Tour of Myers School of Art (UofA) & Printmaking Workshop - May 10

A Letter from Barrie...

[Long time East Central member Barrie Archer is now retired -- and enjoying the "good life!]

Hola ECers!
My daughter, Alexis, and her husband, Jason, have been living in Costa Rica for 5 months.  Jason is the son of Renee Gilbert, recently retired art teacher and an OAEAer, too!  In fact, Renee was here for a week with us and just returned to Mansfield.  I was here for a month. I am writing this from CR but by the time you read this, I will be home in East Liverpool again, hence the contradictory verb tenses!  Alexis and Jason will be back stateside by then, too.

We were living in the state of Guanacaste in the village of Potrero. Potrero is on the Pacific coast.  It is about an hour from Liberia where the closest big airport is.  (Yes.  I thought Liberia was only in Africa, too.)

Guanacaste has been devastated by the same economic factors that plagued our resort areas.  There are many unfinished buildings and projects.  If the world economy recovers I imagine that Potrero will eventually be a very different place.  In some ways you can see it occurring now. The main road has been paved this year.

Prices for commodities, especially American commodities, are very high.  Everyone who comes to visit brings a suitcase full of requests for their hosts.  $40 luggage fees are cheap compared to local prices (if you can even find what you want.)  On the other hand, rentals are cheap by American standards.  Sea view rentals are much cheaper but still ... Not really cheap.  Electricity is high but I think it's high stateside, too!  As in all countries, the more money you have, the better your living conditions will be!

And speaking of receiving packages ... See paragraph after next.

Sadly, as were many people in Potrero, we were plagued by the same flu that has been rampant in Ohio.  My personal opinion is that we flew it down here with us. The result was that we were only able to go on two expeditions out of the area since everybody but Alexis and Renee took their turns being under the weather.  These are things I learned from this experience.  The closest hospital is about 45 minutes away.  The pharmacist is 4 kilometers away.  The pharmacist listens to your symptoms and will sell you most of the medicine you will need.  A doctor is at the Pharmacy several days a week and you can make an appointment to see her.  None of the medicines are quite like the medicines we are prescribed stateside.  Some of them are remarkably effective.  I wonder if they are not FDA approved.  

You can buy stamps and post letters from the pharmacy, too. Receiving letters is another matter.  No one seems to have an address.  It seems that you use an address that indicates how many blocks you are from a landmark?

We did visit both Volcan Arenal and Volcan Poas.  These were both 5 hour drives and several hours apart.  We went on separate weeks.  It seems that everywhere there is a volcano, there are waterfalls.  So, of course, we visited these, too.

 These areas were lush, green, and in the case of Poas, actually cold at night!  If you like hiking up and down steps, Costa Rica is the place for you.  Do not think that there is some hidden road that the elite get ferried down to see these natural wonders.  400 steps down and 400 steps back up is the norm.  You might think 'down' wouldn't be too hard.  Think again.  Your legs are quivering!
Guanacaste is unlike much of Costa Rica in that the temperature does not vary.  It is always about 85 to 100 degrees.  And, the area has seasons.  How can this be if the temperature doesn't vary?  The rainfall varies.  I was here during the Dry Season.

 The land is brown and very dusty.  No lush greenery during this period.  It reminds me of the African or the western USA plains in the fall.  Very beautiful in a sere way.  Very hot!  The mornings and the evenings are the best times of day.  Aren't they always from an artist's point of view?

Guanacaste has magnificent beaches.  Costa Rica is primarily volcanic.  There are islands jutting from the sea that are rock promontories.  Jarring but captivating to see.  The color of the sand can vary from black to pale brown.  Each beach has it's own characteristics as well as the color of the sand.  Some beaches are gentle (for the Pacific) and some have dangerous rip tides.  The ones with the rip tides are apparently the best for surfing, etc.  I wouldn't know ... I only go in up to my knees.  The waves make sure the rest of you is wet! Blessedly, water temperature is quite warm considering that it is the Pacific Ocean.

Due to illness and no car (we rented one for the Volcano trips), I didn't get to see much in the way of regional artists and artwork.  Costa Rica has flourishing art communities.  Many painters practice here. They also make wonderful things from the local woods.  Ceramics are a staple for the tourist industry.  Naturally, beadwork, too.  But in our area what I saw the most of were public murals made of mosaics.

I am including several pictures of these.  The woman responsible for these, Ana Ovares, 

just gets better and better.

 

Until our next meeting ...

Barrie

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East Central's Dan Humphrey Awarded NAEA 2014 New Professional Art Educator of the Year

Congratulations, Dan!

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Daniel Humphrey
2014 New Professional Art Educator of the Year

Reston, VA—The National Art Education Association has named Daniel Humphrey, of Bolivar, OH, to receive the 2014 New Professional Art Educator of the Year Award.  This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes excellence and achievement by new art educators. The award will be presented at the NAEA National Convention in San Diego, California, March 29-31, 2014.

NAEA President, Dennis Inhulsen states, "This award is being given to recognize excellence in professional accomplishment and service by a dedicated art educator. Daniel Humphrey exemplifies the highly qualified art educators active in education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars, and advocates who give their best to their students and the profession."

NAEA is the professional association for art educators. Members include elementary, secondary, middle level and high school art teachers; university and college professors; education directors who oversee education in our nation’s fine art museums, administrators and supervisors who oversee art education in school districts, state departments of education, arts councils; and teaching artists throughout the United States and many foreign countries. 

For more information about the association and its awards program visit the NAEA website at www.arteducators.org

Crayola -- Creative Leadership Grants 2014

Crayola -  Champion Creatively Alive Children
Creative Leadership Grants 2014


The 2014 program provides grants for innovative, creative leadership team building within elementary schools. Apply now for the opportunity to receive a grant for building your school's creative capacity. Each grant-winning school (up to 20 grants awarded) receives $2,500 and Crayola products valued at $1,000.


 Actual product assortment may vary.
Here's how you can get started now...

• Form a collaborative team to plan innovative ways of infusing creativity throughout the school.
• Brainstorm a leadership program that will enrich the creative capabilities and confidence within the school community.
• Plan how and who will lead this collaborative effort.
• Complete the application.
• Submit your application by June 23, 2014 (principal must be NAESP member).
• Every Early Bird application submitted before midnight on Monday, June 9, 2014 will receive a Crayola product Classpack(R).

In collaboration with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), Crayola offers up to 20 grants. The applications will only be accepted from principals who are members of NAESP. If you are not the principal, please collaborate with your school's leader to develop the plan and confirm that he/she is currently a member of NAESP. If not a member, go to NAESP.org to find out how to become a member.
Educators whose schools received this grant in 2013 will not be eligible to apply for a 2014-2015 grant. 2013 winners may apply again in 2015.
The National Art Education Association encourages their members to partner with their school's principal and colleagues to generate grant proposals.
Schools who received this grant in 2013 will not be eligible to apply for a 2014-2015 grant. Instead, we urge you to become a judge to help score new proposals. 2013 winners may apply again in 2015.

Applications should be sent to creativelyalive@crayola.com or faxed to 610-515-8781, Attn: Anita DeChellis. Applications will be accepted until 12:00 Midnight ET Monday, June 23, 2014. 

Download your application today!
Review our Judging Rubric

ECOAEA Spring Art Workshop with Jim Cook - April 5th

OAEA East Central Region presents a Spring Art Workshop

Sponsored by Jim Cook -- owner of Cook's Art Supply and Framing.

Saturday, April 5 from 9-11AM
*Matting and framing techniques for the classroom
*New mediums to try
*Samples of product and supplies to use in the classroom
*Artsonia information and examples
*Info and planning on upcoming East Central Events

Canton South High
600 Faircrest St. SE
Canton, OH 44707

RSVP by Thur. April 3rd to bergert@cantonlocal.org

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Massillon Museum Educator Open House 3/21/14

The Massillon Museum invites you to their
Educator Open House
March 21, 4-6 PM

All Educators Welcome

Learn more about their new exhibition,
Imagining a Better World:
The Artwork of Nelly Toll (on view March 8 - May 18, 2014)
 

Meet the new Education & Outreach
Coordinator, Heather Haden
 
Exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of our archives
 
Free lesson plans and educational materials
 
Visual Art Demonstrations and Activities
 
Wine and Cheese reception
 




Did you know?
The museum provides FREE programs and tours for K-12
classrooms that connect to History, Art, and Language Arts!
We also have grant funding available for transportation!”
For more information, visit massillonmuseum.org
 
*Funding is available while supplies last, and is awarded on a first-come,
first-served basis.
 
121 Lincoln Way East, Massillon OH 44646 330.833.4061

Akron Art Museum's Exclusive Educator Event with Cathy Weisman Topal

Beautiful Stuff: Discovering the Power of Materials with author and educator Cathy Weisman Topal Saturday, April 12th, 2014 from 11:30AM to 3:30PM at the Akron Art Museum "Exploring materials is an evocative experience. It stimulates the imagination and promotes learning. It invites children to tell stories and develop games. It inspires interactions between children. It serves as a bridge to other avenues of creative expression- drawing, collage, sculpture, construction.” Cathy Weisman Topal will present the ideas and concepts behind her fascinating book, Beautiful Stuff. Learn how this process can develop critical thinking skills and creativity in your students. Then, try the process yourself as you sort, arrange, match, and discover the power of materials. Cost is $25 per person and includes a lecture, light refreshments, and a hands-on workshop, as well as admission to the museum’s galleries. Register online now TRAINING OFFICIALLY APPROVED FOR STEP UP TO QUALITY (SUTQ) CREDIT (4 contact hours) Our mailing address is: Akron Art Museum One South High St. Akron, OH 44308

Akron Art Museum - NE & EC OAEA Night Out

Enjoy an Evening with Fellow NE and EC OAEA Members
When: Thursday, January 23rd
5:00-6:30/7:00 (or later if you go to a local establishment to continue the fun)
Where: Akron Art Museum
Cost: FREE (but limit of 30 people)
Set-Up by NE member Dillon Sedar

***PLEASE RSVP to Dillon at dsedar@kent.edu***

What’s Included:
+ wristband to view galleries (see exhibit details below)
+ tour of the galleries by Gina (Head of Education at the Museum)
+ workshop to present how the exhibits/museum can be integrated into your curriculum
+ free time to talk with fellow members

EXHIBITS ON DISPLAY JANUARY 23rd
Multiplicity: Contemporary Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
With a Trace: Photographs of Absence features photographers spanning several generations who do not merely capture scenes but create distinct moments in time. Their images bear traces of human presence, the transmission of energy, atmospheric phenomena and experiments with light. Among the artists, Christopher Bucklow, Margaret De Patta, Adam Fuss, Alison Rossiter, Minor White and Hiroshi Sugimoto use a wide range of processes to render their enigmatic subjects. Primarily analog or even camera-less photographers, they highlight the versatility of non-digital photography in capturing what the eye may not see. Whether picturing a place or thing or pure abstraction, the photographs in With a Trace emanate a palpable absence, which is precisely what invites the mind to enter the scene.

Diana Al-Hadid: Nolli's Orders
GlenOak HS & Kent State University graduate Diana Al-Hadid’s monumental sculpture Nolli’s Orders intermingles landscape, architecture and the human figure. Hovering between architectural ruin and figurative sculpture, the thirteen-foot high sculpture is constructed of steel, polymer gypsum, fiberglass, wood, foam and paint. Nolli’s Orders was inspired by sources ranging from Italian and Northern Renaissance painting to Gothic architecture and Hellenistic sculpture. Its title refers to the eighteenth century Italian architect and surveyor Giambattista Nolli, who is known for the iconic map of Rome that he completed in 1748. Al-Hadid was born in 1981 in Aleppo Syria and currently lives and works in New York City.
 
Multiplicity: Contemporary Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Multiplicity showcases more than 80 prints by modern and contemporary American artists working in an exciting variety of media. Drawn from the outstanding collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the exhibition demonstrates how artists today engage with the unique qualities of printmaking processes.
Paintings and sculptures by a number of the artists featured, including Chuck Close, Helen Frankenthaler, Al Held, and Kiki Smith will be on view in the museum’s Haslinger collection galleries, allowing visitors to better understand the scope of those artists’ creative output. The variety of innovative approaches artists use to create prints is apparent in works by such artists as Louise Bourgeouis, Jim Dine, Barbara Kruger, Julie Mehretu, Ed Ruscha, and Kara Walker.


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2014 Jerry Tolliffson Art Criticism Open, Call for Entries!

In December 2011, the Ohio Art Education Association community lost Jerry Tollifson, one of its most beloved, colorful, dedicated and influential members. Through his teaching and leadership over the course of a career that spanned more than half a century, Jerry touched the lives of countless art students and teachers across the state. The Jerry Tollifson Art Criticism Open is just one way his legacy continues to encourage and shape art students and teachers today. 

Jerry conceived this writing competition as an annual opportunity to recognize students for their ability to articulate and compose critical responses to artworks, thereby empowering them with increased discipline and confidence as they approach art and life. The competition supports the Common Core within Ohio's Visual Art Standards by encouraging students to use critical thought and judgment to reach deeper understandings of an artwork’s meaning, value, and significance. 

Students with winning entries will be recognized at the OAEA Youth Art Month Celebration in March held at the STRS Building in Columbus. Winning entries will also be featured in an upcoming issue of ArtLine and showcased on the OAEA website. For entry guidelines, entry form and scoring rubric visit http://www.oaea.org/jerry-tollifson-art-criticism-open.

Questions and Submissions: OAEAJTACO@gmail.com

Youth Art Month - Flag and Graphic Design Contest 2014

YAM  2014 "Art Shapes the World" 

Celebrate Youth Art Month!

       Don’t wait until March to begin your celebration of Youth Art Month!  Having your students complete entries for the YAM Flag and Graphic Design Contest will give you a ready- made cache of advocacy art to send to local friends of the arts, board of education members and administrators when Youth Art Month rolls around.   Youth Art Month gives us all a chance to show how important the arts are to the success of our students.  

       The 2014 theme will be “Art Shapes the World”.  Students are welcome to be as creative with the idea as possible.  Flag entries should limit themselves to 8 or less colors so their design can be easily transferred to fabric.    The “Graphic Design” Category is an Ohio only contest that was added several years ago to include work that is too intricate or colorful for successful flag reproduction.  Please be sure to read and complete the rules of entry.  Entries have been disqualified due to incomplete information. 

   The Flag entry selected from Ohio goes to Washington D. C. and is exhibited at various venues during Youth Art Month.  Our Ohio 2013 Flag is also displayed at the STRS, at the NAEA Convention, and finally at next year’s OAEA Convention.  The winning flag is also presented to the school for permanent display.  The graphic design winning entry is made into a poster for display during Youth Art Month at the STRS and the designer and school both receive mounted posters to keep.

 This two category event to celebrate YOUTH ART MONTH 2013 is sponsored by the OAEA and open to students of all current members in grades K-12.  Winners of both competitions receive special recognition and state and national exposure.

Deadline for Youth Art Month: December 19th, 2012 

YAM flag rules and Entry paper available on http://www.oaea.memberclicks.net/yam-flag-design

For questions contact Kelly Burichin, YAM Flag Design Chair:

soookelly@yahoo.com or kburichin@trlsd.org

East Central OAEA Mixer - Fall 2013

The ECOAEA Art Teacher Fall 2013 Mixer was held on Tuesday, September 17 from 4-6 P.M at Journey Art Gallery in the Downtown Canton Arts District.  Journey owner Su Nimon gave an introduction to the gallery (and tour); RD Chris Bergert ran a brief meeting, encouraged everyone to come to the annual OAEA conference, and did a presentation of OAEA East Central Awards as well!

East Central Regional Director, Chris Bergert welcomes everyone.

Arts In Stark- Distinguished Business/Organization for Art Education (Jennifer Hickman)

 Lisa Zemancik- Distinguished Citizen For Art Education

 Su Nimon of Journey Art Gallery with RD Chris Bergert

East Central Region Fall Report 2013

Ohio Art Education Association -- East Central Region Fall Report
Chris Bergert, Regional Director

Greetings to everyone in East Central! I hope everyone had a restful and fulfilling summer! As we prepare for a school year full of SLO’s and the OTES, remember that East Central is here for you! Our goal is to provide opportunities for art teachers to discuss, learn, and experience the best practices in art education. Keep an eye out for upcoming workshops and enrichment opportunities.

As technology becomes a bigger part of the Art room, I found a resource that compares the differences between using technology and technology integration. For example, when using technology in your classroom, is it used to instruct students on content, or is it used to engage students with content? Do you use technology to complete lower- order thinking tasks or higher -order think tasks? It’s worth the time to read and the full version is available on EC’s blog at http://ecohioarteducationassociation.blogspot.com/2013/08/teachbytes-using-technology-vs.html


Congratulations to the 2013 East Central OAEA awards recipients!


Jack McWhorter- Distinguished Educator For Art Education
 
Arts In Stark- Distinguished Business/Organization for Art Education
 
Lisa Zemancik- Distinguished Citizen For Art Education
 
Julie Fisher- O.A.T. (Outstanding Art Teacher)
 

Finally, I strongly encourage all East Central members to attend this year’s OAEA conference. The theme this year is “Reflecting the Standards” and will be held in Toledo November 14th-16th. Many of our EC members will be presenting! It is a tremendous opportunity for engaging and relevant professional development from the best minds in art education.