SchoolArts - April 2007

Editor’s Comments

SYNERGY

“Universe is synergetic. Life is synergetic.” —Buckminster Fuller

Buckminster Fuller, visionary and inventor of the geodesic dome and the Dymax-ion house and car, coined the term “synergy”—a combination of the words “synthesis” and “energy.” To Fuller, synergy meant two or more things working together to achieve results greater than they could achieve by themselves. Fuller found synergy to be a basic principle of all interactive systems and developed a subject he called Synergetics—a geometry of thinking.

As the editor of SchoolArts, I receive manuscripts almost daily, yet I am continually impressed by the variety of synergetic collaborations and the absolute dedication of art teachers. Our articles this month will hopefully inspire you in your own collaborative efforts:

“Opening Doors to Cultural Diversity” details a collaboration between two high school art teachers and their students in which students used actual doors as the foundations for artworks that addressed student-determined social issues. The resulting exhibition generated such a powerful response that

it was taken on the road to a number I still remember the excitement I of sites, including the Michigan Art felt on arriving at my first national Education Association Convention. conference many years ago (we were The dedication of the two art teach- so anxious to get there we forgot to ers is evident in their efforts to col- fill up the car and ran out of gas). lect full-sized interior wooden doors Conferences offer the opportunity for each student and to transport to learn from nationally recognized the doors equipped with rigid metal artists and art educators, visit stands. world-class art museums, choose

“The Art of Running” tells the from many workshops, see new art story of the integration of the art materials and resources firsthand, program into an annual school fun network, and make new friends. run, a clever approach to making This month we are fortu-student art visible to the entire nate to feature articles about the school and community. Students major speakers at the March 2007 designed shoes based on styles of National Art Education Associa-art and the resulting images were tion Convention in New York City: printed on the official race t-shirt. Audrey Flack, the Guerilla Girls,

Another synergistic experience and Daniel Pink. If you are reading I highly recommend is member- this at the conference, welcome! If ship in local, state, and national you are reading this at home, I hope professional art education associa- it will give you an armchair view. tions. It is possible to feel isolated if you teach alone, especially if your district does not offer any inser-vices specific to art. Meeting other art teachers and sharing ideas are Nancy Walkup, Editor invaluable experiences that occur at art education conferences. I believe you will never feel alone again after you attend one.