Art Class Curator

Teachers around the world are taking their lessons online. Teaching art from home is a challenge, but when we work together, it gets a lot easier. Learn about some of the free distance learning resources art teachers are sharing in this episode.

The whole world in one big ball of stress and anxiety as coronavirus continues to spread. Let's talk about how we can use art to deal with all of this.

What do you want your students to know? What do you want them to remember from art class next year? What about in 5 or 10 years? In this episode, we're talking about the power of moments and how to create a curriculum with the big picture in mind.

Have you ever wondered how Mona Lisa was feeling? Or wanted to know what your students were thinking when they look at art? Discover the emotions behind Mona Lisa's smile, learn how long the average person looks at an artwork in a museum, and much more as I talk to Dan Hill, a facial recognition expert who wrote a book about how people react to famous artworks.

What are your top ten values? What about your top three? Are your values as a teacher the same as the values in other parts of your life? Living in your values and teaching from your values is essential to living a balanced, healthy, happy life. In this episode, I talk about my values and how my life changed when I started being true to them and give you the tools you need to discover your true values.

In this episode, I'm joined by Joan Marie. Joan is a former art teacher who now creates personal power portraits for her clients. We discuss Joan's educational obstacles, her creative process for each personal power portrait, and the importance of living and teaching from your values and strengths.

In this episode, I'm talking to Trevor Bryan, art teacher and author of The Art of Comprehension. We discuss how art is more than self-expression, the value of art in education, what it means to be creative, how interpreting art is possible at all ages. Bryan offers us insight on his signature access lenses and how we can use mood to help students personally connect with art. Plus, hear about the artwork that changed Bryan's life.

1 out of every 10 students in the United States is an English Language Learner. ELL students face unique and often overwhelming challenges, but the art classroom is the perfect place for them to thrive. Let's talk about why the art room is perfect and also some of my favorite activities to support this learning.

While many art teachers still use Disciplined-Based Art Education (also known as DBAE) in their classrooms, it's picked up a bad reputation. A lot of art education pedagogy discussions pit Teaching for Artistic Behavior (also known as TAB) against Disciplined-Based Art Education. The opinions are strong on both sides, but does it have to be either/or? Let's talk about it.

38: Creating Meaning and Connection with Jenn Easterling

Teacher burnout is so real it hurts, but there are ways to care for yourself and organize your life to avoid running on empty. In this episode, Cindy explores how teaching is impacted by purpose and joy. She shares her experiences from two vastly different schools, discusses how to prioritize your teaching responsibilities, and how you can avoid burnout.

Let's talk about why dead white guys are not enough in our art classrooms and why I'm not having a panic attack even saying those words!

The fact that we even call art from other cultures ‘Non-Western’ points to how ingrained Western bias is in art education. An entire planet’s worth of cultures and artistic traditions are defined by what they aren’t instead of by what they are. In this episode, Cindy shares the lesson that she goes through to introduce her students to ethnocentrism and cultural sensitivity.

In this episode, Cindy comes to the realization that exposing students to works of art is not for the end goal of "appreciation." It is much, much bigger than that.  Where is the passion, the delight, the wonder, the heart-pounding experience with art? Where is the feeling in your heart, that drop in your gut, that makes you a CHANGED PERSON? Let's keep talking about THAT.

In this episode of the Art Class Curator podcast, Cindy talks about why art matters and what makes art connection so very important for our students and for the world. From creating more connected and empathetic humans, to understanding and connecting with the past, to learning how to slow down and become comfortable with uncertainty, meaningful connection with works of art hands-down just creates better people.