Children’s author/illustrator Eric Carle asked 14 friends that question and the result is the delightful book, What’s Your Favorite Animal? In the book, 14 children’s authors present their favorite animals, with (of course) accompanying illustrations. The book is a treasure of creativity. Think of all the ways it could be used. Examine all the different … Continue reading
How would you represent a great person’s life work in a single symbol? What single image could represent the contributions of Martin Luther King? Abraham Lincoln? Srinivasa Ramanujan? The artist using the pseudonym Hydrogene tackles that question, while also creating art work focusing on STEM education and technology across cultures. The most recent additions to … Continue reading
Happy New Year! The holidays are over and we’re all moving back into our work routines—and in Michigan, to our midwinter world of ice and snow. After our mild fall, we are back into the deep freeze and dark days—just the time when we need some creativity to raise our spirits. At this time of … Continue reading
A while ago I shared one of my favorite books for supporting students in risk taking, Beautiful Oops. While the book focuses on the beauty that can follow artistic “oops” experiences, it also can spur discussions of successes that can follow all manner of not-so-successful efforts. Now, the publishers of Beautiful Oops are sponsoring a … Continue reading
If I want fireworks in my brain, I’d better get back to practicing. That’s the message of a TedEd video by Anita Collins and Sharon Colman Graham, recently featured on National Public Radio. Take a look. I’ve said repeatedly that creativity ≠ the arts, because too many people assume that if they can’t draw realistically … Continue reading
Photographs have the power to communicate in ways words do not. A few days ago I hung some photos from last summer’s trip to Tibet in my office. When I look at them, the sights, sounds, and smells of that place come flooding back. And mine are ordinary cell-phone photos. Ruth Thomson takes the power … Continue reading
What has more than 25,000 participants in 10 countries and inspires creative play with things usually thrown away? The Global Cardboard Challenge! It is that time of year again, and this time I hope I’ve finally managed to post the information in plenty of time to use it. Inspired by the YouTube video sensation Caine’s … Continue reading
Not long ago I wrote about how depressed I was by a Washington Post article titled, “Can Kickstarter save arts education?” It was full of gloomy statistics: Nearly one in 10 U.S. secondary schools has no music program. Eleven percent don’t teach art. More than half have cut theater. Nine in 10 have cut … Continue reading
I’ll admit it—Jimmy Fallon is bad for my sleep cycle. My late-night theatrical husband returns home right about Fallon-time and the temptation to watch just for a while….well, let’s just say I sometimes succumb. Recently, while watching Fallon’s “Wheel of Musical Impressions” with Adam Levine, I realized I was seeing a unique—and very funny—use of … Continue reading
Today’s post features another interesting activity from the Institute of Play, in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)—a “friendly game of observation and persuasion” called “Everybody’s a Critic.” Everybody’s a Critic can be played at MOMA, in any other art gallery, or in a classroom filled with reproductions of artworks. In the game, … Continue reading
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