me arts ed

45 Pieces of Artwork were Borrowed from the National Gallery of Art

"Sky Light" 1973, Alma Thomas

The Obamas selected a wide range of artwork for the White House from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden collection.

Michelle Obama and the White House curator, William Allman, made choices for the White House after looking at the artwork on the websites. They visited with Harry Cooper, curator of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery.

Their selection included these artists and several others: Mark Rothko, Jasper Johns, Edgar Degas, and Louise Nevelson. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Imagine being able to select art for your home from these collections?

Centerpieces that Keep on Centerpiecing

Veteran art educator Suzanne Goulet and first year teacher Crystal Douglas (student of Trudy Wilson at USM and student of mine from middle school) from Waterville High School teamed up to create the conference centerpieces. Sadly, neither one could join us due to other traditional commitments they had but none the less they wanted to contribute to the conference.

Instead of creating something quick and easy they masterminded a meaningful work of art. The 3″ thick bases were sliced out of a log that measured about 10 inches across. A thin branch like piece came up from the base that gently bent over the wood, dipping towards it. Off of the branch tied to string hung three origami lanterns. A flat paper shaped like a lily pad with the conference logo sat on the base.

Suzanne had created a small origami lantern for each participant. In her own words:

“For, though, “the Arts Connect”, it is the educator that gives them life. It is the educator that transcends the 2 dimensions into the 3 dimensions. Each educator creates more than what we start with. The centerpiece represents the following:

*Dance: Kinetic  *Music: Arrangement *Theatre: Stage *Visual Arts: Colors and Shape

Each educator could blow into the flat form and make it 3 dimensional. Those who found a yellow stickie on the bottom of their chair got to take a centerpiece home with them.

The centerpieces complimented the blue and gold balloons that were recycled from the Celebration the night before. THANK YOU Suzanne and Crystal for your creative work to help the conference with one of the little touches that make the two days unique.

Free Podcasts on iTunes

We know there many connections between the arts and other content and topics. There are many free resources on iTunes that you may want to take a closer look at. Many are published on iTunes by higher education institutes and are taken from specific course syllabi. According to “Understanding Sound and Music” “your favorite song may have memorable lyrics and rhythms you can dance to, but sound and music are a mix of science, math, art, physics, history and psychology. Learn about the science of sound waves, the impact of musical vibrations on behavior, and music as a universal language.”

If you are interested in listening to some of these podcasts and/or songs, I suggest you go to iTunes, podcasts and type in any of the titles below in the search bar. Some of them are actually free movies. Please note I have not looked and/or listened to all of these.

• Music and the Brain (Library of Congress)
• Sounds Harmonious
• The Language of Music (Missouri State University)
• Smithsonian Folklife Festival
• History of Jazz
• Infrequency
• Vibration and Waves Physics III

These are great resources for your classrooms as well.

On another note…

I heard a segment on public radio this morning about using software to make it more possible to create hit songs. Hit Songs Silence software Company has done research on what songs are soothing to the ears and will attract listeners to a song/music. Once they “field test” it they can go back and remix the song and try again. The software actually gives an artist the information to figure out which songs listeners will want. Using technology and agorithms to predict hit songs. Another connection between art and math.

Martin Steingesser presents Fat Day – Poems and Commentary about Teaching Poetry

Photo by Sarah Sutter

Martin has been living, writing and teaching poetry in Maine since 1981. He was Portland’s First Poet Laureate, 2007-09. He has a number of poems and essays published in newspapers, magazines in Maine and beyond. A collection of his poems Brothers of Morning, is published by Deerbrook Editions (North Yarmouth, ME, July 2002).

He has participated in the Touring Artist program of the Maine Arts Commission and has presented to a wide range of audiences all over the state.

In Martin’s own words:

” Writing and presenting poems is a way I touch and make present a sense of grace I want in my life. I remember once being intrigued by Wallace Stevens saying poetry was a sacrament in life. It has come to that. There are moments I love poems I have made. When they are given, when windows, doors, walls blow off, and I am in a warm, boundless space with whoever is listening.”

Martin shared four poems at the conference. Below are two of them.

Photo by Sarah Sutter

China, Maine

Suddenly the rain stops.
All around the lake
trees and mountains quietly double.
Mottled trout swim among slender aspen
and birch.
A cricket chirps like six,
the brook rushes louder.
Yet only the highest branches
in the tallest maple stir.
A leaf falls,
another,
then many—
one never knows.
Some breeze enters
the heart’s ear,
ruffling its red fur.
In the grass
among yellow and red leaves
the old life sings.

Martin Steingesser
Copyright © 1986 Martin Steingesser

And my favorite of the morning….

Photo by Sarah Sutter

“Whatever You Want,”

I tell this fourth grader, who wants to know what to do.
“In my poem,” I say, “gorilla is spelled r-o-s-e.”
He is bewildered. Everyone
has started writing, even the friends he was fooling with.
Now he is a out there with no support, unsure
which way to go.
“A rose is not a gorilla,”  he says.
“I spell it how I want,” I tell him.
“This is startin’ to sound
like one of those stories,” he says.
“Just wait — ” I write on the page between us,
“I spell Brandon, S-u-p-e-r-h-e-r-o.”
“I’m a Superhero,”  he laughs, and adds, “I spell fox, Y-M-V-L-E!”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says, pleased with himself.
“Hummingbird Junction,” I throw back.
“Dirty recess,” he says, heating up,
beginning to sound like one of those beat poets.
I pitch again — “Cross-eyed sharpshooters.”
“Sumo wrestlers,” he says, eyes narrowing.
“Okay, bail out,” I say, folding our paper into an airplane
and sticking it in the backpack on his desk. He looks at me.
“Ha!” I say,
“I just stuffed your pack with a gorilla, a rose, Superhero, sharpshooters,
sumo wrestlers, your fox and one Y-M-V-L-E.”
The other kids,
also finished, start queuing up for lunch.  Brandon is digging
in his pack after the poem, which — who knows — just might fly.

Martin Steingesser
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2000 Passaic County Community College  ;  Copyright © 1998, 2000 & 2002 Martin Steingesser

If you were there you know that it was a pleasure to have Martin participate in the conference. Please post your comments below. You can learn more about Martin by going to his website Windspooning (www.martinsteingesser.com) and contact him at windspooning@yahoo.com.

Good Day for a Walk

Today's sunrise

The day started with amazing sunrise colors and the landscape was intense from the clouds and the colorful sky. I went outside to get the newspaper and to take a couple of pictures. I had work to do inside but found myself wanting to stay outside all day to enjoy the colors, the wind and the sunshine. The clouds were amazing and every time I looked up to gaze at the sky, they were in different formations. Sometimes the sky had few clouds with lots of brilliant blue and other times the sun was hiding behind big blurry clouds. The wind picked up and calmed down throughout the day.

It was warm enough to eat on the deck and take a nap in the sunshine. On my afternoon walk I noticed how much the leaves had changed colors this week and how many had fallen in the wind and rain. I do love this time of the year.

I started cleaning up the flower garden to put it to bed for the winter. I moved some of the sculptures inside before the snow flies.

I understand Mount Katahdin has snow on the peak now. I suppose it won’t be long now. I suggest you spend time outside and enjoy the last of the warm weather and beautiful leaves and sunshine.

Infinite Photograph – As Seen on Earth

A colleague shared this link with me that I think you might find interesting. It is a photo-mosaic portrait of the Earth. They select photographs submitted to “My Shot” and put them into the format so you can mosaic them with a click of the mouse. Interestingly enough they call the page Green Guide for Everyday Living.

Chuck Close

Many art teachers have done a lesson or unit based on the large portrait work of Chuck Close. Seems today we find photographers using technology to create his type of work. We all know there is quite a difference in the process but it makes me pause and wonder about this type of artmaking in today’s world. What do you think?

In Chuck’s words: “I am going for a level of perfection that is only mine… Most of the pleasure is in getting the last little piece perfect.”