Joe Fusaro - Art21 Magazine

Articles by Joe Fusaro

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What’s “The End” Good For?

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 10, 2009

June can be a real catharsis of both the most beautiful and ugly kinds, but it doesn’t have to be a week-to-week whirlwind waiting for the next test. The last …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Summer Reading Part 1

by Joe Fusaro | May 27, 2009

As we get closer to rounding out another academic year, it’s probably a good time to think about some of the books that might make it onto our summer reading …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Reality Hits at CCS Bard

by Joe Fusaro | May 20, 2009

In the final workshop of our three-part series at Bard College, titled “Teaching and Learning with Contemporary Art,” we were lucky enough to have Olafur Eliasson speak with us about …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Make Less Art

by Joe Fusaro | May 13, 2009

At one point in my panel conversation with Olivia Gude, Mark Bradford, and William Crow at the National Art Education Association’s annual conference in Minneapolis, the discussion got around to …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Authoritarian?

by Joe Fusaro | May 6, 2009

As I mentioned last week, the Teaching with Contemporary Art column over the next few weeks will focus on questions generated at the recent NAEA conference in Minneapolis. This week’s …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Getting Beyond

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 29, 2009

Last week I promised to begin addressing some of the questions that came up at the recent National Art Education Association conference in Minneapolis. One of our first questions comes …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Burn Baby Burn

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 22, 2009

As I was thinking about Art21’s recent visit to the National Art Education Association’s annual conference in Minneapolis, I came across this quote from Season 4 artist, Mark Bradford: Once …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

The Hope Hippos Head to NAEA

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 15, 2009

Beginning this Friday morning, I will be joined by my equally energetic and optimistic colleagues, Jessica Hamlin and Marc Mayer, as we descend on the National Art Education Association’s Annual …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Vacation, Just in Order to See

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 8, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Vacation, Just in Order to See

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 8, 2009

Around this time of year, many teachers take a vacation of some kind. Some people go to the warm sunshine, some people go to Minnesota, and some go to the …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Film, Teaching with Objects

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 1, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Film, Teaching with Objects

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 1, 2009

Last week, it was my pleasure to begin working with the CCS Bard Hessel Museum at Bard College to initiate a three-part workshop series for teachers titled, Teaching and Learning …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Remixing. Transformation.

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 25, 2009

This week two of my classes will visit the Museum of Art and Design’s first major exhibit in its new space at Columbus Circle, Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary. Among …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Power(ful) Painting

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 18, 2009

In a recent unit with an introductory Studio Art class, my students created paintings that redefined power visually in a variety of ways. After looking at the work of Season …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Save Us from Ourselves (Making a Mess)

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 11, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Save Us from Ourselves (Making a Mess)

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 11, 2009

I’m not very religious, but just the other day I was “given” a prayer that somehow spoke volumes about life, the life of teaching, and the life of artist-educators. Eleanor …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Working Without Warhol

by Joe Fusaro | Mar 4, 2009

Last month, five different Art21 artists were featured in the first five pages of Scholastic Art magazine, an issue that celebrated contemporary women artists including Laylah Ali (featured on the …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What Light?

by Joe Fusaro | Feb 25, 2009

On Monday I had the pleasure of attending the last edition of this season’s Art21’s Salon Series with Robert Ryman and Urs Raussmüller. Going into the evening, I kept thinking …

Flash Points

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Hope and Change, Part 2

by Joe Fusaro | Feb 18, 2009

On February 13th I received this message, as many of you did, from Americans for the Arts: Just moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives approved their final version of …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

It Takes Two…. or Two Hundred

by Joe Fusaro | Feb 11, 2009

Recently I saw the Mark Dion segment from Season 4 for the sixth or seventh time. I love the Dion segment. I was sharing the video with teachers in a …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What’s an Art Contest?

by Joe Fusaro | Feb 4, 2009

Contests. Art Shows. Expos. Special Exhibits. Art Festivals. It’s crazy. While they are called by different names, art educators often have a similar reaction: Someone has a big idea and …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching With Contemporary Art Guest Writer: Nate Morgan

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 27, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching With Contemporary Art Guest Writer: Nate Morgan

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 27, 2009

Tomorrow we welcome Nate Morgan as our guest writer for Teaching With Contemporary Art. Nate has been teaching art at Hillside Elementary School in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York for the past …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 21, 2009

Since this column gets posted on Wednesdays (and believe me, I didn’t arrange it this way), it’s been my pleasure to contribute posts directly after the November 4th election (see …

Flash Points

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Interview with Eleanor Antin Part 2

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 15, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Interview with Eleanor Antin Part 2

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 15, 2009

Following is the second part of my conversation with Eleanor Antin, continued from Part 1 yesterday… JF: One thing that has been important in my own work with students and …

Flash Points

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Myths, metaphors, and more: Interview with Eleanor Antin, Part 1

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 14, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Myths, metaphors, and more: Interview with Eleanor Antin, Part 1

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 14, 2009

Last month I had the good fortune to speak with Eleanor Antin (Season 2) in a series of lively and engaging emails that included her thoughts on preparing for exhibitions, …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

In-Progress

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 7, 2009

Teaching in the arts requires, at one ugly point or another, to have veiled conversations called critiques. They are hideous things that most students from middle school through graduate school …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

All I Want For Christmas

by Joe Fusaro | Dec 24, 2008

All I want for Christmas is to catch up. The break between Christmas and the New Year provides teachers a time for catching up with family and friends, but …

Flash Points

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Controversial Material: “Bodies”

by Joe Fusaro | Dec 17, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Controversial Material: “Bodies”

by Joe Fusaro | Dec 17, 2008

Illustration by Natasha Russel, Senior, Nyack High School Just a few weeks ago, a colleague and I had the opportunity to take three Advanced Placement Studio Art classes to see …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

The Right Questions

by Joe Fusaro | Dec 10, 2008

I was reminded today that good teaching involves taking more time to create high quality questions for our students to explore than it does planning the necessary steps to carry …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Shaping Paintings

by Joe Fusaro | Dec 3, 2008

In the next few days, two high school classes I’m working with will be creating paintings inspired by the multiple meanings and interpretations of POWER. Three Art21 artists – Nancy …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Process and Power

by Joe Fusaro | Nov 26, 2008

Contemporary art will often ask the viewer to consider process and the steps taken to create a work of art. Without consideration of process, some art is even difficult to …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Fundred Points of View

by Joe Fusaro | Nov 20, 2008

By now, many of you are quite familiar with Mel Chin’s nationwide Fundred project to help highlight the issue of lead contaminated soil in New Orleans. Students and professional artists …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

On Our Way

by Joe Fusaro | Nov 12, 2008

It’s been a blissfully exhausting week. The day after the election, students were so excited (not to mention teachers) that most of each class session was spent reflecting on the …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Hope and Change

by Joe Fusaro | Nov 5, 2008

Quite frankly, I cannot walk in and teach my classes with any sense of routine this week. Rebounding off one of the most historic and intense presidential campaigns in the …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Humor and Beauty

by Joe Fusaro | Oct 22, 2008

How can humor be used to say something serious? Can unattractive or disturbing things be represented in a beautiful way? These were just two of the questions posed at last …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Thinking Through Possibilities

by Joe Fusaro | Oct 15, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Thinking Through Possibilities

by Joe Fusaro | Oct 15, 2008

Sketchbooks can serve as places to work out big ideas, as we have seen over the past two Teaching With Contemporary Art columns where Sue Chenoweth’s students used sketchbook ideas …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Storytelling

by Joe Fusaro | Oct 8, 2008

This week’s column features more works and artist statements by Sue Chenoweth’s students at The Metropolitan Arts Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. For more on Sue and the Metropolitan Arts Institute …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Mining Ideas Part 3: From Sketchbook to Installation

by Joe Fusaro | Oct 1, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Mining Ideas Part 3: From Sketchbook to Installation

by Joe Fusaro | Oct 1, 2008

After our last two columns focusing on using sketchbooks in the classroom, teachers have been submitting absolutely BEAUTIFUL work inspired by sketching, planning and ideas for teaching about contemporary art. …