From the Editors - Art Educators of New Jersey

Table of ContentsA Message from Linda Devlin Page 3From the Editors:When we announced our intent to change artbeat from a newsletterto a magazine, we had no idea what the response would be; asyou can tell, it was overwhelmingly positive!There were over 20 articles submitted for Artbeat, and there wereliterally three times that many photographs. Our thanks to theeditors and readers (all members!) who gave up more than oneSaturday to discuss, edit and proof read the magazine.Our thanks to the staff (see page 43) and the AENJ Executive Boardfor their support and enthusiasm as Artbeat took it’s new form.And thanks to you our members whose support and encouragementare so important to our work.2Cover submissions for Artbeat 2010If you havent’ received Web-beat you’ve been missngout on up to date information on events and activities!Make sure we have your email address, andtake advantage of the workshops, dinners, exhibits,scholarships, grants and awards program availableto all members.

in this cave painting affected mystudents very much, includingseveral young men, who likedshowing how tough they were.They thought being sensitivemade them weak and vulnerable.Students long to be both strongand graceful, and they suffer becausethey feel they can’t be. Thisis a question teachers have also.We feel we have to be strong andthen feel awful because we don’tfeel we’re kind. I was once askedin an Aesthetic Realism consultation: “Do you have a ‘gentle’ attitudeand a ‘fist’ attitude? Have you been unkind in BOTH ways?”I had been! And I learned that in every instance of successful art,opposites are working well together.I asked my students “Would it have been possible for early stoneageartists to paint these animals with that oneness of grace andstrength, power and delicacy, 1) if they didn’t have these possibilitiesin themselves; and 2) if they didn’t observe these qualities inthe animals?” The answer was a resounding, “NO!”Students who can feel painfully separate from the people theysee every day were moved to think about the feelings of a personwho lived 35,000 years ago. As they saw they were related throughthe opposites to people so far back in time, what was far away andstrange came to have immediatemeaning for their lives.They came to have a great carefor these paintings and have agreat respect for the mind ofearly man who painted them.And they began to think aboutthe people they knew in a deeper,kinder way, including each other.“When you think about how longago these paintings were done,”wrote Grisel, “and how they weretrying to make sense of what they saw in the world, this gives me afeeling of closeness to people.” And Tyshona was excited to see that“People thousands and thousands of years before me were tryingto fulfill the same things I am.”The ancient artist--like the modern artist and like us--was tryingto put opposites together. What an artist long ago did beautifullyin these cave paintings we now can learn from. The Aesthetic RealismTeaching Method has enabled my students and me—throughthe meaning and technique of art—to have large emotions aboutbeauty, and to have a new respect for the world and for all people,of the past and now.This paper was presented at the 31 st InSEA World Congress, International ConversationsThrough Art, New York City, August 2002.5

Just Entering the Classroom Was aDaunting ExperienceBy William CrowIalways liked making things—drawings, models, and craftsfrom just about every activity book from the county library. Itreally wasn’t until I reached high school that I understood I wasinterested in art, and I started taking painting classes after schoolwith a local artist who taught me how to paint landscapes, usuallyones that included a cloud made by dabbing a paint-dipped spongeonto the canvas or creating the effect of snow by using a paletteknife. When I headed to college I thinkthe idea of art as a career started tosink in because I received an art scholarshipand immersed myself in studio artclasses and some art history seminars—“The Ancient World,” “Spanish BaroquePainting,” “The Art of China.” I remembersitting in those classes, the hum of theslide projector and my professors waxingpoetic about objects from the Venusof Willendorf to Andy Warhol. So, aftercollege when I took a position as a teacherof Art History, Studio Art and Spanishat an independent school in Morristown,New Jersey I had a goal to entrance thestudents with the wonders of art as I had experienced them—they would rhapsodize about dramatic Caravaggesque light or theexquisite carvings of Egypt, and they would start to see art and theworld differently.I was wrong.Just entering the classroom was a pretty daunting experience—the high school seniors in my Art History class acted like theyknew everything, and on top of it they seemed like giants, many ofthem football stars and twice my height. I had spent the summerthumbing through my notes from college and getting re-acquaintedwith Gardners’ Art Through the Ages, and so I forged ahead withmy plan to unveil the power and mystery of art to these teenagers.Instead, I was challenged with questions like “Why is this so special,Mr. Crow?” or “My kid brother paints really well—why is this guy6Pollock so famous?” I started to wonder what happened to themagic I had experienced with art—the moments of revelation thatmy college professors had proclaimed, or the excitement of addingthe final touches to a painting that I had shared with my studioart teachers. In fact, the other classes I was teaching weren’t goingso well, either—two sections of Spanish III and a section of middleschool drawing. Even my boldest attempts to translate the lessonsI had experienced while in school failed, and I wondered how Icould give these students the same joys I had experienced.Spring arrived at the end of my first year of teaching, and I wasexhausted. It’s a common story to hear that teachers are stretchedthin, as I was finishing a year as yearbook sponsor, faculty advisorto the Architecture Club and even middle school squash coach fora while, in addition to my teaching. I remember cleaning up aftera class project in the Art Room on a warm day and talking withFather Beatus, a Benedictine monk and former headmaster of theschool who had recently returnedfrom a semester-long excursion toEurope. He was showing my colleagueDiane and I a portfolio of watercolorsthat he had completed during histravels—images of monuments andmountains and views of historic townsquares. Diane and I admired his work,but Father Beatus sighed “Well, theyreally don’t do justice to the beauty ofthe places I visited. There’s really noway to capture it.”His words seemed all too familiar,since I knew that I was faced with a similar challenge in my Art Historyclass: how to convey the profound meaning of a work of artto a group of students? Is it possible to translate my own experienceswith art to my students, and how could I make them seethe mystery and even sublime quality of a painting or sculpture? Ididn’t have the answer. I needed to find a way to reenergize myselfover the summer, and hope that the fall semester would bringsome new approaches.In the faculty lounge I remember coming across a pile of brochuresfor various workshops and summer professional development programs.One that caught my attention was a flyer describing summerteacher workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. SinceI was sneaking away to New York City quite often on the weekendsI thought this would be a good opportunity to reconnect with art,to enjoy the summer in the city, and hopefully pick up some ideasfor the classroom. I signed up for two July workshops: “Portraits:Ideas About Identity” and “Latin American Legacies”.

Visual Art, Student Success,Public Relations and the FRESHPERSPECTIVES ExhibitionBy Dr. Paula Valenti, PrincipalPrincipals and superintendents are always happy whenstudents and teachers experience success. Success is a goodthing for the students, teachers and school programs. Successbreeds program zinterest, student/teacher motivation, goodpublic relations and these cannot be underestimated in an era offiscal frugality and concern over property taxes and school funding.Now, more than ever, it is important for school artprograms to maintain high visibility.Art teachers, and those who work in the profession,know that sometimes achievement and success in thearts is overlooked. This oversight can sometimes be dueto lack of awareness and sadly, sometimes poor professionalrelationships and lack of commitment to studentlearning in the art program. However, there areopportunities available in New Jersey where art educatorscan garner visibility and success for their studentsand art programs, as well as educate school leaders andinform the community, specifically, the Fresh Perspectivesjuried exhibition at The Morris Museum.The annual Fresh Perspectives juried exhibition offersvisual art students the opportunity to compete for thespotlight and accolades afforded other to other schoolprograms and sports. Fresh Perspectives is made possiblewith support from the New Jersey State Councilon the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency ofthe National Endowment for the Arts and the Geraldine R. DodgeFoundation. The Fresh Perspectives exhibition began in 1989 togive artistically accomplished high school students a professionallyorganized museum exhibition experience and to recognize artteachers for their encouragement and the effective teaching ofthese talented student artists. This juried show is organized by theMorris Museum located at 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown,NJ. Teachers from northern and central New Jersey are solicited tosubmit a maximum of four pieces of outstanding student artworkproduced by their students during the current school year. Jurorsfor the show include professional artistsand representatives from colleges anduniversities and a culminating receptionis scheduled to celebrate the student artists,their teachers and schools. The 2010 Fresh Perspectives exhibitionis scheduled for April 28 through June 11, 2010. As the principalof a Junior-Senior High School I am delighted that the visual artteachers in my school submitted student art works for considerationof the jurors. We were fortunate to have two student artworks selected for the exhibition and I am eager to attend theopening reception to celebrate the students and their teachers. Tolearn more about the Fresh Perspectives annual juried show andprograms at the Morris Museum please visit the following link:www.morrismuseum.org.8

The National Art EducationAssociation Conference,Baltimore, MarylandJennifer TiongsonWilliam L Dickinson High SchoolJersey City, NJWhat an event! I was so excited to receive the Rick LasherProfessional Development Grant to attend the 2010 conference.This was the first conference that I traveled out of state toattend, so I was a little nervous leaving my students, daughter, andhusband for five days of professional development. I weighed thepros and cons of going away (such a selfish act!), and went for thefive days of workshops and celebrations of being an art teacher.Upon my return, all can I can say is, if you haven’t attended a nationalconvention, put it on your to do list! The whole atmospherevibrates in excitement, with art education professionals millingabout from session to session carrying bags full of ideas, and notebooksfull of inspiration.I focused on high school and art history sessions during my stay,and all I could think about was wishing it was the fall so I couldgo back to my classroom and implement all these awesome ideasand techniques. I felt professionally reenergized, was creativelyinspired, and met new friends at every turn. On Thursday, my firstday at the conference, I attended a workshop by NAEA SecondaryArt Educator 2008 (and author of Experience Printmaking), DonnaAnderson. Her presentation, Printmaking and the Visual Journal,showed how her students created relief prints, and then handbound a book that included a print from every student in the class.She also created one for her administrator and other officials asan advocacy tool for her program. What a wonderful idea to showthe talents of your students.Friday I started my day with Color Theory Books, presented byRosie Riordan. This workshop showed how she taught her paintingclass in Kansas color theory, by creating a book of color exercises.Her students created poems about color and value to add textto their personal books. I wrapped up the conference experienceby attending a two part session on Advanced Placement Art History,presented by Yu Bong Ko and John Gunnin. In Bringing ArtHistory to Life, Ko and Gunnin illustrated the various methods ofteaching art history, and incorporating studio experiences into arthistory classes.By the end of my stay I was completely ready to go back to myclassroom energized for a strong finish. If ever the opportunityarises for you to attend a National Conference do it. It was one ofthe best professional experiences of my career.Note: NAEA will be in Seattle in 20100, March 16-21, and in New Yorkin 20102, March 1-4! Apply for a Rick Lasher NAEA Residency Grantyourself. It’s not too early to start planning now! For more informationgo to http://www.naea-reston.org/.9

School and CommunitySpirit Mural,NAEA Foundation GrantBy Michelle D. Dillon, Art instructor, Ocean Gate Elementary SchoolThe day I met the Principal/ Superintendent of our small Pre-kthrough Sixth Grade school he shared his vision with me ofa lively school that had multiple enrichment opportunities forstudents, including art and painted murals. Only two problems:where would the funding come from? How could it fit into theschool schedule?Since our school has scheduled articulation time, a co-workerand I decided to devote some of our meeting time to trying to wina grant. I had never applied for a grant before. We wrote three proposals;a science/ art proposal, an art/ music proposal, and an artproposal for a mural project. It was the mural project that receiveda partial grant from the National Art Education Foundation, theMary McMullen Fund For Art.Winning the grant was one thing, proceeding was another! Theintent of the murals was to highlight the rich history, beauty,and spirit of the community and school, encourage communityinvolvement, offer enhanced art opportunities for students, andreinforce the standards for art education. Ocean Gate is a smallcommunity situated along the Toms River with a view of theSeaside Bridge and bay. There used to be a railroad station hereand the one and two-room school houses are still in use on schoolproperty. Many of the people livingin town had relatives that eitherwent to the school or were otherwisedirectly involved in the school.As there is no mail delivery, thepost office is still a place for neighborsto socialize. Oh, and not toforget the infamous first town inNew Jersey to use a Wind Turbine.Enthusiasm by the Administration,School Board and student body10was inspiring. First, I surveyedstudents, community members,and school staff as to whatthey wanted in the mural. Thisincluded a class assignment forstudents to make sketches oftheir ideas. While I was gatheringideas, the Board of Educationapproved matching the Grantto start an after school artclub. Next, I researched recentcommunity mural projectsdone across the nation. I hadn’t made a mural since High School,although my background as a graphic designer, (my career beforebecoming a teacher), helped because I had been trained to problem-solve,working a concept through to completion. I discoveredan artist named Michael Schwartz. I was inspired by the process heused when he worked with the community on large murals. Thisstyle of working became the prototype for our large mural.The process was that I would combine some of the submittedsketched ideas and historical photos to design one large 8’x12’mural for an entrance area. It was further decided that this areashould be developed into a historic photo gallery, as well. It wouldbe a welcoming area to highlight the uniqueness of the school. (Igot experience in establishing a committee to handle the photogallery). As if that wasn’t wonderful enough, the students in theArt Club were to design mini-murals to be painted throughoutthe school to piggy-back on a “Go Green” theme to pick up on the excitementof the Wind Turbine, (which can be seen and heard fromthe school yard). Their murals ranged from pictures of the schoolmascot recycling to a “save the rain forest” mural.If I were to say there were noproblems, I’d be lying. To ensurepermanency, instead of paintingon a cinder block wall, we decidedto paint on plywood panels. TheFire Marshal determined weneeded fire resistant wood. Itwasn’t easily obtained and it costmore, but it could be deliveredfree. After priming the boards,and sketching the designs out, thewood started to warp. The boardseventually had to be wet down.They warped again and started

aking apart. They had to be thrown away. Weeks of time andwork were lost! Time was becoming an issue. We had to go back topainting directly on the wall. This meant that children could notdo the upper portion because it was too high for them to reach.Another challenge became knowing what colors I needed to order.Don’t assume all primary colors can be mixed to make satisfactorysecondary colors. There are cool and warm blues, reds, etc. It maynot be the color you are looking for. Better to order professionalquality acrylics in several pigments of the primary colors, plusblack, brown, and white. A slightly anticipated problem was howto select students, how to supervise all these various murals andwhen the murals were done who to let go and who would remainto help with the large mural.On the other hand, the positive rewards were so numerous I cannot list them all here. I think I grew professionally as much asthe students grew in artistic knowledge, ability and confidence.The entire school population has witnessed seeing the processof a mural being developed from start to finish. Two commentsI found particularly endearing were, “Hey, Mrs. Dillon is drawingon the wall!” and “Wow, I didn’t know my art teacher is an artist!” Idiscovered all the posters in the world can’t educate like personalinvolvement and witnessing of the process of art. Many childrenwere fuzzy on the word, “mural” until they saw it happen, even withthe wonderful posters the grant afforded us to acquire. The clubmembers engaged in the process of analyzing art for meaning,fine-tuning sketches, adjusting them in the enlarged space andreevaluating them for color harmony, contrast, detail, texture, etc.when painted – all the things we needed to do on the large muralas well. Two parent volunteers helped to supervise the smoothingof image edges and to create the lettering. (The age level withwhich we were working: fourth through sixth grade, proved to bemuch too young to successfully complete the lettering and cleanthe lines).The small murals are now all completed. The large one was almostcomplete, at the time of this writing. I have committed to finishingby graduation. I have been fortunate to have been able to spendextra time painting, as it has become time consuming completingall the finishing touches. Students proudly say they recognize theideas they contributed in the completed mural. They spend timeconsidering the gull, butterfly, train, rainbow, beach, school houseand more. Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t say how beautifulit is or how cheerful all the murals look. This art has enlivenedthe environment and brought people together…truly creatingfurther school and community spirit! I have felt very proud to bepart of something so valuable!11

friend was able to spend the rest of her year free toapply her own creativity to the lessons learned.More Musings from theRocking Chairby Eileen ScallyWell, I haven’t spent much time in thisold rocking chair lately, what withvisiting my mom, traipsing off to Boston to seethe grandkids and taking painting classes there hasn’t been muchtime. Painting classes? Yes, I am a student again.When I was in school, I never had much training in the art of painting.The one class I had as a freshman actually had a dramaticinfluence on my teaching. But, not in the way you might think.The professor I had in that freshman class liked to work withstudents who already knew how to paint. The most feedback Iwould get was a few grunts as he passed by my easel. At the endof the year, the students had to set out all their canvases for theprofessor to comment on. Now, we all know that one does not waituntil the end to give summative evaluation of work, but to provideongoing feedback so that the student could make changes andapply knowledge learned. And you all do that, right? But I digress...Well, when Professor B came to my work, his only comment, aftera year of grunts, was “Miss Mackey and I have discussed this andwe have decided that painting is not her medium.” I have to tellyou, its 45 years later and it still smarts to remember those words.Worse, still, I came to believe them, and never tried to paint again.The power we teachers have!Another situation that affected my teaching was the philosophyof the art department of that time which could be summed up as“learn by doing”. The theory being that if one was trying to make aclay pot and it continually collapsed, one would eventually figureout a way to make it work, and that knowledge would be more“valuable” than if one were taught the basics. The idea was thatsomehow one would have a more intrinsic knowledge of a subjectby making discoveries independently. Well, following that theory, itwould take me a year to learn how to make that pot before I couldbegin to create works of my own. A dear friend and fellow studentwho came into the program as a sophomore had a differentinstructor who demonstrated and taught the basics to students,challenging them to master those basics before moving on. My12As a result of these experiences, I started my teachingcareer determined to show my students the basicsand give them the building blocks upon which tobuild their own ideas. As I noted in my article lastyear, I was really good at task analysis and at breakingdown a lesson into its components. Because of thisevery student could, and did, create a masterpiece. Somany good “projects”! So many “never fail” lessons! Butthe doubts began to creep in. If every student’s workwas a masterpiece, then whose was it? Was it theirsbecause they faithfully followed my instructions? Or,was it mine, because I created the idea? I would go home at nightexhausted from having “solved” creative questions all day. “Whatcolor should I use now, Mrs. Scally?” “How does my drawing looknow, Mrs.Scally?” Now I ask, “Whose success were you building, Mrs.Scally?” It was clear to me I needed another way to go. I was open tonew ideas, and influences can come at any point in a career.Through my involvement with AENJ’s Hands & Minds, I foundteachers whose teaching was not about projects, but about ideas.I watched a brilliant teaching mind turn a Bugs Bunny poster intoa discussion of how to discern a civilization through the iconsthey leave behind. Another mind, just as brilliant, used a space agestapler to show how archeology can define a civilization. Theseapproaches enlivened my teaching. I began to look for ways toshow students how to think beyond the usual. It was important toprovide situations that would give each student an opportunity tocreate personal works, based on a synthesis of ideas from history,from the influences of their own environment, and a workingknowledge of varied art media. The results were exciting, not onlyto me, but to my students. There was one time we had such a balllearning about the relationship of the design of Greek vases totheir function. One example was the creation of their versions oflekythos. This is a small jar with a narrow neck designed to controlthe flow of precious oils. The students were challenged to create aclay vessel designed for something that was precious or importantin their lives. The result was a roomful of wildly varied pots of allshapes and sizes, uniquely individual. Thereafter, their willingnessto follow me down unknown paths proved they understood thevalidity of this individual approach to art.I challenge you to think of your influences. Be aware of them anddeliberate the effect they have had on your teaching. One alwayshas the right and the privilege to keep or reject those influences.Be mindful of the effect your decisions have on your teaching andon the lives of your students. Will they be empowered by what youchoose to do? Will they go on because of you, or in spite of you?What will be your effect on genius?

Spring Symposium:The Most Special Artist in your ClassThe AENJ 2010 Spring Symposium washeld May 1, 2010, in Princeton NJ at the PaulRobeson Center for the Arts. The theme ofthis years event was : “The Most Special Artistin your Class” which focused on Childrenwith Special Needs. Our Keynote Speakerwas Peter Geisser, Chair of the Special NeedsInterest Group of NAEA, along with a panel of teachers and expertsto discuss and answer questions on strategies, law and methods ofsuccessful inclusion in the artroom.Peter GeisserPeter’s experience includes teaching language, philosophy/ critical/creative thinking at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. He is thechair of NAEA’s Special Needs in Art Education (SNAE) Issues GroupPanelMaura Geisser: Collaborates with husband, Peter, at the RI Schoolfor the DeafAnn Holmes: Chief Clinical Officer for the Eden Family of Services,Autism specialistCindy Hamilton: Art therapist, Jersey City Public SchoolsModerator: Lauren Parmelee MurphySpring Symposium 2011The next Spring Symposium will be held May 21st at Mercer CountyCommunity College and will focus on using Technology in yourArtroon. Check Web beat and the AENJ website for more information.Space will be limited and we are asking hat you BYO laptop!(Bring Your Own)! OR Come with a fellow art teacher who has alaptop!13

The Art Student’s Workbook; A ClassroomCompanion for Art and SculptureBy Eric GibbonsIhave completed a workbook this year based on all the paperworkand lessons that I use throughout the year. With my 20+years in the classroom, and plenty of curriculum writing under mybelt, I thought it might be a valuable resource to new teachers andothers trying to find a new project or approach to their course. Iam heavily influenced by the work of Ken Vieth, author of manybooks on teaching art and use methods similar in approach.I have made two versions of the book available, first a teacher’sedition will more than a year’s worth of lesson ideas. My secondbook, the student edition could be purchased for a low cost for allstudents to avoid unauthorized photocopying. All are welcome touse the ideas in the book and re-form them to your own or just buyannual student editions.Lessons are easily adjusted to accommodate special needs studentsand material availability in many environments from theschool classroom to a fine arts camp program. I created the bookwith grades 6 and up in mind.I use these in my introductorycourses.The book includes more thana year’s worth of lesson ideas,project samples, vocabulary, worksheets,sample tests, researchpaper samples, grading rubrics,sketch/note taking pages, andshort creative 5 minute writingassignments. It is designed towork with Crystal & Davis Publications’materials and the textbook,“The Visual Experience” but may14be used alone as well.This book is also a helpful aid in fulfilling State and Federal accommodationrequirements (504, IEP) by providing special needsstudents additional documented & written material that may betaken home.Every lesson is designed to be personal and expressive Fine Art.There are NO “crafty” projects or “cookie-cutter” lessons whereeveryone has the same outcome. This book stresses a “DivergentThinking Processes” approach and creative problem solving, withan art therapy undertone. All lesson suggestions may be done indifferent media to work withintight budgets.Teachers and schools that wouldlike to purchase multiple copiesmay contact Firehouse Publicationsfor “Student Editions” at amuch reduced rate. Informationhas been included on the book’scopyright page. (Student copiesDO NOT contain lesson suggestionsor internet art references)I can accept purchase ordersthrough my home based business,The Firehouse Gallery.Please direct questions to emailLOVSART2@aol.com

For readers of ArtBeat, you can go to the publisher’s webpage andorder a copy for yourself with 30% off using code: VTK94ME4https://www.createspace.com/3412518

certificate. Ample time was given for each student’s familymembers and teacher to take photographs of the artists and theirflags. The student artists were made to feel that what they createdwas of great importance.A Capital Dayfor Youth ArtMonthbyCheryl Parisihis year, my artT student, CyaniRodriguez, a fourthgrader at Nellie K. Parker School in Hackensack had the goodfortune to be selected to have her design turned into the flag torepresent New Jersey at the Youth Art Month Flag Ceremony inWashington DC.In addition to the ceremony, Cyani and her mom experiencedan additional bit of excitement. Congressman Steve Rothmanwho represents the 9 th district which includes Hackensack madea special trip to visit with Cyani and congratulate her on herprestigious award.Yes, it was a capital day for Youth Art Month!Yes!When we were informed that Cyani’s design was selected to bemade into the flag and that Cyani, her family and I would havethe opportunity to go to the nation’s capital for the ceremony,it sounded like an exciting prospect. But, nothing could haveprepared any of us for the grandeur of the locale or the ceremony.Sponsored and hosted by the Council for Arts Education, Inc.and The Art and Creative Materials Institute, Inc. it was held onThursday March 25, 2010 in the Library of Congress MembersRoom located in the Thomas Jefferson Building. The building,outside and in, is itself a work of art. The Members Room with itsmarble fireplaces at either end was an artist’s and art teacher’sdream. Displayed above the fireplaces were intricate mosaicswhich represented history and law. Seven painted panels gracedthe ceiling and depicted the spectrum of light. Oak panels linedthe sides of the room with oak lunettes highlighting the threedoorways. What a wonderful atmosphere in which to hold thisevent which emphasizes the importance of the visual arts.The reception and the ceremony matched the splendor of theroom. Vegetable platters, soft drinks, assorted desserts and acelebratory cake were provided for the guests.Deborah Fanning, Executive Vice President of the Council forArt Education, Inc. gave the opening remarks and presentedeach young artist whose flag was represented with an awards16

Art ConnectionsBy Kristen Marino & Stephanie RomanoFrank R. Conwell MS #4, Jersey City NJhe Frank R. Conwell Middle School #4 inT Jersey City has made great strides indeveloping unique art programs offered to 6th,7th & 8th graders. Art therapist and educator,Kristen Marino, and art educator, StephanieRomano have been integrating the arts with21st century life and career education to expandstudents’ thinking about what art can be. Withthe support of administrators, colleagues andparents, two unique art programs have evolvedduring the 2009-2010 school year.The Urban Arts Program is offered tostudents who want to develop drawing,painting, computer and design skillsrelated to urban/graffiti style art. Theprogram developed out of a need to tapthe interest of at-risk children throughalternative arts not typically offered inour school district. Computer animation,graffiti, silk screening and airbrushingare desired mediums that tend to“hook” students’ interest in school. Itgives them the opportunity to developartistic skills, apply them in the marketplace, and engage in positive educationalactivities. This can directly impacttheir high school choice, motivation to stay in school, and futurecareer paths. Over the past 2 years, (4) of our six 8th graders wereaccepted into the media arts and visual arts high school, and (2)were accepted into the general arts high school.Classes meet 1x/week during the school day for a 90 minute blockin groups of 5-10 students. Class size is kept small so studentscan receive more individualized attention and guidance.Programming focuses on utilizing the skills and talents of18professional artists and art therapists within the community,along with using professional supplies, equipment and computersoftware. Students have the ability to learn design skills usingAdobe Photoshop and Illustrator, computer animation using 3DStudio Max, airbrushing and silk screening. Students also learnhow to create a digital portfolio and website(www.ms4urbanart.weebly.com), how tomarket and sell their ideas and designs, andparticipate in local art shows and festivals.Trips include visits to local galleries andprofessionals in the industry, art supply stores,and participation in community art events.Continuing our desire to make positiveconnections with the arts within ourcommunity, the second art programspotlights the importance of public art andthe environmental concerns of recycling.Working with local artist Pollie Barden, Ms.Romano and her 8th grade students spentmonths collecting water bottles for Ms.Barden’s Bottled V.2 (www.bottledproject.org). Bottled V.2. was an installationof a low-resolution landscape motifmade up of more than 2,000 discardedwater bottles collected from schoolwaste receptacles, the beachfrontalong the Hackensack and HudsonRivers, city streets and neighborhoodparks. The installation was housedin the windows of the Mack-Calibuilding in downtown Jersey City. Inaddition to collecting bottles, studentsalso participated by attending Ms.Barden’s artist talk at the Jersey CityMuseum, where they delivered over1300 recycled water bottles. Studentsalso experienced her finished installation when they attended theopening reception.Because of their involvement and interest, Ms. Barden asked thestudents of MS #4 to redesign her bottled project in the samewindow space her original installation occupied. Beginning in theclassroom, students from the Artistically Talented Class and ArtClub brainstormed, sketched, and created numerous prototypesuntil they decided on the idea of a log cabin design. There weretwo constraints they had to work around; (1) the bottles had toremain recyclable so adhesives could not be used and (2) there wasno budget for extra supplies. Despite these constraints, students

came up with an inventive way to connect the bottles by cuttingoff the bottom of one and inserting it over the top of another.Once they figured out how to successfully make connections theygot to work cutting 2,000 more to be used as their logs.Students then took a trip to the actual window space to buildtheir life-size log cabin. Working with Ms. Barden and Ms. Romanofor two 4-hour sessions, students learned what it takes to buildan art project on such a large scale, work within time constraints,work as a team, and problem solve. Because the window spacewas narrow and could only fit four people at a time, students tookturns stacking the logs inside the window space and assemblingthem in the adjacent parking garage. In addition to the log cabin,a flower garden was created in front of the house and flying birdsand bugs were hung over the cabin. In the end the only suppliesused to create the installation were plastic bottles and fishingline. An opening reception was held at the window space for thestudents to celebrate their accomplishment and share their artwith friends and family (and anyone else who happened to walkby). To view more photos of the Bottled V.2 Redesign visit www.stephanieromanoart.com.19

At Grounds for Sculpture,Interactive Art Helps Frame a MovingExperienceby David Steelem sure that readers who are arts educators already have experiencedthat art possesses a quixoticI’power and, because of that, has numerouspositive effects, sometimeseven profound ones. Art is capable,without it explaining why or how,of expanding your horizons bothemotionally and then, equally inexplicably,intellectually. Art secretly helpsyou deal with anxiety, fear, sadnessand depression. It can become adependable emotional transfusion. Itoffers tolerance and compassion andbridges cultural differences. Throughpublic art we celebrate our greatestaccomplishments and find meaningin our greatest tragedies. Artcan exhilarate and transformus. It can stimulate emotionalmemory and creativity and,thus, rejuvenates us.Believing in this sends an importantmessage to me andI think perhaps to more andmore of us engaged in exhibitingart. What I increasinglyfind myself intent on doingis trying to help visitors overcomeindividual resistancesor fears they may acquire anddevelop about their relationshipto art in a hope that eachand every one can, a step at atime, share more abundantlyin art’s wonders.Too many people have not shared, have not partaken of thiselusive feast. They view others from afar going to museums,theaters, sculpture parks, concerts or dance performances andsomehow assume that the experience that those others embraceand extol is somehow exclusive, probably 90 percent intellectualand, thus, personally intimidating. They then feel themselves tobe outsiders, not knowledgeable enough to comprehend it, to getit. So, in order to not expose and embarrass themselves, they sadlyavoid the attempt of discovery. Therefore, they retreat.At Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, we try to shatterthat syndrome. Our goal is to make the visitor’s experience adeeply felt, personally owned one-of-a-kind developing relationshipwith art. We start with an introductory film that says thereis no right way to meet or confront art. You’ve got to follow yourown nose and, intuitively, wendyour own way across 35 beautifullylandscaped acres through your ownsequence of experiences, almostunconsciously building a uniquepattern of cumulative, very personalresponses. Much of the art, hiddenwithin nature, separates eachintroductory experience one fromanother, many of the choices blind,instinctive, ones that have nothingto do with the knowledge of theart that lies ahead. We urge visitors,where feasible and safe, to touchand physically, socially or emotionallyinteract with the sculpture.Nobody has an advantageand, just as importantly,no one is at a disadvantage.The Grounds For Sculpture experienceis entirely individualand so, if you are moving asa group, move slowly! Alloweach person to make theirown discovery and make it intheir own chosen sequence.Allow each and every one toslowly fill their own well ofcognitive, emotional response,their own fingerprint ofsequential experience. Partof their experience may bepeople-watching, seeing othersexperiencing the sameprocess.20

This can be done on days when there isthe purity of just sculpture and natureintermixed, sequentially, unconsciously,challenging or seducing one’s sensibilities,or on days when there is another art formor activity to interweave with the sculptureand nature. For us this requires great diversityin our more than 250 works of sculpture,from the most accessible, representationalof works to the most challengingand abstract. That gives us the best chanceat capturing the viewer’s imagination andopening doors to greater possibility. Wehope you will find that we take great carein the placement of sculpture and try to usenature to frame it, invite you to it, and evenstartle you but also give you space for intimacyand contemplation. You may find it isalso why we try to create multiple “portalsof entry” that do not rely solely upon thesculpture. Where the secondary attractionis music, dance, poetry, fine dining, theater,or a business or family event, visitors discovernew harmonic combinations becausethe art, in whatever form, surrounds you.This, you may find, reverses resistance andopens hearts, individually or shared withanother, further enriching the memory andmaking it easier to carry home or to workto enrich the following day.I have come to believe that the more individualthe package of emotional responsesyou take home, the richer, deeper andmore durable the penetration and enrichmentyou will carry with you. These effectsconstantly both amaze and humble me,especially when I see them in children. Theyalso feed my art and an ever-evolving visionof Grounds For Sculpture. The creativity ofso many has made it what it is, including thecreativity of every visitor who, by a simplestroll, has been joined in a unique, but commonexperience. This just has to end upbeing a source of strength.21

Turning Knobs andShifting Paradigmsby Andrew WerthThere are different ways to think about creativity, from the“small-c” creativity of thinking outside the box when youfinally come up with a way to do a task differently to the “Big-C”Creativity of someone like Einstein whose insights completelychanged the way the entireworld thinks about physics.Douglas Hofstadter thinks of creativityas “variations on a theme”or “knob-twiddling”. In his bookMetamagical Themas (a collectionof articles he wrote for ScientificAmerican in the 1980s), hewrites that, “Making variationson a theme is really the crux ofcreativity.” (Hofstadter, 1985)What are these knobs thatwe’re twiddling? Consider theknobs on a (pre-touch-screen)stereo system. The knobs letyou change things like volume,bass, and treble. When using thismetaphor to describe creativity,you’re turning the knobs on aconcept rather than a stereo system.For example, the abstractidea of “device that plays music”might have knobs that representdimensions such as “how themusic is stored”, “how the musicis played back”, “how the musicis acquired”, “fidelity of storedmusic”, etc.22Andrew spoke at the Youth Art Month Reception for High School Students,Trenton State House,March 2010In the past, most commercial music was “stored” on vinyl disks asspirals of tiny physical bumps in grooves, purchased at a recordstore, played back on a device that spins those disks and convertsthe little bumps into vibrations of sound. Over the years, inventorshave tweaked those knobs in many ways. Storage moved to cassettetape, then to digital compact discs, and now to hard drivesand memory cards. For a long time music was purchased primarilyin retail outlets, though other venues appeared such as musicclubs, mail order, and Amazon. These days, there’s often nothingphysical that moves when music is purchased: it’s just downloadedonto a hard drive (and subsequently transferred to a memory cardon a digital music player). Note that knob-turning doesn’t alwaysneed to make things better: many audiophiles prefer the fidelity ofold-fashioned vinyl records to digital MP3 players. But each timethese knobs were turned, a new product and a new market wasformed and we witnessed a formof creativity in action.In my own paintings, some ofthe knobs that I twiddle relateto palette colors; design strategy;the physical support’s size, shape,and material; or how the marksthat make up my paintings areapplied (e.g., in one layer or inmany layers separated by glazes).By varying these (and manyother) knobs, I have a large spacein which to explore and producenew paintings. If I feel that I’mrepeating myself, I can either trytwisting some knobs further thanI have in the past or in differentdirections, or I can look for a newknob altogether. For instance,most of my abstract paintings todate have been informed by myinterest in cognitive science andthe philosophy of mind. But atsome point, I know that I’ll wantto change “subject matter” from aconstant into a knob and turn itto something else. I have a list ofother possible knobs that I mightsomeday call upon in order formy work to continue to grow andgo off in new directions.

of others who changed the paradigms of their respective fieldsthrough Big-C Creativity. (Gardner, 1993)While most of us probably won’t be changing paradigms on thescale of Picasso or Einstein, we can look for and cultivate opportunitiesfor discovering and turning the creative knobs in our ownwork and for encouraging those we teach to do the same.In order to make knob turning a creative act, however, one has tofigure out what the knobs are. This requires thinking abstractly.One type of abstraction is generalization, where an analysis of aconcept’s common attributes helps you figure out the knobs. Perhapsthe most creative and satisfying aspect of software development(my previous career) is designing the abstract model for theobjects in a system and deciding what their knobs will be. Anothertype of abstraction is metaphor, the “understanding and experiencingof one kind of thing in terms of another.” (Lakoff & Johnson,1980) For instance, once you recognize the common metaphorthat “life is a journey”, you might reason about how to resolve being“stuck in a rut” by changing direction and giving yourself a littlepush.Another kind of creativity – “Big-C” Creativity, the kind that leadsto what we call a paradigm shift – usually requires more than justtwiddling some knobs. It may mean changing the set of knobscompletely. Einstein recognized that there were problems withthe Newtonian picture of physics, where space is absolute andtime moves along evenly for everyone, and saw that minor tweakswouldn’t solve the problems. Through clever thought experiments,superior visual-spatial imagination, and sheer hard work,he changed the worldview of physics to one where time and spacearen’t fixed but are curved in the presence of matter and energy.Pablo Picasso, Martha Graham, and Igor Stravinsky are examplesReferencesGardner, H. (1993). Creating Minds. New York: BasicBooks.Hofstadter, D. (1985). Metamagical Themas: Questing for the Essenceof Mind and Pattern. New York: BasicBooks.Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: TheUniversity of Chicago Press.23

Priceless ProfessionalDevelopment: Receiving theGeraldine R. Dodge’s Visual ArtsInitiative FellowshipDollars, Dodge and a Dream!by Jude HarzerIrecall sealing the envelope containing my completed applicationfor the Geraldine R. Dodge’s Visual Arts Initiative Fellowshipwith a kiss and a wish before mailing it! That’s right…akiss and a wish! Although I had never before applied for such anaward, I felt particularly hopeful about the possibility of receivingthis grant. The purpose of this program was to provide NJ publicschool art educators, who actively produce and exhibit their ownwork, funding which would allow them to rejuvenate themselvesas visual artists during the summer months! $ 5000 would beawarded to each recipient to pursue a project of their choice. I wasoverwhelmed with ideas and excited by the possibilities!One thing I have learned as both a visual artist and educator, isthat my best work results when I trust my own instincts. Duringthe application phase of this process, my confidence waivered andI responded to the essays with the review board, rather than myself,in mind. Upon completion, I handed my efforts to my daughter,a gifted writer, to critique and “approve.” I nearly cried whenshe basically suggested that I trash the application and beginanew. She explained that my answers revealed nothing personalabout who I was as an artist andas an individual. I believe she usedthe words, “boring, impersonaland excessive use of educationalrhetoric.” Her advice, “Be genuineand tell them your story!”.I desperatelywanted this fellowship andso considered her wise words. Ispent many hours rewriting theentire application. The kiss andthe wish were actually for mydaughter ,who reminded me to beauthentic and to trust my own thoughts and abilities.In order to apply for the grant, I also needed to seriously considerhow I would effectively use these precious funds to advance thecontent and direction of my work as a visual artist. I entertainedthoughts of painting in Italy or studying pattern and textile designin India. Both were viable options but my main objective was to explore,in depth, my own painting. My proposed “project” was to liveand paint in New York City as an artist in residence at the Schoolof Visual Arts during July and August of 2009. I was attracted tothis program because it offered the opportunity to for uninterrupted,intensive painting, under the guidance of accomplishedprofessional artists. I would have my very own studio space, with24 hour/7 day access .The culminating event, would be an openstudio exhibit at SVA, with artists, critics and gallery owners inattendance. Perfect!Living the Dream!The great news is that the kiss,the wishes and the applicationrevision worked! My proposalwas approved and fully funded! Idid in fact paint at SVA in my veryown, well lit 4 th floor studio on21 st Street and lived at the GeorgeWashington residence hall on LexingtonAvenue in a single dormroom for 5 entire weeks! It waslike a dream!24

There were approximately 25 other artists participating in thesame painting/mixed media program. These emerging artistswere from very diverse backgrounds and cultures, most not beingfrom the United States. I was privileged to meet and interact dailywith students from Austria, China, France, Spain, Estonia, Turkeyand Japan. The cultural and ideological versatility of these artistsand their works, made for incredibly interesting and intelligentinteractions and critiques.Did I mention critiques?The critique process was one which I secretly dreaded. I wonderedif they would expose me as talentless and suggest I pursue analternate profession! :) I awaited the pain of scrutiny conductedby a panel of renowned artists including, Alois Kronschlager, AmyMyers, Peter Hristoff, Danica Phelps and art critic, David Gibson.I nervously welcomed their guidance. The first was indeed themost painful. My initial assessment by faculty member, artist, AloisKronschlager, was the most definitive and memorable. He indeedchallenged my confidence. After a few tear filled encounters, I realizedthat he wanted little more than for me to “BELIEVE” in myselfas an artist and in the intention of my work ! These critiques weremeant to inspire growth, not diminish spirit. Once I was able toembrace them as such, I felt freer to focus on the improvement oftechnique, skills and composition. The work and the “worth” afterall, are in the process.passion for my discipline. My appreciation for last summer’sopportunity, afforded by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, is immeasurable.It was undoubtedly, the most valuable form of qualityprofessional development that I could have experienced. I lived andpainted as a fine artist in New York City! My nearly 700 Kindergartenart students at the Brick Community Primary Learning Center,also benefited from my efforts as I was awarded an additional$2000. grant for the purpose of implementing a relief printmakingprogram in our school. This project promoted collaboration andcommunity awareness. Their art was created with the purpose ofbeing shared. Volunteers, staff members, administrators, children’sbook author, Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and others, received beautifulprints and cards designed by my students.Unfortunately, due to financial cutbacks, the Dodge Foundationhas suspended availability of this fellowship program until furthernotice. However, here is a truly priceless link that I would like toshare! Colleague and Dodge fellow, So Yoon Lym, sent this comprehensivelink featuring grants, fellowship and residency opportunitiesfor artists and art educators, compiled by Jeanne Brasile, curatorof Seton Hall University Galleries http://jeannecurates.com/#/links/4534099946. Unleash your artistic genius by considering oneof these worthwhile professional development opportunities!http://judeharzerfineart.blogspot.comIt’s showtime!My experience at SVA, culminated in an open studio exhibit, heldon the evening of August 6, 2009. Each participant was responsiblefor transforming their studio space into a gallery setting. The objectivewas to create an environment that best showcased selectedworks. The space had to then be returned to its original statewithin 24 hours, post exhibit. I prepared walls with a distressedfaux finish, painted the floor and designed literature for advertising,business cards, and invites. Preparation for the exhibition wasthe final stage in the creation process and reinforced the notionthat our efforts truly become “Art”, when shared. The event waswell attended and a great success! It yielded additional exhibitionopportunities for me in the fall and winter months. Attending criticsand gallery owners invited select artists to exhibit in Chelsea.Several of my works were featured in the “Essential Art and MusicShow”, last October in NYC.Priceless!The greatest gift I can offer my students, is my enthusiasm and25

The New Jersey PerformingArts CenterThe New Jersey Performing Arts Center and AENJ are again collaboratingto bring the visual and performing arts together.Your students’ artwork could be displayed beautifully in the VictoriaTheatre lobby and be viewed by thousands.2010 September AENJ Calendar ExhibitSeptember 12th- NJPAC Set-up, 10am to 12pmSeptember 19th- NJPAC Student Art Reception, 11am to 12pm2010 Winter ExhibitArtwork must be received no later than November 3 rdDecember 5th- NJPAC Set-up, 10am to 12pmDecember 18th- NJPAC Student Art Reception, 11am to 12pmFree KWANZAA Festival to follow reception at 2pm2011 Winter ExhibitArtwork must be received no later than January 5 thFebruary 6th- NJPAC Set-up, 10am to 12pmFebruary 13th- NJPAC Student Art Reception, 11am to 12pm2011 Spring ExhibitArtwork must be received no later than February 28 thMarch 27th- NJPAC Set-up, 10am to 12pmApril 3rd- NJPAC Student Art Reception, 11am to 12pm2011 September AENJ Calendar ExhibitArtwork must be received no later than June 3 rdLook for more info at www.aenj.org and in Web-beat in the upcomingmonths!Some things to remember to participate in the NJPAC/AENJ StudentArt Exhibits:NJPAC provides frames…so size is MANDATORY!Artwork will mount to 12x18 horizontal image or 18x24 verticalimage.You may mount artwork on construction paper to make the artworkthe sizes above. No other size artwork can be accepted.10- 18x24 images and 20- 12x18 images are selected for every exhibit.The AENJ Permission Label must be completed and attached tothe back of each piece. Labels can be found at: http://www.aenj.org/files/AENJ_Permission_NEW_10-11.docMail all artwork in FLAT packaging to:Carrie RussonielloEJF, Jr.-Aldene School339 W. Webster AvenueRoselle Park, NJ 0720426

Art as Museby Cheryl ParisiSince the time of the ancient Greeks,a muse has been considered to bea source of inspiration for an artist’sgenius. By the late Hellenistic period,there were considered to be nine muses.However, they were meant to inspireepic poetry, history, lyric poetry, music,tragedy, choral poetry, dance, comedyand astronomy.What happened to the visual arts? Well,if the visual arts didn’t have a muse, theycan at least take credit for playing museto some 450 students at the Nellie K.Parker Elementary School in Hackensack.Two years ago, Lillian Whitaker, principalat Parker School and a formermusic teacher in the Hackensack SchoolDistrict, approached me and asked ifit was feasible to combine the visualarts and literacy in an intriguing way.She proposed an art show where allof the students in our school (gradesPre-K through Four) could choose their favorite piece of artworkwhich they created during the school year and write about it. Theliterary work would either be a piece of poetry or prose. It coulddescribe the artwork, let the viewer know why the student chosethis specific art piece to write about, or the young artist couldcreate a story based on his or her art. The writing could be seriousor whimsical. In the end, it would be the culmination of what ourstudents learned about the literary arts during the year and theirinspiration would be one of their own visual creations.The inaugural show, “Celebration of the Arts,” took place on May20, 2009 and was a great success. Reading Coach Arlena Jones cochairedthe event with me. Children in all classes, including thosein special education participated. Artwork from the year was sentto the students’ classrooms. The young artists chose which pieceof art they wanted to write about. Students and teachers spentseveral days brainstorming and then refining the writings. Oncethe written word was put down on paper, the artwork, poetry orprose were mounted together and displayed on the main level ofthe school in the auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium and hallways.Invitations were sent out to the parents, administration, theHackensack Board of Education, and the Hackensack City Council.A brochure was created to discuss the purpose of the program aswell as display a map of where the pieces of art would be found.The display of each child’s work was a wonderful sight. Each parentin attendance marveled at their child’s work as well as the work ofother students.To add to this gallery-like atmosphere,Parker teachers volunteeredto create finger sandwiches. Severalteachers then walked around the“gallery space” with trays of these deliciousofferings, serving the invitedguests.To top the evening off, several musicalmembers of the community volunteeredtheir services to entertainthe guests with interludes of vocalsand piano solos in addition to otherentertainment.This year, the second annual “Celebrationof the Arts” was held on Thursday,May 27 th . We followed almost thesame procedure as last year. As withany initial project, there is alwayssome room for improvement. Thisyear, to make the event even moregallery-like, we sent out a “Save theDate” postcard to parents and otherinvited guests with one of our fourthgradestudent’s art designs on thefront and pertinent information onthe back.This year, students made their selectionof the artwork they wanted to write about in the art roominstead of sending their art to the homeroom teacher. This madethe selection process go more quickly. The artwork and writingpieces were displayed on 18”x24” black construction paper or theconstruction paper was cut smaller to accommodate a smallerpicture. This made it easier than trying to decide what colorsshould be chosen as background paper. With approximately 450pieces of student work, this became a necessity. This was also agreat help because it cut down on the space where the artworkwas to be displayed. This year, the gym didn’t have to be used asa display area. Although masking tape was used on the cafeteriawindows (the outer wall is made entirely of glass windows) to cutdown on residue, we used a lot of Fun-Tak to hang the artwork inthe auditorium and the hallways when there weren’t any bulletinboards for displays. Teacher volunteers placed the work from eachclass together. Last year, the hope was that parents would walkaround the entire gallery area looking for their child’s work if thestudent’s art was completely separated. However, it made it moredifficult to place the work in a way that made it easier to organize.Still, to everyone’s surprise, parents this year still wandered aroundlooking at the rest of the artwork.As part of May 27 th ’s show, we still had those delicious sandwichesand other treats. And our musical guests this year ranged froman opera singer to jazz musicians. But, the real stars were thestudents’ artwork: the muses for the beautiful, thoughtful and attimes humorous writing which adorned this show.27

The Lonely PenguinFrom the Visual Artsto the LiteraryArts:The Creative Processby Cheryl ParisiThe artwork chosen by the Parker School students to inspiretheir literary creativity ranged from a kindergartener’sunique elephant based on David McKee’s book “Elmer” to paperweavings done by second graders influenced by the work of JacksonPollock, and even a design project influenced by the work ofRomero Britto (Thank you Carrie Russoniello for your inspirationat the 2009 AENJ Conference).Since kindergarten students are just learning how to write,the kindergarten teachers needed to keep the writing within amanageable format while still allowing the children to use theirimaginations while exploring their writings. One way to do thiswas for me to read a picture book, also a part of their classroomcurriculum, to the students.There was a little penguinnamed Victoria in Antarctica. Shewanted friends more than anything.Everyone but her had friends andthat made her sad. She lookedaround and then she saw a lonelypenguin like her. She went tothe girl and asked her name.Her name was Latoya and theysaid lets be friends!By the end of first grade, the students have more opportunity towork independently, as shown here by Andreas’ “The Circus Horses”and Adjowa’s “The Lonely Penguin”:The Circus HorsesAt the circus lived a horsenamed Rex and his family. Rexiis white with brown spots andhe likes to run in circles. When hewas running he looked away when hewas going up the ramp. He flipped and gothurt. His family helped him to get upand kept the show going!Third grade students’ work ranged from prose to poetry to a combinationof both:Nia’s underwater scene inspired her to write:What Do Humans Look Like?“Hey!” yelled Star to Darty.“Hey!” answered Darty in a deep blue ocean voice.“I heard there’s a big new museum,” said Nemo.Darty interrupted and stated, “We should go this afternoon.”Star replied in a squeaky voice, “Lets go get Shark, Hammer, Eelie,Crabie, and Jelly.”Once they were all together, Nemo explained that the museum28

is showing the fish what humans look like. “Wow! Wow! Wow!”blurted the hammer fish. The star fish suggested that they go andtake a look.“Look at those humans. That one over there has short blonde hair.The other one has short red hair. Why are all their noses pushedagainst the glass?” questioned Eelie.“Hey!” asked Darty. “Why are they wearing those dresses? Why arethey so dressed up?”“I know,” gasped Jellie. “We are in the museum and they are lookingat us.”HandsSo many different peopleSo many different handsYour hands can help you when you fall.Your hands can even catch a ball.Hands are used for many things.I am so glad to have my hands.A luscious looking cupcake drawn by Afua evoked this idea:Sweet CupcakeThe creamy silky goodnessThat’s swirled up all on topSo sweet like candyIt’s hard to keep from tasting it.The zigzag orange wrapperHolds all that yum inside.I’m peeling back that orange skinSo I can taste its sweet delight.I’ll wrap my teeth around itAnd let them sink in slowIcing will coat my lipsAnd maybe the tip of my nose.Gianna incorporated poetry within her story.Several fourth grade students were inspired to write poems abouttheir work. Emma wrote the following about her rabbit design:Meet Running BunnyMy friend Running BunnyHe runs all aroundLook, there he isJumping on the ground!He can change into different colors,Multiply by the numbers.What else can he do?I think he can change into different patterns too.First he looks like chocolate.And you will love it when he turns into a rainbow.He’s amazing, sooooo…Go and meet him!Mr. Running BunnyHe is very funny.He is always happy like a clown,So don’t even try to put him down.Red, green, purple and blueI’d like to meet him,How about you?!Elizabeth and the PoemOne hot summer day a girl named Elizabeth went to her friendMary’s house. “Mary, Mary, Mary,” Elizabeth shouted miserably.“What?” Mary shouted. “I need to write a poem but I don’t knowwhat to write a poem about,” Elizabeth answered terribly. “Whatcan I do?” asked Elizabeth, worried. Elizabeth was as worried as amother fish about to be eaten. “Well, you can write a poem aboutsomething useful you use everyday,” Mary answered. “Pencils, books,elbow…” “Stop” Elizabeth shouted. “I will write a poem about hands”Elizabeth answered.Saturday morning Elizabeth worked really hard on her poemand was so excited. Here is how Elizabeth’s poem goes:29

Senior High School StudentScholarship ApplicationsAENJ Scholarship and GrantProgramsSusan Bivona, AENJ Past President - Grants & Scholarship Chairspbivona@aenj.orgScholarship Winners:High School Scholarship Recipients:$2,000.00 Nicole Pivinski Piscataway High SchoolArt Teacher: Dorothy Amme$2,000.00 Xizi Chen Academy for Visual & Performing ArtsArt Teacher: JoAnn Onnembo$1,000.00 Cindy Chan Academy for Visual & Performing ArtArt Teacher: JoAnn Onnembo$1,000.00 Barbara Yang Academy for Visual & Performing ArtsArt Teacher: JoAnn OnnemboCollege Scholarship RecipientsKathryn Petrillo = $1,500.00Susan Mitrano = $500.00Past Presidents’ Scholarship RecipientsAlicia Bynoe = $2,000.00Joseph Schwartz = $500.00Lauren Parmelee Murphy = $500.00Applications Due: February 21st, 2011New for 2010 - 2011Attention High School Teachers - the DUE DATE for the High SchoolScholarship has been moved back to February 21st, 2011.ALL Applications and Portfolios will be completed ONLINE!In 2010, AENJ provided $17,000 in scholarships to students at alllevels. Take advantage of this opportunity to help your studentsfurther their education; they are the future of our profession.Candidates for this award include high school seniors interestedin pursuing the study of visual art or art education in any publicor private school of higher learning. It is our intention to select astudent whose submission is diversified. The nominator must bean active member of AENJ for a period of not less than two years.The deadline for High School scholarship applications is February21st! You need to submit your student applications by February21st, 2011 so that the scholarship committee may evaluate them.Students selected to receive scholarships are honored at the Governor’sAwards in Art Education ceremony in May 2011.Information about all scholarships may be found on our website:http://www.aenj.org/pages/scholarships. The link for the highschool applications form can be found at the bottom of this pageas well as descriptions of all scholarships and the link to a helpfulcheck off list for all scholarship applications.High School Scholarship Award Winners30

AENJ GrantsMoney available for AENJ Members and theirStudentsApplications Due: April 15, 2011NEW for 2010 - 2011The entire process for applying for an AENJ Grant has been putONLINE. This makes applying for a grant even easier!We encourage ALL members to apply!Do you have a student who would like to take an art class afterschool or on the weekend? The AENJ Student Enrichment Grant isintended to provide AENJ art teachers an opportunity to encouragetheir students entering grades 1 through 11 to participate in artclasses, beyond those offered by the regular school curriculum.Is there a workshop you would like to take this summer? TheAENJ Summer Workshop Grant was established to encourage artteachers to attend summer workshops to rejuvenate themselvesas artists and enhance their skills as educators?Would you like to attend our October 2011 conference in Somerset,NJ or the Spring 2012 National Art Education Association (NAEA)Convention in New York City? AENJ recognizes attendance at theseevents as important to the professional growth of our members.Two grants are available to help you defray the costs of participatingin these two annual events.The AENJ Residency Grant presents members the opportunity tospend extended time at our fall conference. Grantees are reimbursedfor ONE night’s stay in the hotel to encourage their fullparticipation, including evening programs and activities, as a partof their professional development experience.The Rick Lasher Professional Growth Grant was named afterformer AENJ President Rick Lasher for her dedication and commitmentto professional growth and development of all art teachersin NJ. Grantees receive $500 to financially support their attendanceat the NAEA Convention.Pre-Service Teachers would you like to attend the National ArtEducation Convention? Apply for the NAEA Convention pre-ServiceTeacher/Student Professional Growth Grant. Grantees receive$500 to financially support their attendance at the NAEA Convention.The application for this grant only is due: December 31st, 2010.The AENJ Special Events Grant, This grant was established to supportevents that promote quality art education outside thetraditionalschool setting and that bring art education to a communityof people. A maximum of $500.00 will be awarded to the grantrecipient. If you have a community event that needs financial supportthis grant just might be for you!A full description of ALL the AENJ Grants as well as all the necessaryforms can be found on our website at: http://www.aenj.org/pages/grants2010 AENJ Grants Recipients:Summer WorkshopGlobal Explorations INDIA (7/29 - 8/15) $500.00Lisa Schustak, Florham ParkSummer WorkshopSCAD - Art Educators Forum (7/25 - 31/2010) $450.00Amy North, ManchesterNAEA Professional Development Grant $500.00Karen Kiick, CollingswoodGraduate & College StudentScholarship ApplicationsApplications Due: April 15, 2011New for 2010 - 2011the entire process for applying for an AENJ Scholarship has beenput ONLINE. This makes applying for a scholarship even easier!We encourage ALL members to apply!Are you a college student majoring in visual art or visual art education?Are you an AENJ member pursuing a degree in art educationor an art teacher pursuing a master’s degree in an art related fieldsuch as Art Administration, Art Supervision, Museum Education,Art History, Art Curriculum or Studio Arts? If you answered yes toeither of these questions, you are eligible to apply for AENJ scholarshipsof at least $1,000 that are paid directly to your college tuition.Information about all scholarships can be found on the AENJ website:http://www.aenj.org/pages/scholarships Descriptions of theAENJ Past Presidents’ Graduate Scholarship and College StudentScholarship can be found on this page along with links to their ApplicationInformation Sheet.31

Children’s Art Takes Flight atNewark Liberty Airport(Students Display Murals – A collaboration of state, schooldistrict, art organization & community organizations)By Jenifer Simon and Alonzrea (Lonnie) Stewart-AustinPassengers from all over the world travelling through NewarkInternational Liberty Airport Terminal B will be greeted witha collection of murals created by children from nearby MountVernon School in Newark, NJ. The exhibit, Art Beyond the Horizons, isa unique project by Arts Horizons, a New Jersey arts-in-educationorganization that has brought the joy and vitality of the arts toover eight million children since 1978.The murals were unveiled to the public in June 2009 in the Airport’sTerminal B on the departure level. The opening ceremonycommenced with a performance by the Mount Vernon ChoralEnsemble and include remarks by Susan Bass Levin, Deputy ExecutiveDirector of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey;Nina Mitchell Wells, New Jersey Secretary of State, who presenteda Proclamation; and Carol Herbert, Chair of the New Jersey StateCouncil on the Arts. Community organizations, The Essex CountyChapter of the Links, Inc., The Zonta Club of Essex County and TheBUS Shop, Inc. supported the event by providing tee-shirts forthe students. The exhibition will be on display on the temporarywalls of Terminal B which have been erected while the terminal isundergoing renovations.With funding provided by The Port Authority of New York & NewJersey and the Aviation Development Council, Arts Horizonsprovided a 10-week artist-in-residence program for seventy-sevenfourth through eighth grade Mount Vernon students to createtwelve acrylic murals. Arts Horizons’ Artist-in-Residence Kit Sailerled students through the mural-making process in collaborationwith Mount Vernon School art teachers AENJ/NAEA member LonnieStewart-Austin, Laura Salley and social worker Charles Webb.Ms. Sailer explained, “The children, many of whom arrived at theairport when immigrating to the United States, were inspired byits global connections and history, as well as their own experiences.The themes for the murals selected by the students were basedon their own research about what airports do in addition to flyingplanes. The themes of the murals include cultural diversity, immigration,transportation, aviation engineering and the TuskegeeAirmen.”Fifth-grader Joccelyn Alvarado described the mural making process.“We started with sketches. I made a train and a plane. When itwas done, we transferred it on the actual board that the mural ison.”Soon, the painting would begin. “It was hard painting the smalldetails like faces, small plants and building details,” Joccelyn explained,“It helped to use different brushes and mix colors to makethem look different than the others.”Fifth-grader Yousaf Khan reflected on the opportunity to displaystudent art work. “Newark Airport is a great place for kids to showtheir work – it will grab people’s attention of what youngsters cando and this makes me proud to be a Mount Vernon School student.”The idea for Art Beyond the Horizons developed after Carol Herbertexpressed interest in seeing more artwork at Newark Airport. In2003, Arts Horizons held its first exhibition of children’s murals atJohn F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 in New Yorkand was interested in developing a similar exhibition at NewarkAirport. Arts Horizons selected Mount Vernon School to create themurals due to its commitment to art education, student development,and community outreach.Principal Bertha Dyer remarked, “We’re honored to have beenchosen for this project among all the schools in Newark. It’s a testamentto our school’s dedicated faculty and exceptional students.”In order to honor the students hard work, plans are being madefor the murals to be permanently installed on the school grounds.32

about Arts HorizonsArts Horizons, located in Englewood, NJ, is a premier arts-in-education organizationthat provides live professional performances and artist-in-residence programs tostudents grades PreK-12 throughout the entire tri-state region. The organizationworks to transform schools into vibrant, exciting places where children gain appreciationfor the arts, fulfill their need to create and use the arts to improve theirproficiency in reading, writing and math. Its mission is to foster development of thewhole person and to improve education by delivering quality arts programs andactivities that engage schools and communities. Contact Jenifer Simon, Director ofNJ Programs, Partnerships and The Artist/Teacher Institute, email jenifer@artshorizons.org,www.artshorizons.orgAbout Newark AirportThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has operated Newark Liberty InternationalAirport (EWR) under a lease with the City of Newark since March 22, 1948.As of 2008, Terminal B is being renovated to increase capacity for departing passengersand passenger comfort. The renovations include expanding and updatingthe ticketing areas, building a new departure level for domestic flights, and buildinga new arrivals hall.About Kit SailerKit Sailer is an experienced fine art painter and muralist. She has created group muralswith children of all ages as a teaching artist and artist-in-residence with ArtsHorizons, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Jersey City Museum andThe Boys and Girls Club of Newark. Ms. Sailer teaches adult students at the VisualArts Center of New Jersey, The Newark Museum and The Artist/Teacher Institute.About Mount Vernon Elementary SchoolMount Vernon Elementary School has a population of 730 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8 th grate and is located in the West Ward of Newark, NJ.The vision at Mount Vernon School is to empower all students to become life-longlearners by forming active partnerships with parents, staff, and community. Theschool’s staff and student body represent a diverse background of individuals frommore than 50 countries.33

Kean ExhibitThe Journey of aPainting.By Fiona WeissThis year’s AENJ membersexhibit was an exciting andnew experience for me; it was myfirst real exhibit outside of thecollege experience and was also thefirst time I had an opportunity togallery sit and welcome visitors.The painting I chose to display wasmy most recent work and one that has a rich story all it’s own. AsI entered the James Howe Gallery at Kean University and saw mylarge heavy piece hung and lighted in such an elegant setting, mymind traveled back to it’s inception, as I whispered to her, “You’vecome a long way baby.”If you did not make it to the exhibit at Kean this summer, youmissed out on a wonderful opportunity to view firsthand the talentedwork of New Jersey’s educators. I felt humbled by the talentdisplayed and privileged to be joining the ranks of such a dedicatedorganization.The piece I put on show was an approximately 3 ft x 3 ft acrylicpainting on 1” thick pressed wood.The subject matter was a portraitof a Baroque artist you undoubtedlywill be familiar with, namedArtemisia Gentileschi. Due to herpassionate life and strong spirit,I have found myself fascinatedwith her story for quite sometime and had already made somesmaller wood paintings of her,but for this particular painting Iwanted to go BIG.34My rendition of Artemisia began its journey on a beautiful sunnyday in May whilst out driving with my teenage daughter. Whenone ventures out to find something it generally eludes but on thisparticular day the stars must have aligned, for within minutes Ispied it: a very large piece of flat wood board sticking up from adumpster situated outside a local country club. I stopped the carand my daughter and I got out and proceeded to scramble aroundthe container to investigate further. It was perfect: it had someknots, some roughness, would support a lot of rusty metal andappeared to be exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it wasjammed in with piles of discarded refuse. Undeterred and aftermuch concerted effort, we managed to pull the seemingly, unendingpiece of wood up and out, freeing it from it’s tight crevice ofrancid company. In doing so we must have caused a good deal offracas because we suddenly realized we had amassed an audience.The kitchen staff; dressed in white uniforms were standing, armsfolded, nonchalantly staring at us, as one might upon encounteringa new type of species. Embarrassed, I apologized for pilferingthrough their garbage and explained I was planning on seekingpermission before carrying anything away and that all I had wantedto do was inspect the wood to see if it would be suitable for myart. It appeared this was the magic word, they smiled and offeredto help me get the cumbersome piece into my van, even refusing toaccept any compensation for their efforts.Artemisia shows no signs of her lowly beginnings, oneweek later, after some cleaning, sanding, sawing, hammering andpainting she was transformed into the aesthetic loveliness sheis today and has become such a part of my collection that whenasked for a price I can only respond, ‘there is none’. Perhaps thestaff who helped me that day were also artists or perhaps theyjust felt sorry for me. I prefer tothink that as fellow humans theyunderstood the word ‘art,’ what itmeans, what it does and the universallanguage it speaks. I couldnever part with this piece, it is myreminder that art continues toopen doors, open minds and connectus on all levels. I am gratefulAENJ gave me the opportunity todisplay her and I am beholden tothe helpful individuals I encounteredthat sunny day that helpedmake this story and her journeypossible.AENJ Artists

“I enjoyed seeing my painting hanging on the wall surrounded bymany lovely works of art. Interacting with the other artists was apleasure. Everyone was happy to discuss what motivated them tocreate, their love of art and their feelings about their work. Beinga part of the Kean exhibit was fun and inspiring. Thank you for allowingme to be a part of the Kean exhibit.” ~ Celeste Caparulo“I would like to thank all of the AENJ art teachers who madethe Kean Exhibit possible by putting all the aspects of the showtogether. I feel very empowered to have my work shown amongstthe fine artwork of teachers from AENJ. As teachers we are alwaysstriving to teach our students something innovative and new.Often we do not have time to share our own personal work withthem, let alone have time to create on our own time. This showgave me the impetus to focus on me and my craft. I was proudto have it shown in a show with variety, talent and artistic pride.Thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to next yearsexhibit.” ~ Helen Frees35

My Personal AENJ Motto: Give a Little,Get a Lot!by Ellen Hargroveve been an art teacher for 11 years. For the first year or two II’ didn’t even know that the AENJ existed. Then one day a brochureappeared in my mailbox. Luckily I didn’t toss it right into the trashwith the other junk mail; instead I took it home to look over. I didn’tjust read it-I perused it front to back, and back to front. It was,of course, the Art Educators of New Jersey’s annual conferencecatalog. I was excited and intrigued by the thought of hundreds ofmy peers gathering together in one place (at that time I was an elementaryschool art teacher working in what seemed to be almostoverwhelming isolation), and by all the opportunities the conferencepromised. I decided I wanted to attend and was fortunateenough to get the okay from my administration.My colleague (the other elementary art teacher in our district)wanted to go too, so we completed the paperwork and made ourplans. We drove up together Monday night, registered and doveright in with an evening hands-on workshop. I’m pretty sure thather experience was the same as mine. For two hours we listened,learned, talked, played, and created. We were hooked! The nexttwo days found me whizzing from here to there filling a stenopad with priceless information, and a tote bag with a plethora ofhandouts and freebies. I’ve attended nine consecutive conferencesand I still feel excited to be going, engaged while I’m there, and reenergizedfor the return to work.Of course, over the years things have changed, especially me. At acertain point I began to want, and need, more than the conferencegave me. No, it wasn’t a shortcoming on the part of AENJ-it was me.I realized that I needed to do more than attend, absorb and takeaway from these precious professional development days. I neededto give back. It was time to show my gratitude and commitmentto our wonderful organization.information. What if I was boring? What if what I had to offerwasn’t what anyone needed? At this point there was no backingout, it was a “just do it” moment, so I did it and it was amazing. I felta strong connection with the audience, and they were responsiveand appreciative. The rest as they say, is history. I’ve branched outinto solo presentations and have presented at the last six stateconferences (and at five out of the last six national conferences aswell).In addition to the great feeling I get from actually delivering eachpresentation I find that I am a better teacher because of presenting.Nothing makes you hone your skills and know your stuff likeknowing you will be sharing with other teachers-teachers who inturn will possibly be using your offerings to teach their students. Iknow I’ve definitely become more thoughtful about sharing withothers away from the conference, whether it’s by giving informalworkshops to peers or signing on more frequently to be a cooperatingteacher. The confidence and pleasure I gained encouragedme to volunteer for AENJ in other ways, so among other thingsI’ve manned the information table, worked at a booth to collectstudent art for a show at the NJEA convention, and written for andhelped to edit our new Artbeat magazine.I know that the AENJ has enriched my professional and personallife quite a bit. I’ve never been such a cheerleader before but theinspiration I’ve been given, and the many ideas I’ve come awayfrom the conferences with are just the tip of the iceberg. Thecamaraderie of this organization, from those at the top down, isvery special, and the warmth of each individual I’ve dealt with overthe years has added to my feeling of being cared about and encouraged.I’ve made new friends and feel I have an extended supportgroup. It certainly has urged me, and many others, to want to playa bigger part in AENJ. Perhaps the time has come when you too arelooking for something more. If so, jump in! I know you won’t regretit. If you’re not ready to give a presentation that’s fine, there aremany, many ways to be more involved. Just ask. It will be worth it.Remember my motto, give a little and you will certainly get a lot!At this point I was teaching in our high school alongside an amazingand award-winning colleague. She was a step ahead of me,already presenting and giving back to the profession in manyways. She encouraged me, and I was able to ease myself into thingsas her co-presenter. Was I nervous! Looking out at a sea of faces Iwondered if I would be able to deliver pertinent and interesting36

Art Class “Artivism”By Ellen HargroveA s art teachers we give our students skills. We teach them tacticsfor idea generation and instruct them in self-assessment. We makea safe place for them to speak their minds, to question and tocreate. We challenge them and we give them assignments. We alsoneed to give them ways to find a genuine voice.In my high school classroom I hear lots of opinions, but rarely do Ihear anything backing up those opinions. I wanted to teach a lessonthat would force my students to not only voice a strong opinion,but to also do it in a meaningful way, with the goal of informingand possibly influencing the viewer. Our focus was to be onsocial, political and environmental issues, and while investigatingartists to share with my classes I came across the term “Artivism”.This new word, joining art with activism, captivated me. I decidedmy students would all become Artivists. The resulting lesson wasone of those rich opportunities for the students to genuinelyexpress themselves through their own authentic art, meaningfuldiscussion and thoughtful writing.We spent time looking at, and discussing, the work of contemporaryartists such as Chris Jordan, John Robertson and Bansky. Weread and dissected their artist statements. I asked my studentsto think about issues they felt were important enough to inspirethem to create their own art. Everyone was expected to come upwith a short list (at least 3 issues) and then, in a group, we brainstormedand compiled a long inventory of possibilities. The resultinglist included issues that impact students on a daily level (peerpressure, education, the economy), issues that were cultural (stereotyping,discrimination, animal cruelty) and also global (poverty,war, the environment). Each student was expected to carefullyconsider and investigate the idea that most interested them.The students then answered a series of questions, in writing,about the ideas they ultimately chose, and why they decided ontheir specific issues. This was important because it helped them tocrystallize why they felt compelled by their chosen issue, what theywanted to express, and how they planned to communicate this intheir pieces. Students continued planning, sketching and researchingfor several days, and then started to work as soon as they feltready. We spent almost a full marking period on this assignmentand had two important in-progress critiques. Students came tothese critiques with completed self-assessment sheets and questionsthey planned to ask their peers. After the second critique I seta date for a third and final critique at which each student wouldbe expected to share their completed piece, and their own artiststatement.The atmosphere during class each day was electric. Students wereeven more driven than usual to work and eagerly went through allstages of the assignment. Some students seemed to know exactlywhat they wanted to do, and how they would do it, while otherswent through a series of trial and error type experiments untilthey were satisfied not only with their idea, but with its execution.There was a great deal of peer-to-peer discussion and assistance.The amount of trust the students placed in each other, in theirown abilities, and in me was tremendous.The resulting art works, created in a vast variety of media, processesand styles, were strong, compelling and intensely personal.The class discussions that took place during the brainstorming,creation and critiquing of these pieces were the most animatedI’ve ever facilitated, and the students’ artist statements and postproject writings were exciting, informative and real. During thefinal critique, as each student stood and shared their work, it wasevident that they were proud of what they had to say, and whatthey had done. It was a long and intense journey but along the waywe found our voices, and they are worth listening to.37

Collaborating withCollageBy Karen KiickCollaborating with other teachers andstudents across the curriculum is a funand enriching way to help kids learn, and it’spretty fun for the teachers too! This year wasthe fourth year that I’ve worked with our 10 thgrade honors English teacher and his studentson an exciting project called “My PersonalWar.” It’s amazing what youngpeople can create when they areinvited to look inside themselves.Our students are encouraged to see,identify and accept vulnerabilitieswithout judgment.Pat McCloskey, the English teacher,spends several months discussingthe concept of personal war. Forthis thematic unit, his class readsand discusses three novels, TheThings They Carried by Tim O’Brienand A Separate Peace by John Knowlesand The Road by Cormac McCarthy.All address the human conditionsof struggle, grief and overcomingphysical and mental obstacles,which may be real or perceived. Thestudents are engaged in the topicfrom a variety of perspectives andPat brings the experience to a climaxby having each student writean essay about their own personalwar.The students’ essays are everythingit sounds like they would be…they’re personal, some are intense,some are painful. The topics rangefrom things that have happened tothem, (death in the family, illness or abuse)to things that happen because of them (pressureto be the best, overachieving or beingunable to prioritize) or things that they perceiveas personal shortcomings (weight issues,shyness etc). Many of the students haveexperienced some sort of closure or resolveto their war, while others are still activelydealing with the issue, and will continue todo so long past the tender age of sixteen. Fora few of the students, this essay may be thefirst healthy exploration into guided introspectionthat they have been asked to have.Due to either a class swap or class coveragearranged by our amazing secretary, I enterhis English class right after they hand intheir papers to introduce what will be thedouble-whammy to the assignment – acollage. My role is to guide the studentsto visually articulate thetopic of their essay using imageryinstead of text. Basically,they must now say the samething, but in a whole new language!Since many of these kidsare non-art students, I shownumerous examples of collage,talk about the process and givethem pointers and websites tolook at to assist their understanding.I also explain how tosuccessfully juxtapose interestingpictures to create visualmetaphor.Four days after I introduce thelesson, I come back to his classfor a general critique, wherewe discuss what’s working andwhy. I invite the students tocome talk to me outside of classto discuss their collage, theirprocess and progress. Manytake me up on that offer, whichallows me to personally meetstudents that I might not haveever encountered in one of myart classes. Two days after thein-class critique, the finishedcollages are due. It’s fast, furiousand fantastic!38

Mr. McCloskey hands me the students’ essaysunread. I photocopy the collages andcreate what will become the cover sheetto each student’s essay. I print their nameand title underneath their image andstaple the cover sheet to the student’swritten work. After all that, I get to readthem! That’s right, the art teacher readsthe English papers before the Englishteacher. The students give Pat permissionfor me to read their work, (a fewdecline). I enjoy the opportunity to readthe writing that honors level studentssubmit to their English teacher. It helpsme know what I should expect from myown students when I require a writingassignment.Mr. McCloskey spends hours writingback to each of his students, validatingthem and acknowledging that his or hervoice has been heard. He grades the pieceof writing as an English teacher, whilesimultaneously treating each individuallike a courageous war hero. It’s one of hisstrengths and a true gift that he bringsto his interactions with his students. Ifeel honored to be a part of it. I grade thecollages based on the overall aestheticsuccess of the work and consider theireffort. The students receive two gradesfor this cross-curricular experience - onefrom him and one from me.Our collaboration began when I approachedPat after reading one of ourshared student’s essays. I was so movedby the comments that he took the timeto write to her, that I told him that Ithought it would make a great collaborativeproject. It’s been that and so muchmore!Every collaborative lesson that I am apart of teaches me how to be a betterteacher. And it’s free! In our currentworld of scores, standards, testing andAYP, I feel like Pat and I are on the samepage. We are two different teachers,teaching different disciplines, who togetherguide students through the art ofbeing human.39

AENJ believes the rationale for conferring awards is twofold. First,to recognize those individuals within the membership who haveachieved the highest level of professionalism in the field of visualarts education. Second, to show appreciation to those individualsand/or organizations who have contributed their services in anexemplary manner to the Art Educators of New Jersey and to thegoals espoused for the profession.The Award Categories are as follows:The Distinguished Achievement AwardEstablished to honor a member of the association whose longterm dedication to the visual art profession and dedication toAENJ goals, leadership and teaching experiences are recognized asexemplary.The Anthony A Guadadiello AwardEstablished to honor former President, Anthony Guadadiello,whose dedication to the joy of service was a major part of his tenurein office. It recognizes outstanding contribution and service toAENJ.The Master Teacher AwardEstablished to honor those members who are actively involved inteaching visual art and whose teaching methodology and resultshave been judged to be exemplary.Barbara YangThe John J. Pappas Recognition AwardEstablished to honor former President John J. Pappas, whosededication to the idea that arts education is universal and inclusiveinvolving those who support arts experiences from a widerperspective.The George DiBouno Recognition AwardEstablished to honor former President, George DiBouno, whosededication to arts education in New Jersey was marked by a realizationof the power of leadership in education to move the arts tothe forefront. This award is for those who are “within” the field ofeducation, but not Art Educators.Cindy ChanDivisional AwardsEstablished to honor those members who are actively involved inteaching visual art and whose teaching methodology and resultsare exceptional. An award may be presented to a teacher fromeach of the divisions: Elementary, Middle, High School and HigherEducation. Click here to see eligibility requirements.40

2010-2011 CalendarExecutive Board 2009-2010November 3 AENJ @ NJEA Art Exhibit Atlantic CityDecember 1: YAM Design Contest Entries DueDecember 4: AC Planning MeetingDecember 18: NJPAC Opening Reception 11 - 12Kwanzaa FestivalJanuary 25: Pre - Yam DinnerJanuary 29: Breakfast and a WorkshopFebruary 13: NJPAC Reception 11 - 12March 1:High School scholarship applications DueMarch 11: Trenton Reception:March 15: Conference Proposal DeadlineMarch 16-21 NAEA Seattle WAYAM County show runs through out the monthApril 2:AC Planning MeetingApril 3: NJPAC Reception 11 - 12April 15:Scholarship, grant and award nominations dueMay 21:Spring Symposium (Focus:Technology, MercerCounty Community College)June 15:Artbeat deadlineOctober 4-6: 2011 ConferenceDon’t forget additional NJPAC dates(see page 31 and at www.aenj.org)And Youth Art Month Dates!(posted in Yambeat and at www.senj.org)Linda DevlinPresidentGene NegliaTreasurerJude HarzerCommunicationsUrsula AccumannoPresident-ElecttJoAnn OnnemboVice-PresidentDebbie GrehHistorianSussan BivonaPast-PresidentBarbara CalvoMember ServicesKaren Blenner-Public RelationsArtbeat Editorial Board and StaffEditor-in-Chief: Jude HarzerAssignment Editor: Linda DevlinContributing Editor: Jane GrazianoAdvertising Editor: Karen BlennerLayout Editor: Debbie GrehEditorail Staff: Denise Sala, Cheryl Parisi, Susan Bivona.Linda Devlin, Carrie Davey, Joann Onnembo, and BarbaraCalvoLayout Staff: Eileen Glynn and Ellen HargroveTerri TroumpourSecretaryCarrie DaveyAdvocacy ChairTo contact a member of the Executive Board please visitour website at: www.aenj.com/For more information on these or any articles in Artbeat,go to www.aenj.orgIf you would like to write for Artbeat, deadline for submissionsis June 15th to: jharzer@aol.comEditorial Statement:The editors reserve the right to edit all submitted articles and releases.Photos will not be returned unless specifically requested. Articles,photos and ads received after the deadline may not be considered forpublication.41

XIXI ChenNicole Pavinski42