education, cites examples of student
involvement in art exhibition. The
book is divided into two parts—one
on the perspective of the student
and the other on that of the teacher.
The chapters revolve around stages
to be considered when striving for
success. Theme development, exhibition design, installation, publicity, and events are also explored.
Ultimately, art exhibition, which is
generally considered a behind-the-scenes task for museums and galleries, is promoted as a form of assessment. Burton suggests a variety of
ideas to promote a positive approach
to the aspects of teamwork and community.
—Reviewed by Rebecca Martin, a museum
educator at the Sid Richardson Collection
in Fort Worth, Texas.
A Guide to Great Field Trips.
Kathleen Carroll. Chicago, IL: Zephyr
Press, an imprint of Chicago Press,
2007. Softcover, 160 pp., $19.95.
This comprehensive resource shows
teachers how to plan and transport
students into rich, memorable learning experiences beyond the walls of
the classroom. The author addresses
different perspectives, learning
styles, cultures, and interests as she
introduces field trip information.
Information on international, state,
community, neighborhood, school
grounds, and school building outings
are included. Carroll also provides
guidelines and information about
virtual, online field trips and even
ways to take field trips through
the human imagination. This grea
teacher tool contains checklists,
diagnostic assessment sheets, work-
sheets, and guidelines. A Guide to
Great Field Trips is a creative and
useful resource for any type of field
trip.
—Reviewed by Sharon Warwick, national
art consultant for Pearson Scott Foresman.
Video Reviews
The Private Life of a Masterpiece:
The Great Wave. DVD and VHS. 50
min., $149.95. Films for the Human-ities and Sciences.
The classical Japanese woodblock
print, The Great Wave is presented
in the series, The Private Life of a
Masterpiece. This fifty-minute film
produced by Films for the Humani-ties and Sciences creatively showcases the print and explores the history behind its impact upon Eastern
and Western art. An intimate discussion of the print’s meaning takes the
viewer beyond the most obvious elements and focuses on the passionate battle between humankind and
nature. Using modern digital technology, the film dissects work and
provides a three-dimensional view
of the composition. Also covered in
the film is Hokusai’s life story and
the influence of his work upon modern art, especially Impressionism
and early Pop Art. This engaging
film will be an enriching addition to
intermediate, secondary, and university art classrooms.
—Reviewed by Maria Mitchem, graduate
student of art education at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.
Web Reviews
Lakota Winter Counts
www.wintercounts.si.edu
The Smithsonian’s Lakota Winter
Counts online exhibit is an in-depth
exploration of the Lakota method
of marking the passage of time by
drawing pictures of memorable
events on calendars known as winter counts. The well-designed interactive version of the exhibit requires
a Flash 6 plug-in, but an html version is offered as well.
In the Flash version, a short
movie introduces the site and leads
to ten winter counts accompanied
by a timeline (1701 to 1903). Documents can be compared by year,
or they can be searched as a group.
Topics include plants and animals,
ceremonies, health, trade goods,
places, people, U.S. Government,
and the sky. “View Winter Counts”
allows examination of individual
winter counts, some of which have
been kept on fabric or hide, and others copied into books. Each document appears in a separate window
where it can be navigated, rotated,
and made larger or smaller with a
toolbar or cursor. A sunburst of red
dots indicates that more information is available. These pages can
be collected in “My Winter Count
Gallery,” a useful tool for classroom
presentation or student projects.
For background on the winter
counts and the people who made
them, “Who Are the Lakota?” provides audio for the montage-style
slide show of historical and modern photographs, maps, and details
from the winter counts. “What Are
Winter Counts?” utilizes written
text and slides, and “Audio Glossary” offers pronunciations by a
native Lakota speaker. “Learning
Resources” has an extensive teacher’s guide with lesson plans that can
be downloaded in their entirety, or
by chapter (Adobe Acrobat Reader
required). Also available are images
from the individual winter counts,
charts, maps, as well as a bibliography.
—Reviewed by Rebecca Arkenberg, a
museum consultant from Stratford, Connecticut.
