to always consider how we are viewed.  But how we present ourselves means more than just our physical presentation (the clothing we wear, our posture, how we speak, and such).  It can also refer to how we present ourselves in writing.  A recent post about pet peeves, on my blog There's a Dragon in My Art Room, addressed this topic.  The post inspired enough dialogue for me to feel it was worthy enough to also discuss/repeat here. 

When you send information about your program to parents, school board, or administration, or when you make signs for an art show, or when you write an article for a newsletter or a press release for a newspaper, or when you post on your school district website or other social media, you can expect that, if you don't review and edit what you have written, there will be mistakes.  And someone will notice your errors, and those errors will reflect negatively on you.  

 Here are a few commonly made mistakes that you should be aware of when you write:

• Complementary colors:  Colors placed opposite each other on the color wheel are complementary colors.  You give someone a compliment when you want to say something nice.  Note the spelling difference.

• Tempera paint:  We paint with tempera paint, not tempura paint. Tempura is a Japanese dish of  batter fried seafood or veggies.  Delicious, but definitely not something you paint with!  Again, make note of the spelling difference.  Since they are both 'real' words, you can't count on spell-check to make sure you are using the correct spelling.  As a matter of fact, if you are not careful, it might even auto-correct you to the wrong word!

• Your or you're?  Make sure you are using the correct word.  Your is possessive, something that belongs to you, and you're is a contraction for you are. 

• There is no apostrophe before the 's' in a plural.  Using an apostrophe before an 's' creates a possessive.  

•  Principal:  Your principal is your administrator.  To remember the correct spelling, remember that he or she is your pal!  A principle is something you believe, a foundation for a belief.  Make sure you are using the correct word. 

• Be careful about the spelling of the names of artists!  
• Jackson Pollock, not Pollack
• Michelangelo, not Michaelangelo 
• Faith Ringgold has a double 'g'
• Georgia O'Keeffe has a double 'f'

Proofread, proofread, proofread!  

Spell-check, and double check when you are not 100% sure.  People will notice!  If you are hoping to convince people of the value of your program,  you need to present everything you do knowing that how people respond to it might help or hurt you.  Don't give them opportunities to find errors in your presentation!