Teacher News

Teacher News

Blick Art Materials Congratulates Winner of the U.S. Presidential Scholars 50th Anniversary Logo Design Contest

A design by Shipra De of Las Vegas has been selected as the winner of the U.S Presidential Scholars 50th Anniversary logo design contest. De's logo (pictured above) will appear in all publications, audio-visual presentations, promotional materials, correspondence, online communications, and other publicity for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. As a sponsor of the contest, Blick Art Materials awarded a gift certificate to De.

De was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in 2006 while a senior at Green Valley High School in Las Vegas. She graduated from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas in 2011 with undergraduate degrees in mathematics, computer science, and economics, and continues to live and work in Las Vegas, where she is an Operations Test Analyst for JT3, LLC. In her spare time De enjoys reading, writing, and making pottery.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors, including students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts.

"Art From the Heart — Projects with a Purpose"

Florida Elementary School Helps New Jersey Art Room Recover from Hurricane Sandy Devastation

"Never underestimate the power of a child. I am constantly amazed and inspired by the compassion of my students each time we participate in Art From The Heart - Projects With A Purpose. I truly believe I get more out of the process than they do!" - SuzAnne Devine Clark, art teacher, Deerfield Beach Elementary School

Every year, art students from an elementary school in Deerfield Beach, Florida, participate in Art From The Heart — Projects with a Purpose, by creating original works of art and selling them to students, teachers, parents, and others. They then choose a worthy project to support with the proceeds.

This year, the Deerfield Beach Elementary School students made sand dollars and jewelry to raise money for the Bay Head Elementary School in New Jersey, which lost all of its art supplies when storm waters from Hurricane Sandy flooded the school's first-floor art room. The Deerfield Beach students and Parent Teacher Association wanted to raise enough money to replace the Bay Head School's art supplies so the students there could get back to creating art.

"Participating in this annual community service project is a wonderful way for our students to exhibit positive character education traits," said SuzAnne Devine Clark, art teacher at Deerfield Beach Elementary School. "They will see how their own artwork has a voice and can directly impact another child’s life."

In addition to the $500 raised from selling their artwork, the Deerfield Beach students wrote letters and created an additional 175 pendants for the Bay Head students because they wanted to send something personal to help heal the students' hearts. The idea for the pendants came from Blick's Sole Pendants lesson plan, which Clark had shared with her students. Donated children's shoes from a local Stride Rite® store were used to impress textured patterns onto small balls of clay to create the pendants. The students called them "Soles For Souls."

Emilio Hernandez, a Deerfield Beach 5th grade student, was inspired to help even more after seeing television coverage of homes being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. So he donated an additional $20 from money he earned doing chores. "I want to help people's hearts come back to life," Hernandez said.

"Never underestimate the power of a child," said Clark. "I am constantly amazed and inspired by the compassion of my students each time we participate in Art From The Heart - Projects With a Purpose. I truly believe I get more out of the process than they do!"

Blick Art Materials Congratulates 2013 NAEA Convention Grant Recipients

Again this year, Blick Art Materials made it possible for two deserving art educators to attend the annual NAEA (National Art Education Association) convention. Kristin Jaeger and Lyndsey Mincey, who submitted entries at their respective state art education conferences in 2012, were each awarded a grant valued at $2,000 to attend the 2013 NAEA Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 7-10.

More than 2,000 entries were submitted at the Blick Art Materials booth at state art education conferences in October and November of 2012. Jaeger’s and Mincey’s entries were drawn at random and each received the equivalent of their conference registration fee, four nights of lodging, and travel/daily expenses.

Blick supports state art education organizations and the NAEA by attending conferences, advertising in organization publications, and providing door prizes, handouts, product samples, and workshops. Blick also understands the value of professional development and peer interaction for art teachers, and knows that all too often attendees at both state and national conferences must pay for their registration and travel expenses out of their own limited funds.

Rewarding educators who attend their state conferences is another way Blick shows support, by providing an opportunity only a small percentage of art educators ever have — the chance to attend the NAEA’s annual convention.

If you haven't attended your state or national art education association conference, it’s time to look into taking advantage of the great experiences and resources they offer. Click here to learn more about NAEA today.

Blick Art Materials welcomes visitors to the 2013 National Art Education Association Conference

When the doors opened at the Fort Worth Convention Center on March 7, 2013, Blick Art Materials was pleased to be the first to welcome NAEA conference attendees to the exhibit hall. More than 3,000 visitors to the colorful Blick booth were greeted with a gift of a roll-up canvas organizer, complete with art tools. They also received Blick’s new lesson plan brochure and had an opportunity to view each of the 15 projects inside and learn about the materials used in creating them.

Also at the Blick booth, art educators were invited to participate in hands-on activities that included making their own Block Print Koinobori, a fish-shaped windsock similar to the ones flown in Japan to celebrate Children’s Day. Smart-Fab, Sparkle Mod Podge, and Eco Carve were among the materials used to make the windsocks. For a pdf of the lesson plan, click here.

Using Blick Studio Markers and red and blue transfer paper, visitors also dabbled in Anaglyph Artistry, creating 3-D drawings and 3-D glasses for viewing them. Click here to for a pdf of this lesson plan.

As a Platinum Sponsor, Blick is proud to continue its support of NAEA beyond the convention and also to support state art education organizations by attending conferences, advertising in organization publications, and providing door prizes, product samples, and workshops.

Blick Congratulates 2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Winners

As a Presenting Sponsor of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Blick Art Materials congratulates the program's 2013 award winners. A long-time supporter of the visual arts and art education, Blick is proud to continue its support of the country's oldest and most prestigious award and recognition program for creative teenagers. This support includes:

• contributing gift coupons to 74 Regional Art Affiliates who administer art exhibitions and ceremonies at the local level, and to the teachers of national Gold Medal and Silver Medal winners in the art category.
• helping fund scholarships for Scholastic Art Portfolio Gold Medal recipients.
• sponsoring the traveling exhibition

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers presents more than $250,000 annually in awards and scholarships to top winners of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and their teachers. High school seniors who are National Award winners and Medalists qualify to receive scholarships from art institutes, colleges, and universities that are Alliance Scholarship Partners.

Students who win at the regional level have their work showcased in more than 70 art exhibitions in museums and galleries across the country. More than 350 works of art and writing created by the National Award winners will be included in the ART.WRITE.NOW NYC national exhibition in New York City in June 2013, coinciding with the national awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall on May 31, 2013.

To date, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program has encouraged more than 13 million students, recognized more than nine million young artists, writers, and filmmakers, and made available more than $25 million in awards and scholarships. Past award winners includes such notables as Andy Warhol, Robert Redford, and Truman Capote. For a list of the 2013 National Scholastic Art & Writing Award Winners, visit: http://www.artandwriting.org.

To learn more about the Alliance for Young Artist & Writers and to visit galleries featuring award-winning artwork, visit http://www.artandwriting.org.

The Creativity Conundrum in Public Education Leadership

Roslyn Tam, a recent graduate of the University of Washington political science program and an advocate of creativity in education has recently published this article addressing the relationship of creativity and innovation to traditional notions of intelligence, and the apparent decline in creativity in the public school system. Tam points to Educational Support Organizations as a possible solution to the problem.

To view the entire article, please visit the Educational Leadership website: www.educationalleadership.com/the-creativity-conundrum-in-public-education-leadership

New Lesson Plan Brochure Available

Check out 12 brand new Blick Lesson PLans for K-12 education - something for all ages, skill levels and budgets. Request a free copy by emailing info@dickblick.com.. Put "Spring Lesson Plan Brochure Request" in the subject line, and be sure to provide your name and complete mailing address in the body of the message. Or, to download free PDF's of each lesson plan, click here.

"A+" Model of Art in Academics

The A+ method of arts-infused education, being promoted by the Thea Foundation in North Little Rock, puts the art in math, the drama in literature, the song in history, and has a proven record of raising test scores, improving discipline and heightening student and teacher satisfaction. It has been modeled after the A+ programs in North Carolina and Oklahoma, where it has successfully developed an effective whole school reform model that views the arts as fundamental to how teachers teach and students learn in all subjects.

A+ Schools combine interdisciplinary teaching and daily arts instruction, offering children opportunities to develop creative, innovative ways of thinking, learning and showing what they know. In A+ Schools, teaching the state’s mandated curriculum involves a collaborative, many-disciplined approach, with the arts - dance, drama, music and visual arts – continuously woven into every aspect of a child’s learning. This teaching method recognizes that students learn in different ways and this understanding helps teachers to better engage each child in the learning process.

A+ Schools combine interdisciplinary teaching and daily arts instruction, offering children opportunities to develop creative, innovative ways of thinking, learning and showing what they know. In A+ Schools, teaching the state’s mandated curriculum involves a collaborative, many-disciplined approach, with the arts – dance, drama, music and visual arts - continuously woven into every aspect of a child’s learning. This teaching method recognizes that students learn in different ways and this understanding helps teachers to better engage each child in the learning process.

Extensive university research in A+ Schools reveals dramatic improvements, including:

• Elevated student achievement
• Better student and teacher attendance
• Decreased discipline problems
• Stronger parental and community involvement
• A more creative and enjoyable educational environment

For more information about the Thea Foundation in Arkansas click here: www.theafoundation.org Also, see how the A+ Schools Programs have been changing the course of education in in North Carolina aplus-schools.ncdcr.gov and in Oklahoma www.okaplus.org.

Linoleum Block Print Contest Discontinued

Click here for details.

Blick Congratulates the winners of the 2013 Illinois Tollway Map Cover Art Contest

Blick is proud to be a sponsor of the 2013 Illinois Tollway Map Cover Art Contest. High school students in the 12 counties served by the Illinois Tollway were invited to submit original works of art based on this year’s contest theme, "Remembering Our Veterans."

Grand Prize - Abby Friedman, Highland Park (pictured)
First runner-up - Michael Barrios, Tinley Park
Second runner-up - Andrew Kaufmann, Highland Park
Third runner-up - Veronica Severini, Lombard

Artwork created by the grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of the Tollway’s 2013 map, which is distributed at no cost to more than 125,000 customers. The artwork of the 10 semi-finalists, including the winning entries, is currently on display at each of the seven Illinois Tollway Oases. The Illinois Tollway plans to place all of the artwork up for auction with the proceeds going to support veterans’ charities.

Blick launches "Essentials" - Economical Alternatives for Younger Artists

Recognizing that many educators are struggling to keep art supplies on hand, Blick is pleased to announce two new economical alternatives for younger artists.

Blick Essentials Tempera is brilliant, rich, and cleans up easily with soap and water. Try the fluorescent tempera colors to make artwork pop and the metallic tempera colors to make artwork glow.Formulated with safety in mind, Blick Essentials Tempera is AP certified non-toxic and contains no latex, dairy, casein, soy, egg, gluten, peanuts, or tree nuts. It is made in the USA.

Click here for more details

Blick Essentials Colored Pencils have break-resistant 3.3mm cores that assure great color laydown for drawing, coloring and blending. Quality pigments result in bold colors that young artists love.

Click here for more details

Blick's 2013 School Catalog: We've lowered prices on thousands of items

Blick’s 2013 Resources for Art Educators catalog offers 648 pages of products for students of all ages and skill levels. Inside, you’ll find the largest selection of art and craft supplies available, plus classroom furniture, studio supplies, free lesson plans and much more - all designed to make your teaching experience better and your budget stretch further.

Order your copy today!

Blick's 2013 Classroom Art Catalog - Resources for preK-6 educators

Blick’s 2013 Classroom Art catalog offers 192 pages of art and craft supplies for teachers and parents of pre-K through 6th grade children. Loaded with classroom essentials, furniture and free lesson plans, you’ll also find class packs, quantity pricing and Blick brand products. All designed to bring you the best combination of quality and value.

Order your copy today!

Free from Crayola: Champion Creatively Alive Children

The Champion Creatively Alive Children series will help you implement arts-infused education in your school. The complete program includes 5 videos and guides, along with a supplemental introductory leadership guide, and additional resources to help you facilitate workshops and arts-infused education advocacy meetings.

Crayola offers the CCAC Content free of charge for educators to use in professional development sessions, staff training, workshops, parent meetings and other similar educational situations with the intent to help teachers, parents and community members understand the role of arts-infused education.

Learn more at http://www.crayola.com/for-educators/ccac-landing.aspx