SchoolArts - May/June 2011

Books, Videos, and Websites

Children’s Book Briefs Cindy Hasio

Trick of the Eye. Silke Vry. New York, NY: Prestel Publishing, 2010. Illus., hardcover, 96 pp., $14.95.

Trick of the Eye describes how art can “trick the eye” and fool viewers into thinking an object is three-dimensional instead of two-dimensional. Included are detailed color examples of art from the Renaissance period to the Op Art style. One example shows how the eyes of a portrait move with you. Also included are descriptions of painting techniques that create perspective and show movement. Enriching eye tests are also included. This fun book allows readers to see things they normally may not see in art, and is recommended for early childhood through elementary level.

Cindy Hasio is a Ph.D student in art education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.

Bookmarks Cindy Hasio

A Retired Art Teacher Tells All. Marlene Nall Johnt. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, 2010. Illus., hardcover, 322 pp., $32.95.

This book is an excellent, thorough, and detailed account of art teacher

Marlene Nall Johnt, who tells all about being a successful art teacher. Each chapter provides easy-to-read advice for making art teaching meaningful and respectful, as well as logical and efficient ways of handling classroom behavior. Suggestions for mixing up activities during the first week of class, discussing goals, dealing with budgets, and getting to know the school’s grading system help the reader get off to a strong start. Also included are tips for advanced art classes and tips that help the teacher with discipline concerns. Questions at the end of each chapter allow the reader to reflect on his or her practice and modify and improve routines, pedagogy, and behavior. A must-read for art educators of all levels.

Cindy Hasio is a Ph.D student in art education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.

Instructional Resources Shannon Stephens

Art Display Cards: Ceramics.

Glenview, IL: Crystal Productions.

$15.95 for a set of sixteen.

Crystal Productions’ Art Display Cards: Ceramics features a set of sixteen, 18 x 6" ( 45 x 15 cm) cards that introduce essential ceramic concepts. Each card features ceramics vocabulary printed in large black letters alongside full-color photographs that portray the process and finished product. The set includes cards for stamping, score and slip, decorating, tile making, firing, glazing, throwing, trimming, centering, hump molds, slab building, coil building, wedging, pinch pots, raku, and sculpture. The cards are scored down the center, and are great as flash cards or for tabletop display.

Shannon Stephens is an art teacher at Beck Elementary School in Trophy Club, Texas.

Web Reviews Rebecca Arkenberg

Japanese Folk Crafts Museum www.mingeikan.or.jp/english/index. html

The Japanese word mingei was coined in 1926 by Yanagi Soetsu to describe common crafts that had been eclipsed by the industrial revolution. Soetsu went on to found and serve as the first director of the Nihon Mingeikan, the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo, stating “The name of the museum . . . stands for the arts of the people, returned to the people.” While most of the collections and exhibitions focus on Japan, the museum also exhibits folk art from Korea, central and south Asia, England, and Central America, as well as contemporary arts and crafts by known artists. The museum’s website provides a wealth of information about the mingei movement with images from the collection.

“About” features essays about Yanagi Soetsu, excerpts from his writings, a history of the mingei movement, and links to additional Japanese folk art museums. Two virtual tours of the Nihon Mingeikan appear in the “Related Links” section.

“Gallery” spotlights the early members of the movement and their work. One section is devoted to works of art from the Korean Yi Dynasty. Additional essays and links appear on some of these pages.