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MEDIA REVIEWS
A big “thank-you” to all of you who have read, supported, and written for the “Media Reviews” column in NAEA News— and welcome to all who are joining us now in our online format.
Here you will find reviews by your colleagues of a variety of the latest books and videos of interest to art educators—resources for your personal or professional library and reference materials that support your classroom teaching and planning strategies for student learning and assessment; that offer instruction in practical art methods, skills, and techniques for various media; that showcase new digital technologies and their application to art education; that stimulate academic research and collaboration; that highlight new artists or look at art history in new ways; and that inform and connect you to new programs and initiatives in art education in multiple settings, including museums and community arts centers.
Note: With few exceptions, books reviewed here are not available for ordering through NAEA, but are often found on Amazon.com or the publisher’s website.
Posted August 2, 2010
♦ Art in Action. Maja Pitamic, with Introduction by Mike Norris. Barrons Educational Series, Inc., 2010.
Each book: Paperback with flaps, 96 pages.
Art in Action 1 and Art in Action 2 are two new art activity books. Each book introduces children, parents, and teachers to 24 creative projects inspired by 12 masterpieces.
Designed for children ages 5 to 8, Art in Action 1 covers themes such as color, black and white, shape, and animals. Children are introduced to art techniques ranging from tissue paper mosaic to charcoal drawing to fabric painting. Art in Action 1 includes reproductions of paintings by Matisse, Seurat, Lipundja, Whistler, Dürer, Van der Schley, Gris, Doesburg, Malevich, Rousseau, Zucchi and Stubbs.
Art in Action 2 presents more advanced art projects more suitable for children ages 9 through 12. Each chapter in this book covers a single theme as well: portraits, landscape, myths and legends, and light and shade. Older children are introduced to art techniques ranging from making oil paint to using papier mâché and clay. Art in Action 2 includes reproductions of paintings by Manet, Modigliani, Avercamp, Cézanne, Whistler, Ucello, 16th Century Flemish School, Gowy, Caravaggio, Marc, Pellizza, and one unknown artist.
In each volume, author and teacher Maja Pitamic looks at the stories and meanings of 12 specific paintings. The paintings are presented as inspiration for children to create their own imaginative artworks. Each project includes a color reproduction of an artwork, background on the artist, the historical period, techniques employed, and directions for presenting the artwork as inspiration for children to create their own original art. Both books encourage children’s creative abilities while sharing the world of art history.
Reviewed by Mary C. Nasser, Art Teacher at St. Dominic High School, O’Fallon, Missouri
Posted July 28, 2010
♦ Line: 7 Elements of Art. Jane Castillo. Glenview, IL: Crystal Productions, 2008. Full color, paperback.
Line: 7 Elements of Art is the first book in a series of seven written by Jane Castillo. Castillo has created a simplified version of the elements of art. Great for the elementary classroom, it helps students to learn in an easy-to-understand format. The images of artworks include photographs and installations from various contemporary artists throughout the world. Minimal text is needed for the bold and colorful images chosen of some of today’s hottest artists and photographers. Students and teachers can use this text as an introduction to a lesson on line––an “I Spy” version of finding different types of line in various images––from straight lines to wavy lines and dotted lines too.
Reviewed by Jessica Noel, K-2 Art Educator, Danville Area School District, Pennsylvania Public Schools
Posted June 7, 2010
♦ Understanding Students with Autism through Art. Beverly L. Gerber and Julia Kellman, Editors. 
Reston, VA: National Art Education Association, 2010.
(*Available for orders through NAEA’s online store. Members, $32; Non-members, $39.)
This is, to date, the most comprehensive resource written about the potential effects and outcomes resulting from creating art for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The information––presented by contributing educators and experts from the fields of art education, museum education, special education, art therapy, and medicine ––is research- and experientially based. It is written in plain language and primarily designed for present and future teachers, aides, administrators, and parents.
The large amount of information and student artwork is organized into three content sections and supporting chapter questions. In the first section, the authors provide personal experiences and perspectives regarding the history of special education, the particular nature of autistic cognition, and the characteristics of physical and cognitive behavior for the purpose of identifying the educational environment which students with ASD may currently experience. In the second section, five authors share their best practices in teaching and offer their experiences in the development of educational strategies. Through their own stories, each author emphasizes the relationship of how beneficial learning can be when it is grounded in understanding of the “why” and “how” of behaviors of students diagnosed with ASD. The third section offers insight into how learning strategies for students with ASD can extend into the development of opportunities for community arts and museum programs. A comprehensive list of helpful weblinks and resources is provided.
In summary, this book is an amazing collection of information that eliminates the distance between research and application by providing the tools, methods, and theoretical grounding needed for art educators to better teach students with autism. The overall effect of reading this book will make the inclusion of students with ASD into the mainstream classroom less daunting because the authors have provided “current, comprehensive information about ASD to art educators” (p. 4).
Reviewed by Victoria Weaver, Assistant Professor, Art Department, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania
♦ Experimental Drawing 30th Anniversary Edition: Creative Exercises Illustrated by Old and New 
Masters. Robert Kaupelis. New York: Watson-Guptill.
This book is intended for artists of all abilities and levels of experience. It is a college graduate drawing course. Kaupelis uses examples of master artists from the Renaissance through contemporary artists (as of publication in 1980*) as well as samples of student work that illustrate some of the many possible exercises presented.
There is a progression of the exploration of drawing starting with contour, gesture and modeled drawings. Kaupelis explains that no matter what prior level of expertise an artist has, he or she can still glean new inspiration by going back to the basics of all drawing classes. He clearly explains, with many visual samples, how artists throughout history have used these types of exercises in their work. He then offers exercises to help artists explore these principles.
The book delves into structural organization of drawing, the use of light and dark (or positive and negative space), the use of grids, photographs, and projected images. It discusses how one idea can be explored in hundreds of ways and evolves into a drawing about the process rather than the subject.
Kaupelis continually gives examples throughout the book that clearly illustrate each principle he wants to convey, making it a very comprehensible guide for students and a virtual syllabus for drawing instructors. This book is not a volume telling you there is one way to draw. Rather it is an open-ended guide that gives a myriad of possibilities that the artist can then take as a starting point in the exploration of drawing.
One side note. Since 1980 there have been so many technological advances in computers and photography that some of the final information mentioning these technologies is definitely out of date. There is a notation to this effect by the author in the book. (*Editor’s note: The publisher’s website indicates this edition was published in 1992. It has apparently recently been reprinted.)
Reviewed by Jane Pawlowski, Art Teacher, W.T. Clarke High School, Westbury, New York
Posted May 26, 2010
♦ Dropping in on Impressionists. DVD. 18 minutes with Resource Guide. Crystal Productions. 
2009. ISBN 978-1-56290-632-0. $29.95; with hardcover book: $41.
With Dropping in on Impressionists, Pamela Geiger Stephens, author, and Jim McNeil, illustrator/animator, have created an entertaining and informative introduction to Impressionism for elementary students. The title, part of Crystal Productions “Dropping in on” series, takes a different tack from others in the series by focusing on an artistic style rather than on a single artist.
In the DVD/book, Puffer the Puffin is personally escorted through a gallery of Impressionistic art by an affable Mary Cassatt. Students see glimpses into the lives and art of Eduoard Manet, Pierre-August Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pisarro, Claude Monet, and Mary Cassatt. Through dialogues about artworks, students learn of the beginnings and nuances of Impressionism. The DVD has clearer, longer, and more informative dialogues. These contain the biographical information that in the book is found only at the end. The DVD has a simple Resource Guide with vocabulary, suggested activities, and a timeline.
Both book and DVD can stand alone. The book can be effectively used by a classroom, small group, or an individual. The DVD has the more informative dialogues plus the photographs of the art are larger on a TV screen than in the book. Either format provides an introduction to the Impressionistic Movement or to one of the featured artists. I would use this with elementary students from 1st through 4th grade.
Reviewed by Kerma H. Crouse, Art Teacher and Library Media Specialist, Plymell Elementary, Garden City, Kansas
♦ Laurence Gartel: Digital Media Artist. DVD. Glenview, IL: Crystal Productions, 2009.
At 13.5 minutes long, this DVD is ideal to present to middle or secondary students as a teaching tool for creating computer or video art. Gartel was a pioneer of digital media and was born and raised in New York City, the art center of the world in the mid-20th century. He worked alongside or mentored other notable artists including Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Nam June Paik, all innovators in their own right. Gartel also has many arm lengths of credits in his resume including exhibits in major museums, speaking engagements, and commissions from cultural organizations and industry. Major collectors as well as celebrities own his work.
Gartel was born in the mid-1950s, so today’s students may not be familiar with some of Gartel’s imagery. Coney Island amusement park probably seems tame compared to the rides of terror and special effects offered to the children of the 21st century. Regardless, the richness of Gartel’s work is in the overlays he creates by superimposing colors, textures, and forms. Gartel shares in his own words the thinking and technology processes he utilized to arrive at his finished pieces. Most important is his affirmation to artists to find new pathways of expression. Gartel stresses that artists must not become complacent: they must continue to develop their style. He leaves us with the idea that his next endeavor will be even more creative than his past work.
I showed this video to my middle school students who were in the process of creating a group video project. Some of the imagery is not part of the 21st century, but the enduring message to be innovative stays relevant. I recommend the DVD for art educators who are using technology with their students.
Reviewed by Barbara Marder, K-8 Art educator, John F. Kennedy School, Somerville, Massachusetts
♦ Tickle Tut’s Toes. Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2009. Hardcover 
(Board Book).
Tickle Tut’s Toes is one of two new books in the Touch the Art series published by Sterling Children’s Books. Children ages 4-6 are introduced to Ancient Egyptian art with nine different textured touch spaces. The pages are sturdy, and the textures provide inspiration to explore and learn. Various textures range from sandpaper representing the surface of a sarcophagus to burlap encasing a mummified crocodile to corrugated cardboard simulating the texture of the Pyramids of Giza. At the end of the book, the three-page Artifacts section gives in-depth descriptions of the art images presented in the book, including the history and purpose of functional works. As children often ask questions, parents/teachers/adults can refer to this Artifacts section to provide some explanations. The book is wonderfully composed, with the focus remaining on the art images, and every two pages containing just one sentence that rhymes to hold children’s attention. The authors place rhyming couplets with tactile components and photographic reproductions of Egyptian art on collage backgrounds reminiscent of Eric Carle's work, providing an exceptional spatial experience for children. Tickle Tut’s Toes brings ancient Egyptian art to life and makes art and art history accessible and engaging to even the youngest artist!
Reviewed by Mary C. Nasser, Art Teacher at St. Dominic High School, O’Fallon, Missouri
Posted March 2, 2010
♦ A Visual Guide to Classical Art Theory for Drawing and Painting Students
Eric Mantle. Parkhurst Brothers, Inc., 2009.
This is a collection of schematic illustrations based on the author’s 34 years of art teaching. Most of the images are digitally produced and are meant to clarify for students some of the main principles of linear perspective, color relationships, tonal modeling, and atmospheric perspective. Text is limited to a few brief descriptions for each set of illustrations.
The book’s section on color is particularly effective, with vivid representations of Munsell’s color solid and clear examples of various color interactions. The digital illustrations about atmospheric perspective are also well structured.
Some may find this book’s title misleading, however, because there is no treatment of “art theory” per se regarding the conceptual framework for the production and interpretation of art in historical contexts (“classical” or otherwise). There are also no examples from the history of art to demonstrate how the principles of perspective, color, etc. may be applied in actual works of art. Although there is a brief topic index and glossary, there are no footnotes, bibliography, or any other form of source documentation. Ostwald and Munsell are briefly mentioned (as “worth being aware of”) but there is no acknowledgment of Albers or any other important theorists from any period from whom many of the concepts in the book derive.
This book could serve as a useful reference tool to keep in the art classroom. As helpful as the book’s images are, however, they do not provide comprehensive introductions to the topics. Given the digital nature of most of the illustrations and the increasing use by teachers of digital rather than print resources, perhaps this book could be more useful in a digital format to be used as an accompaniment to other, more thoroughgoing printed texts on drawing, design or color.
Reviewed by David J. Holt, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Canada.
♦ Engaging Learners Through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the Classroom
Katherine M. Douglas and Diane B. Jaquith. New York: Teachers College Press, 2009.
This book is an introduction to the art education philosophy of teaching for artistic behavior by providing students with a learning environment full of choice. Douglas and Jaquith pioneered this practice in their own elementary art classrooms and share it with others through the educational organization they founded, Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Inc.
The book begins with a discussion of why the authors believe that teaching in a choice-based manner is important, and how it supports the development of authentic artistic behaviors in students. Part one of the book includes chapters that address setting up a choice-based classroom environment, how to structure actual class time, strategies for assessment of choice-based art, and suggestions for developing ideas for student artmaking and motivation. Part two of the book focuses on in-depth descriptions of the studio centers the authors suggest for a choice-based classroom. Information about media, resources, and instructional methods are included for each media center.
The appendices support the book well. Appendix one offers information on aligning choice-based instruction with visual art standards. Appendix two addresses how choice-based educators can create lesson plans that reflect the standards and the content covered via this instructional method.
Throughout the book the authors reinforce their belief that offering students choice will eliminate the “school-style art” that is often the result of traditional, teacher-based classroom art assignments. They end with the following challenge. “If we wish for our students to do the work of artists, we must offer them the opportunity to behave as artists, think as artists, and perform as artists. If not in art classrooms, then where?”
This book offers an interesting pedagogical option for art teachers. The choice-based model appears more developmentally appropriate for elementary students, but it may not provide the technical instruction and opportunity for skill development needed for secondary art students. That being said, as an educator who has taught the spectrum of K-12, I would be quite tempted to adopt this practice in an elementary classroom. Developing a repertoire of strong artistic behaviors in young students would certainly evidence many benefits as they progressed to the secondary levels.
Reviewed by Amy J. Brehm, Wisconsin Art Education Association Secondary Division Representative, Westfield Area High School, Westfield, Wisconsin.
♦ History Beyond the Text
S. Barber & C. Peniston-Bird (Eds.). London and New York: Routledge, 2009.
I read books by the British-based Routledge Publishers with the understanding that cultural issues and research are not always equally perceived or represented within American and British academia. However, the necessity to identify and illustrate less traditional primary sources within history, as is the purpose of this book, has resulted in a transcultural research resource that should be welcomed into all Art Education Graduate programs.
History Beyond the Text presents an extensive examination of sources that challenge “the well-worn notions of empirical evidence, the primacy of the document, and the reification of the prose” (p. 1). To do so, the editors collected a variety of overlaying historical perspectives in fine art, photography, material culture, cartoons, architecture, music, and landscape for the purpose of exploring theoretical and practical applications of using them as primary sources.
The editors begin by looking at how the term “document” limited the use of historical evidence based on the notion of subjectivity and intersubjectivity, truth, and authenticity within each non-traditional source. Each chapter, written by experienced researchers, continues the discussion regarding why and how to address the implications of unique sources through their identification of suitable methodologies. Case histories are also offered to illuminate best practices in analysis and interpretation by providing contextual functionality. As a result, this book is recommended for those who want to explore a wide variety of non-traditional sources.
Reviewed by Victoria Weaver, Assistant Professor, Art Department, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania.
♦ Teaching Children to Draw, (2nd edition)
Marjorie Wilson and Brent Wilson. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc., 2009.
The newest edition of Teaching Children to Draw provides thought-provoking insights regarding children’s drawings by examining contemporary influences and addresses the various cultural, narrative, and playful foundations to which children respond and draw. It is easy to read, and the narrative style of writing helps to connect a broad variety of children’s drawing experiences found in global cultures, integrate historical references with 21st-century technology, and guide the reader through the various methods through which children’s drawings can be interpreted.
Chapters are designed to address a variety of topics including, but not limited to, developmental steps (not stages), innate drawing principles, graphic vocabularies and dialogues, and individual innovation and invention. Each chapter’s content is organized to reach a broad audience through its deliciously rich layering of images, children’s dialogues, guided interpretations, and scholarship.
For example, the introduction of three unique learning interactive sites is extremely helpful in understanding the motives through which children draw and interact. The first describes when children initiate drawing for their own self. The second examines traditional learning environments such as art classes where adults assign children to draw. The third presents the practice when both child and adult share the experience of drawing. Each site description is accompanied by real life children’s drawings and stories. In addition, thought provoking questions, peppered throughout the text, support extended exploration of key concepts of development, motives, influences, and creativity within each of the three pedagogical sites.
This text should be required reading for everyone. The identification and integration of past research to contemporary usage is not only helpful to art educators and preservice students, but to anyone who is interested in children’s drawings. To me, this is a welcome resource to understanding the development of children in the visual arts and one that I am using in my own teaching.
Reviewed by Victoria Weaver, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Art Education, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania.
♦ The Rest Is Up To You: A Collaboration Between 118 Artists and A Boy Named Cohen Morano
Cohen Morano with Aye Jay Morano. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2009.
It takes a village to raise a child, but a child can inspire a village. This book uses the works of a young boy, Cohen, to explore the possibilities of collaboration with 118 various artists contacted by his father, Aye Jay.
Aye Jay first started collecting and dispersing young Cohen’s artwork when his son was only 2 years old. The project started out slowly and on a whim; approaching artists at expos in person expanded into contacting artists through the Internet and mailing Cohen’s artwork for collaboration. The artists come from across the world with multiple mediums and backgrounds. Painters, tattoo artists and graffiti artists are included among well known artists Paul Frank and Gary Baseman. The collaborators took Cohen’s simple watercolors and created something unique in each piece. These artists gave each piece the same level of respect that they would their own individual artworks.
Beneath various collaborated pieces, young Cohen remarks on the completed artwork, explaining what he sees in the new image. “It’s a worm coming out of the ground. Every worm comes out of the ground once in a while. I don’t know why, though. Maybe to go poo? That makes good soil.” His prospective is always refreshing and creative, bringing a smile to the reader’s lips!
I was very impressed, especially with Aye Jay’s passion and dedication to pursue this project on behalf of his son. Young Cohen’s art portfolio is larger than most of us could image for such a young age––he is now 8 years old. Cohen and his father are an inspiration for parents, instructors and artists alike to encourage children, young and old, to create!
Reviewed by Jessica Noel, K-2 Art Educator, Danville, Kentucky Public Schools.
♦ The Story in the Picture
Christine Mulcahey. Foreword by Maxine Greene. New York City and Reston, VA: Teachers College Press and National Art Education Association, 2009. (*Available for orders through NAEA. Member price $18.00.)
If you have been teaching art to young children and find yourself cringing at the remarks you hear adults make to children about their artwork, this book is for you and those around you. If you teach preservice students of art education, this book is an excellent choice to help prepare those students.
Analyzing both children at work and adults' comments that influence the work for better or worse, the author suggests “best responses.” These are based on the elements of design, and descriptions of lines, shapes, textures and brushstrokes. She engages the children in conversations, not only about their own art, but also about fine art prints prevalent in her classroom. In fact, she uses those as springboards to all art-related talk among her students.
Mulcahey tells us what is too open-ended, and what is too closed in devising art lessons. She discusses the impact of coloring books and tracing on children's imagery. And, she lists the qualities of a rich art activity.
Besides the usual early childhood themes of people, families, animals, and plants, the author covers the manufactured world because children are exposed daily to cars, computers, video-games, homes, eating utensils, and other devices. She creates an atmosphere in which children feel comfortable enough to express their own ideas and make their own creative leaps without disparagement. No answers are wrong.
The methods Christine uses with the children are cleverly shared with the parents so that communication to and from the home takes place regularly. The Appendices list themes and art prints appropriate for young children, art websites, and letters to parents to help engage families.
This solution oriented text gathers many thoughts that trouble art educators. Be sure to read it.
Reviewed by Marie L. Meegan, Coordinator, Masters of Teaching Art, Salem State College, Salem, Massachusetts.
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Minuette Floyd
I am from Mooresville, North Carolina. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from Winston-Salem State University, a Masters in Art Education from the University of North Carolina (Greensboro), and a Doctorate in Art Education from the Florida State University. I taught elementary art in Palm Beach and Pinellas Counties before accepting a position at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
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