Art Making Series with Digital Applications
In response to many requests from art and graphic design teachers for professional development that bridges traditional and new media this series of retreats offers hands-on practical workshops in a variety of traditional art media with a parallel digital component. These programs are co-sponsored by Greater Capital Region Teacher Center and the Arts Educators Network of the Capital Region BOCES. Art Teachers are required to instruct media that may or may not be their area of expertise. Learn how to handle a variety of art materials and techniques and how to apply them to your classroom. Quote from a teacher who participated in past workshops: “These workshops have been an inspiration... It’s been extremely motivating throughout the year to work with a variety of media and learn techniques that excite me. My enthusiasm is shared with my students... It has been one of the most satisfying professional development experiences I have had in years.” The excitement at the end of each workshop is palpable. Though a medium may have been strange or unfamiliar, each teacher leaves with lessons, their own finished examples and technology applications that he/she will incorporate into the classroom.

October

PREPARING AND USING DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS WITH STUDENTS

For students, learning to organize artwork in a dynamically effective and efficient way is essential in their preparation of a portfolio for art school or as a supplement to their application for college. Using iPhoto you will learn how students can develop their portfolio digitally and maintain and add to it as part of the art learning process. Learn how you and your students will be able to access their work immediately for print or CD and webpage presentations. You will also discover how this digital “cataloging” method can be used to simplify the grading process and the selection of artwork for district level and regional art shows.

Location: Niskayuna High School Room - F107 (Electronic Arts Studio)
Date: Thursday, October 2, 2008
Time: 4:30 -6:30
Fee: $15/2 hrs
Registration: Register with Capital Region BOCES ONLINE, Print from PDF 

Contact Sharon Siegel, ssiegel@gw.neric.org

Instructor: Scott Walroth is currently the Director of Art for the Niskayuna Central School District. He is responsible for the K-12 art curriculum and teaches two sections of Advanced Studio Art Honors. Mr. Walroth attended Suny Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, received an MFA with honors in papermaking/printmaking from Syracuse University and holds an S.A.S from the college of St. Rose. Mr. Walroth has been an advocate for the use of technology in Art since 1986 and has developed and offered numerous workshops combining the two. He continues to pursue his own work as an artist in a variety of mediums.

Directions to Niskayuna High School:

From Western New York: From Thruway (I-90) going East, get off Exit 25.  Follow I-890 East to exit for Rt. 7 (Troy).  Follow Rt. 7 until Balltown Rd. (Rt. 146).  Turn left onto Balltown Rd.  Follow Balltown (Rt. 146) to Nott St. (Third stop light on right). Turn right on Nott St., proceed past the post office and shopping center, turn left at the HS sign. You will enter the back of the building to avoid the construction. Enter through the Media Center Doors (last set of doors in back of school.) The gallery is straight ahead.

From North: From Northway - Get off at exit 6.  Turn right on Rt. 7 for approximately 7 miles.  At the fork (Rt. 7 to the left and Union Street to the right), bear right onto Union Street to Balltown Road.  Turn right onto Balltown (Rt. 146.) See above.

From South: From Northway - Get off at exit 6.  Turn left on Rt. 7 for approximately 7 miles.  At the fork (Rt. 7 to the left and Union Street to the right), bear right onto Union Street to Balltown Road.  Turn right onto Balltown (Rt. 146.) See above.

SCAVENGER HUNT OF DIGITAL CAMERA TECHNIQUES

A self-paced tutorial to discover some unknown, therefore unused, features hidden (and carefully disguised as frustrating buttons) within your very own digital A scavenger hunt of photo assignments to introduce you to your camera functions advanced effects. Back in the portable computer lab we will learn how to improve and alter the photos to create interesting special effects. Assignments will have artistic merit based on art curricular objectives and utilize the superb Rensselaerville Institute surroundings. The scavenger hunt assignments can be easily transferred to your classroom. Come with your digital camera and its manual. (Digital camera provided if you don’t have one at your disposal.) Portions of this program generously underwritten by Apple Computer.

Location: Bethlehem High School, 700 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054
Dates: October 18, 2008 (Sat)
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Fee: $25/6 hrs 
Code: 2885
Register:  through the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center, 479-4083

Instructor: Peter Taylor graduated from the Art Institute of Boston in 1981. He worked as a photojournalist for Picture Group Photo Agency shooting news stories for publication in Europe and the US. In 1986 he shifted into commercial photography shooting for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, General Electric and Hearst Publishing. After seeing an image he had produced mysteriously altered on the cover of a magazine, he decided to investigate the field of digital artwork. He locked himself in his studio with a computer and Adobe Photoshop. When he emerged, he hadn’t helped his business or sanity, but had a newfound respect for digital imaging. Peter teaches photography and computer graphics at Glens Falls City School District.

JAPANESE ART PART 1: LET THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON TRANSPORT YOU TO JAPAN!

Immerse yourself in one of the largest and most important collections of Japanese art outside of Japan. Buddhist statuary, Japanese decorative arts, textiles, paintings, and woodblock prints together provide a comprehensive view of Japanese art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Teachers will spend time in the Museum's galleries with scholars and museum educators. They will look at the collection as a whole providing the broad context of Japanese art, while focusing on two special exhibitions: "Visions of Kyoto: Scenes from Japan's Ancient Capital" and "Zen Mind/Zen Brush: Japanese Ink Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection." In the studio art component of the program, workshop participants will produce works of art inspired by what they see in the galleries. They will try their hand at traditional Japanese calligraphy and suminagashi (Japanese paper marbling), and leave with lesson plan ideas and resources to enhance their classroom teaching.

Around 80 percent of the Japanese art in the MFA is made up of Japanese woodblock prints and books, including works acquired in Japan in the late nineteenth century and the fabled collection of John and William Spaulding, given in 1921. More recently, donated prints and photographs depict the emergence of Japan as a modernizing nation.

Don’t miss this outstanding opportunity to experience an in-depth look at Japanese art with outstanding experts form the BMFA staff. There is time allotted to explore the collection on your own in addition to work with curatorial staff. Lunch on your own.

Location: Crossgates Mall outer lot on ring road near Burlington Coat
Date: Oct 25 (Sat) 2008
Time: 8am prompt departure from Crossgates – 7:30pm departure from Faneuil Hall in Boston
Fee: $55/6 hrs (includes transportation, entrance fees, educational program and
documentation of participation).
Code: 2883
Facilitator: Suzy Hokanson
Register:  through the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center, 479-4083

Instructors:
Willamarie Moore is Head of School Programs and Resources. With a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.A. from George Washington University, Ms. Moore has two decades of experience in the field of education. She has taught students ranging from elementary school-aged children to adults, in Japan, Cambodia, Washington, DC, and throughout the greater Boston area. She has over ten years of experience as a museum educator in the Boston area, developing, teaching, and consulting on a wide range of programs. Some examples include: a yearlong intensive study including a seventeen-day study tour to Japan for Boston and Cambridge public school teachers (1998 – 1999); and more recently, a course called “A Closer Look at American History Using Visual Thinking Strategies” as an Adjunct Professor in the Division of Graduate Education and Continuing Education at Framingham State College (Fall 2007). She has published multiple teaching kits and curriculum units for K – 12 educators to effectively link museum and classroom learning. 

Judith King, Manager of School and Teacher Partnerships, received her B.A. from Wellesley College, her MBA from the University of Chicago, and completed graduate work in Museum Studies at Tufts University. Prior to joining the MFA, she worked at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Peabody Essex Museum in the areas of student visits, tour development, and docent training. At the MFA, Ms. King is responsible for all aspects of the Museum’s Teacher Professional Development workshops and institutes, from concept development to final execution. Recent workshop and institute topics include: “It Speaks to Me: Literacy and Art;” and “Art as History: Multiple Viewpoints and Voices in the Creation of a New Nation.” She also manages the MFA/Boston Public Schools Thinking Through Art Partnership program, currently serving nine elementary schools. Ms. King was the primary author/editor for the School Arts Magazine series featuring the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (March 2005).

November

JAPANESE ART PART 2: WABI SABI: THE JAPANESE AESTHETIC

Participants will develop skills and prototypes to be able to teach their students a variety of Japanese art forms. These will include creating their own individualized Hanko (signature seal), Ukiyo-e (images of the floating world), Byobu (folding screens), Japanese batik, Kanji characters and Sumi-e.  Participants will have an opportunity to mix their own paints using traditional Japanese Materials (rabbit skin glue and mineral pigments) to create their Byobu.  Participants will have the opportunity to see slides and video clips of Japan and learn about the Japan Fulbright opportunity.  Participants will brain storm how they can expand and improve these activities to develop lessons age-appropriate for their students. Materials fee: $10

Location: Teacher Center at Rensselaerville Institute
Dates: Nov 14, 15 (Fri-Sat) 
Time: 5pm Fri thru 4pm Sat
Fee: $99/15 hrs 1 in-service credit (inc meals and overnight lodging)
Code: 2884
Register:  through the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center, 479-4083

Instructor: Suzy Hokanson teaches Art at Bethlehem Middle School where she utilizes technology whenever possible. Each of her lessons begins with a PowerPoint presentation that incorporates the incredible information and images available on the Internet as well as digital photographs and scanned data. Suzy has also created an extensive website with FrontPage that she uses to communicate with her students, their families and the community… http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/middle/hokanson/hokanson.htm She finds that it is a very effective method for organizing her curriculum and showcasing her student’s work in an easily accessible way.

Beyond Paper and Pencil: Bringing Literacy to Life through the Performing Arts

Are you having trouble reaching any of your students? Are they distracted and bored by traditional methods? Master teaching artists Julie Kabat and Susan Griss will introduce teachers to successful strategies of using movement, music, and poetry to enhance student learning in English Language Arts, K - 5. The integration of arts and curriculum allows teachers a practical and fun way to develop academic skills, build community, and cultivate creativity in the classroom. Some of the topics to be covered include main idea, key details, vocabulary, sequence, and reading with expression.

Location: Capital Region BOCES, 900 Watervliet-Shaker Rd, Albany 12205
Date: Friday, November 14, 2008
Time: 8:30 am - 3:00pm
Cost:  $90 Enrollment limited to 35. Cost: $90. Breakfast & Lunch
Register Online at http://arts.capregboces.org

Registration Deadline 11/1/08

Susan Griss, educational consultant and choreographer, is the author of Minds in Motion: A Kinesthetic Approach to Teaching Elementary Curriculum, works with children in the public schools, and is on the faculty of Bank Street College of Education and Lesley University.

Julie Kabat is Executive and Artistic Director of Concerted Effort and, as a composer and teaching artist, draws on over 25 years of experience working on creative projects in schools with children and teachers.

Susan and Julie are co-directors of BEYOND PAPER AND PENCIL, a program of Concerted Effort, Inc.

ARTS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

March 27, 2009

More details to follow!

April

PRINT YOURSELF A FLAG BOOK

Participants will use watercolors and water-soluble crayons to create a few pages of monoprints on a topic of their choice or using the presenter's guidelines.  Monoprints are drawings and paintings on Plexiglas that are then printed on paper using a non-printing press technique (Most classrooms don't have printing presses- so although we have use of a press at the Arts Center, we will not be using it for this class.) While the prints dry, we will put together the cover and spine of the flag book.  Finally we'll cut the prints, make the flag inserts using the prints and bind the book. What is a Flagbook?: See The Flagbook Bind-O-Rama

Instructor: Joann Johnson teaches art at Cohoes CSD.

Location: The Arts Center of the Capital Region, 265 River Street, Troy, NY 12180
(518) 273-0552
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2009
Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Fee: $30/6hr
Registration: Register with Capital Region BOCES ONLINE, Print from PDF 

Contact Sharon Siegel, ssiegel@gw.neric.org

May

DIGITAL CAMERA TECHNIQUES II: ELECTRONIC DARKROOM

“Now that I know how to take good photographs, how do I tweak them?” Learn how to use Adobe Photo Elements (software under $100) to enhance your photographs. Use tools and functions inside Elements to be more expressive and creative! Starting with basic dodging and burning like a traditional darkroom, we will move on to exciting high tech features only available using digital software.

Location: Bethlehem High School, 700 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2009
Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Fee: $30/6hr
Registration: Register with Capital Region BOCES ONLINE, Print from PDF 

Contact Sharon Siegel, ssiegel@gw.neric.org

May/July

2009 SUMMER INSTITUTE AND ART MAKING RETREAT

This annual summer institute is being offered for the ninth year. GCRTC and the Capital Region BOCES Arts Educators Network are proud to present this outstanding institute designed to support the particular needs of art teachers in traditional media making or in integrating multi-media in the classroom as a medium and teaching too.

Artistic Renewal for Art Teachers: Art Making and Technology for you and your students

In July 2009, participants will spend four days creating original artwork and developing materials, both digital and traditional, for classroom use.

Developed especially for art teachers, this retreat will allow the participants to immerse themselves in their artwork, either traditional or digital medium, share in group critiques and then look at ways to strengthen the activity for the classroom. Participants will be given the opportunity to observe, investigate, explore and link to technology with the intent to see how digital media may enhance and strengthen instructional strategies. One day will be devoted to a guest artist who will lead participants in a hands-on workshop. The wonderful environ of Rensselaerville Institute will act as inspiration and possible material source. Participants will have access to the Internet to locate resources; access to film and flatbed scanners to input materials; use of digital cameras for the making and recording of artwork; and access to CD burners to store materials. Technical assistance will be ongoing to be sure teachers are not derailed because of computer problems.

For Technology Curriculum Writing and digital art making, participants should: bring ideas for lesson plans and any materials they need to develop them. Participants should have basic computer skills.

For Art Making, participants should: Bring medium of your choice. There will be ample time for working on your own artwork as well as networking with others about artwork and digital applications. Join your colleagues to discuss your work and its application to the classroom.

SESSION 1: PREPARATION FOR THE SUMMER INSTITUTE
This is a 3-hour essential meeting to help participants in the summer institute define and
prepare for their summer retreat experience.
The May 27, 2009 (Wed) meeting will center on:
• Deciding in which aspect of the retreat the participant will engage: art technology curriculum writing; digital or traditional media making
• Identify materials and resources needed for the Summer Institute
• Determine key objectives and outcomes, which each teacher considers most important
• Deciding what software/hardware will be used in the summer; which applications are best for what tasks
• Consider what lessons to develop using traditional or multi-media

Dates: May 27, 2009 (Wed)
Location: Capital Region BOCES School Support Services, 900 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Albany
Time: 4:00-7:00 PM
Cost: $10. 
Registration: Please register for Session 1 with Capital Region BOCES Arts Educators Network
Contact: Sharon Siegel (518)-464-3929 Fax: (518) 464-3992 Email: ssiegel@gw.neric.org

Session 2: ART MAKING RETREAT: Artistic Renewal For Art Teachers: More Art Making and Technology  

Dates: July 19, 20, 21, 22, 2009  (Sun – Wed)
Location: Minnowbrook Conference Center, Blue Mountain
Time: 10am Sunday thru 3pm Wednesday  (inc. meals, lodging and materials)
Cost: $195/30 hrs
Code: 2892
Registration: Please register for Session 2 with the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center

Instructors:
Peter Taylor graduated from the Art Institute of Boston in 1981. He worked as a
photojournalist for Picture Group Photo Agency shooting news stories for publication in Europe and the US. In 1986 he got into commercial photography shooting for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, and Hearst Publishing. After seeing an image he had produced mysteriously altered on the cover of a magazine, he decided to investigate the field of digital artwork. He locked himself in his studio with a computer and Adobe Photoshop. When he emerged, he hadn’t helped his business or sanity at all, but had a newfound respect for digital imaging. Peter teaches photography and computer graphics at Glens Falls City School District.

Sharon Siegel is a Coordinator for the Capital Region BOCES. She has been an independent artist; illustrator; founder and director of the Albany School of Visual Arts; and an adjunct professor and supervisor of art student teachers for the College of St. Rose. She has led many professional development activities for regional artists and art teachers.