The Art Student Survival Guide

Blending one-on-one guidance, practical advice and inspirational examples, this guide to how to survive and succeed in art school covers all the new demands that being an art student entails.

A practical manual for participation in the fundamental studio practice of the critique, The Critique Handbook is an invaluable resource for examining the uses and misuses of artistic analysis. Presenting hundreds of examples drawn from every genre of artmaking, noted artists Kendall Buster and Paula Crawford address the complexity of what actually occurs in critiques. Their book fills a serious gap in the art studio, as they scrutinize a practice that has been largely unquestioned and provide models for more informed and effective ways of conducting and taking part in critiques. Their observations, which can be applied to beginning through advanced studio courses, bring to light the underlying social and power dynamics of critiques and offer illuminating advice on how to make critiques more cogent and benefit more fully from them. -- from back cover.

A Survival Guide for Art History Students is designed to help students succeed in art history courses. The art history classroom is a unique learning environment that most students first experience in college. Survival Guide is sympathetic to this, offering practical instruction and guidance for every moment in students' coursework, from the initial disorientation of their first art history class ("art in the dark") to the challenge of the slide exam. Survival Guide gives practical guidance on how to take notes, write paper assignments, as well as how to study for and take exams. It deals with the kinds of questions that students commonly ask but professors seem hesitant to write about: "Isrit art history a gut course?", "What in the world do you do with a degree in art history?", "Is 500 BC later or earlier than 190 AD?", and "How can I take notes and look up at slides at the same time?" Designed for student readers, Survival Guide is written in a familiar and engaging tone. The images discussed and illustrated are primarily those of western art from the ancient to modern eras. By focusing on images that are taught in standard art history survey courses, Survival Guide reinforces and builds upon course materials.

An invaluable compendium of 75 creative art projects for art educators and classroom teachers This authoritative, practical, and comprehensive guide offers everything teachers need to know to conduct an effective arts instruction and appreciation program. It meets secondary art teacher's unique needs for creating art lessons that cover everything from the fundamentals to digital media careers for aspiring artists. The book includes ten chapters that provide detailed instructions for both teachers and students, along with creative lesson plans and practical tools such as reproducible handouts, illustrations, and photographs. Includes 75 fun and creative art projects Fully updated to reflect the latest changes in secondary art instruction, including digital media and digital photography Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings For art teachers, secondary classroom teachers, and homeschoolers, this is the ideal hands-on guide to art instruction for middle school and high school students.

The perennial bestseller—now in a new edition Authoritative and practical, this comprehensive guide offers everything a teacher needs to know for conducting an effective art instruction and appreciation program. The Third Edition of The Art Teacher's Survival Guide for Elementary and Middle Schools includes a complete update on public-relations guidelines, and reference material examples. The revised edition also features many new projects, an update on current projects and includes an explanation of the hot topic amongst art educators, Teaching Artistic Behavior (TAB/choice). Choice-based art education is reflected in the authors’ discussion of teaching in mixed-media, ceramics, photography, sculpture, and art history. More than 100 creative art projects, from drawing to digital media Offers teaching tools, tips, and multicultural curriculum resources Includes new material on logical ways to encourage individual and personal solutions to a problem Gives teachers more latitude as to how individuality is suggested in a lesson This is an invaluable compendium for art educators and classroom teachers alike.

He also addresses the phenomenon of art critiques as a microcosm for teaching art as a whole and dissects real-life critiques, highlighting presuppositions and dynamics that make them confusing and suggesting ways to make them more helpful. Elkins's no-nonsense approach clears away the assumptions about art instruction that are not borne out by classroom practice. For example, he notes that despite much talk about instilling visual acuity and teaching technique, in practice neither teachers nor students behave as if those were their principal goals. He addresses the absurdity of pretending that sexual issues are absent from life-drawing classes and questions the practice of holding up great masters and masterpieces as models for students capable of producing only mediocre art. He also discusses types of art--including art that takes time to complete and art that isn't serious--that cannot be learned in studio art classes.