Teaching with Contemporary Art

Thoughts from the classroom on the intersection of art and education

Flash Points

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Controversial Material: “Bodies”

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

Hallowgreen

by Carolyn Sutton | Oct 29, 2008

This week’s Teaching With Contemporary Art column is written by Carolyn Sutton, Director of Arts at The Park School in Baltimore and a member of Art21’s National Education Advisory Council. …

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. …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Mining Ideas Part 2: Using Sketchbooks to Help Teach About Contemporary Art

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 24, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Mining Ideas Part 2: Using Sketchbooks to Help Teach About Contemporary Art

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 24, 2008

Last week’s Teaching With Contemporary Art column, Mining Ideas, had some very interesting thoughts and perspectives submitted by Jennifer, Eric, and Sue. I want to continue the dialogue this week …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Mining Ideas

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 17, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Mining Ideas

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 17, 2008

Getting students into good habits early in the year, such as regularly working with sketchbooks and journals- in the classroom and at home, is a way to help students “mine” …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Questions for Artist-Educators

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 10, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Questions for Artist-Educators

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 10, 2008

Last week’s column reflected on the different ways to pair and juxtapose Art21 photographers and/or artists that use photography as a tool in their work. Throughout the conversations that inspired …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Shooting in Broad Daylight

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 3, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Shooting in Broad Daylight

by Joe Fusaro | Sep 3, 2008

Many teachers I met over the summer had some connection to teaching photography or working with a variety of students who are photographers (for example, in an AP Studio Art …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art Start at MoCA, Los Angeles

by Joe Fusaro | Aug 27, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art Start at MoCA, Los Angeles

by Joe Fusaro | Aug 27, 2008

Two weeks ago, from August 11-15, I had the pleasure of spending a week working with a number of outstanding art teachers at the MoCA, Los Angeles summer institute, Contemporary …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Celebrating Four Months…

by Joe Fusaro | Aug 20, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Celebrating Four Months…

by Joe Fusaro | Aug 20, 2008

Looking back, the Teaching With Contemporary Art column is off to an exciting beginning in our first four months. Since early May, we have had the opportunity to feature writing …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Reality or Fiction at the Hirshhorn?

by Julie Thomson | Aug 13, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Reality or Fiction at the Hirshhorn?

by Julie Thomson | Aug 13, 2008

Another exhibition of contemporary art to see this summer in Washington D.C. is The Cinema Effect Part II: Realisms through September 7, 2008 at the Hirshhorn. A two-part exhibition, the …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Positively Puryear

by Julie Thomson | Aug 8, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Positively Puryear

by Julie Thomson | Aug 8, 2008

There is no substitute for seeing Martin Puryear’s sculptures firsthand. Martin Puryear at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., spanning the museum’s two buildings, offers such an opportunity …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Starting Friday: Guest TWCA Writer Julie Thomson

by Joe Fusaro | Aug 6, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Starting Friday: Guest TWCA Writer Julie Thomson

by Joe Fusaro | Aug 6, 2008

Starting tomorrow and for the next two weeks, Julie Thomson will be guest writing for the Teaching With Contemporary Art column. Julie is the Associate Curator of Education at the …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Slowing Down and Visualizing Approaches, Part 2

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 30, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Slowing Down and Visualizing Approaches, Part 2

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 30, 2008

Following up on last week’s column, I was thinking about ways to slow down during the summer months and properly recharge for the upcoming school year. I also got to …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Slowing Down and Visualizing Approaches

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 23, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Slowing Down and Visualizing Approaches

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 23, 2008

While vacationing locally this summer (since that’s all anyone has gas money for) and taking the necessary steps to slow down in order to feed your imagination and even your …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

The Billy Joels of Art Education

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 16, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

The Billy Joels of Art Education

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 16, 2008

This past Sunday, the New York Times ran an article about Billy Joel. The article focused on the fact that, despite not making a new recording in 15 years, Billy …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Let’s See It Again!

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 9, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Let’s See It Again!

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 9, 2008

I had a great experience recently sitting with my son, Paul, and doing a little preparation for this column. Since he’s an inquisitive, very verbal, curly-haired three year old, I …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Seeing More…

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 2, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Seeing More…

by Joe Fusaro | Jul 2, 2008

Teaching students is one thing but having the opportunity, like we do in the summer, to teach and share perspectives with colleagues, friends, family, even strangers, can be an equally …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Giving Life

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 25, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Giving Life

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 25, 2008

As we continue gearing up for summer and prepare for ways to fuel our work as artists and educators I wanted to take the next few columns and point …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Gearing Up for Summer

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 18, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Gearing Up for Summer

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 18, 2008

The last thing teachers want to hear in June is that we have to start planning for September. While this is unfortunately true, there is still a summer to be …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Second Look

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 11, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Second Look

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 11, 2008

In the May 14th column I commented on the fact that some people were having a hard time incorporating Season 4 artists into their classrooms and studios. This weekend, hiding …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Helping Hands

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 4, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Helping Hands

by Joe Fusaro | Jun 4, 2008

I hate to start this column every week by thanking people like it’s a Borscht Belt nightclub, but Teaching With Contemporary Art is off to a great start in its …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Pre-Teen Wolf

by Ben Street | May 28, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Pre-Teen Wolf

by Ben Street | May 28, 2008

I spent last Sunday morning at the National Gallery with a large group of very small children in front of Sassetta’s early Renaissance painting of St Francis and the Wolf …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Finding a Balance (Part 2)

by Joe Fusaro | May 28, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Finding a Balance (Part 2)

by Joe Fusaro | May 28, 2008

Many thanks to Yolanda, MK, William, and Suzanne for their responses to our third post last week. To continue the conversation, I’d like to address some of the comments made …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Finding A Balance (Part 1)

by Joe Fusaro | May 21, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Finding A Balance (Part 1)

by Joe Fusaro | May 21, 2008

Time and time again, we are reminded how sharing work by a variety of artists can inspire new thinking, perspectives, techniques, and meaningful questions, but we often get swept up …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Expanding the Definition(s): Some Days Are Easier Than Others

by Joe Fusaro | May 14, 2008

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Expanding the Definition(s): Some Days Are Easier Than Others

by Joe Fusaro | May 14, 2008

Many thanks to those who have helped get the Teaching with Contemporary Art column off to a smooth start! Recently, a few friends and colleagues have mentioned (even e-mailed) about …