texture, space, balance, contrast,
emphasis, movement, pattern,
rhythm, and unity (one word per
card). Each word is illustrated with
a variety of visual examples for
quick and easy explanations. The
cards are printed on UV-protected
cardstock and have multiple classroom uses. Open the full-size cards
to display on the wall or fold in half
to use as flashcards or for testing.
Art Display Cards are a high-quality product that provide instant
reference. The cards will prove to
be a welcome addition to any K– 12
art teaching environment.
Video Reviews
Pam Stephens
Gargoyles: How to Create Them.
Peggy Flores. Glenview, IL: Crystal
Productions. DVD and VHS, 22
mins., $29.95
Gargoyles: How to Create Them
features Peggy Flores, an artist
and educator, who explains how
to create three-dimensional gargoyles from clay. This is another in
the series of “how to” videos that
Crystal Productions has made with
Flores. Included in the demonstration is an explanation of clay tools
and how to use them, how to attach
clay pieces together, and how to add
unique expressions to individual
gargoyles. Photographic examples
of historic gargoyles are shown. A
brief history of gargoyles, chimeras,
and other grotesque characters is
also provided. Like the other videos
in the series, Gargoyles: How to
Create Them has a variety of uses.
The video can be easily used to
introduce or close a lesson, to add
depth to instruction, or to provide
independent study for advanced
students. This product is recommended for upper elementary, middle, and high school art classrooms
and libraries.
—Dr. Pamela Geiger Stephens is a member of the SchoolArts advisory board. She
teaches and coordinates the art education
program at Northern Arizona University,
Flagstaff.
Web Reviews
Rebecca Arkenberg
Playing with Shadows
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/
shadowpuppets/ artsedge.html
Playing with Shadows is a beautifully designed visual presentation
that uses music and animation to
explore the ancient art of shadow
puppetry. A classroom exploration
of art and performance would benefit from its interactive demonstrations and features.
Background information is given
on the origins of shadow puppetry
and its various forms in China,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, and
France. This is followed by a discussion of how puppets are made and
whom they represent, and the tales
that are told.
“Behind the Shadows” provides
instructions on making puppets,
setting up the screen, adjusting
the light, and designing a show. In
“The Puppet,” animated diagrams
show how to make a simple puppet,
with additional information on cutting details and adding textures or
colors. “The Screen” demonstrates
the opacity of the screen and how
by moving the puppet closer or farther away. “The Light” explores the
effects of behind-the-screen light
intensity. “The Show” reveals how
puppets can display different emotions, how the scene is set, and how
styles of music add to the perfor-
mance.
“The Puppet Studio” invites you
to design your own puppet show.
First, choose a setting, two characters, and various props. Then add
two motions for each character and
place them along with the props
on a set behind a screen. After you
enter a title for the show and choose
a musical soundtrack, it can be previewed or changed by going back to
the options.
“The Masters” contains five
short video clips, three of which
show traditional shadow puppet
performances including dragons,
a turtle, a crane, a monkey, and a
bear. A behind-the-screen segment
features the Shaanxi Folk Arts
Theater of China and an interview
with contemporary puppet master
Ping Chong, who mixes traditional
techniques with modern digital and
video images.
Pop-Up and Moveable Books
www.library.unt.edu/rarebooks/
exhibits/popup2/ default.htm
Pop-up books amaze and delight
the reader with unexpected feats
of engineering that transform the
illustrations from two dimensions
into three. The University of North
Texas libraries site highlights the
Weaver collection of pop-up and
movable books from the nineteenth century to the present. One
example admonishes children: “The
men and creatures here you find are
lively and amusing, Your fingers
must be slow and kind and treat
them well while using.” Thanks to
modern technology, the books illustrated on this site do not have to
carry such a warning.
A brief history is provided as
an introduction to the collection.
The first movable book is credited
to a thirteenth-century Catalán
