NYU SUMMER ABROAD /@RADUATE> / STUDIO \ aes June 28-August 26 includes studio courses in painting, drawing, video art, Venetian art history, and a semi- har in art theory and criticism. Research and fieldwork take you to such renowned cities as Vicenza, Padua, Verona, Mantua, and Ravenna. Complete your master’s de- gree in three summers—two in Venice and one at our Wash- ington Square campus in New York City. Doctoral students are also invited. Application deadline: April 1, 1995. Call (212) 998-5090. immerse yourself in the rich artistic resources of Venice. ‘Take part in an internationally acclaimed graduate studio art program sponsored by New York University’s School of Education, Department of Artand Art Pro- fessions. This program for both artists and art teachers provides you with opportunities to study original masterpieces of art, engage in intensive studio work, and have your work critiqued by a distinguished faculty of international artists, Earn up to 12 credits or attend on a non- New York Unversity School of Education Office of Special Programs Please send me information about your summer art programs. Weauieon ane On campus/New York City Studio ArVenice th Por New Yer, LY, 100 6684 (an) 9985090, At: Rose Carter so hares Sie 306 No Telephone Ra, 20 ARTS & ACTIVITIES / sAKUARY 1895 by Nelson Dodson iscipline-based education, mull studies, interdis ciplinary courses and the current trend—outcome-based educa tion—keep curriculums in a constant state of flux. Add computer literacy independent studies, hetero grouping, portfolios, environmental issues and recycling, and writing course objectives is enough to make me think of giving up education and opening an art-supply store. While trying to wrestle with all the current educational jargon and inspire my students to enjoy the dreaded earch project” T planned to assign this year, I came upon an ide: succeeded beyond my wildest expec: tations: the “Artist in a Shadow Box.”When I mentioned “research” to my high-schoolers, it evoked the usual group groan—until | showed them a sample box. They immediately began to shout out the artists they wanted to research, with visions of melted clocks and mutilated ears swimming in their heads. Expecting a battle by students to claim the more popular artists, I had prepared ahead of time a data base on Microsoft Works of 100 artists and periods of art, from eave painting to Red Grooms. Each student drew a name slip from a box and began researching. I then printed out the list chronologically so students could get a sense of their artists’ placement in history. Alter consulting the English department for a standard format for research, I reviewed with my students the forms for note-taking, paraphras, ing, quotations, bibliography and title page. Their papers were to be two to three pages, double-spaced and typed More groans! The assignment would last three weeks, including rese paper and shadow box, Materials were placed at the front of the room, including biographies of artists, art-history texts, Arts & Activities and other art-education magazines, and all my personal clip pings and fl Research was done in the room and arch es on individual artists, n cooperation with the school library Papers were typed in the room on two Macintosh LC computers using Works for uniformity of presentation. The spell-checker was used and artists? names were added to the program's dictionary for future projects. ‘The excitement was building, and we had yet to begin the shadow boxes. I overheard students in the afeteria complain, “I wish she would be quiet about Georgia O'Keeffe.” Another student gleefully informed me that Frida Kahlo was married to Diego Rivera. I was in shock. They were actually excited about history! ‘The handson part began with the construction of 12" x 12" boxes with a four-inch depth, made of foam-core board. Ifthe boxes were to be painted, they were first primed with gesso. Using old catalogs of reproduc tions, outdated textbooks, magazines, photographs and even the "Dali and Picasso Wore Khakis” advertisements, put out by The Gap stores, students began to depict their artists as they understood them, Ideas I would have never imagined began to emerge: caves of papier miché, a wrapped doll for Mantegna’s Death of Christ, real bones and a crepe-paper poppy for Georgia O'Keeffe, a picket fence for Edward Hopper, a drizzled-paint background for Jackson Pollock, miniature easels, drawing tables and inventions of all shapes and sizes, curtains, and three dimensional ears to absorb the viewer Finally, after three of the most exciting weeks of my teaching career, the uniform-sized boxes were fastened together with T-pins to form our “wall of art history.” My students have become aware of the variety of work created since the beginning of history, can sense their artist's placement in notice the expansion of the elements of art and principles of design, and most of them can now spell Picasso! ve only had two problems with the assignment: they (my students) want to take the shadow boxes home, and secondly, what do I do for an encore next year? plan a traveling show of the wall throughout the school district and perhaps creation of a list of 100 additional artists for next year / Nelson Dodson is the art resource ialist for the School District of the City of York, Pennsyleania, ARTS & activities 2