Editor's note.

Editor's note. Lessons and studio activities to help you coach your students towin the painting game abound in this month's issue. There'ssome great stuff here, but there's also a dilemma: deciding whichto try first! I think it best if we dive right in. A few of your choicesfollow. Donna J. Goodwin's "Integrating the Curriculum: PopArt-Inspired Self-Portraits" asks middle- and high-school studentsto analyze what can give meaning and value to a work of art, demonstratean understanding of the life and art of Andy Warhol, and use thetechnology and techniques of today's graphic artist. Students werealso required to include words in their portraits that expressed theessence of their own being, applying the district's sentencefluency standards. See how they did on page 36. "Instead of painting the usual still life of fruits,vegetables and shiny bottles, why not try a small project that makes abig impact?" This question is how Bill Hicks opens his"Miniature Paintings: Small Size, Big Impact!" (page 32). Notonly will the lesson make a big impact with high-school students, italso teaches them to identify style, subject matter, themes and contentthrough the study of master paintings, and through the application ofvarious painting techniques in the replication of a historical artwork. In Joan Sterling's "It's About Time: FunctionalArtworks" (page 39), upper-elementary students enjoy duplicatingfamous paintings in a circular format, turning their art into somethingfunctional they and their families can use every day. Writes Joan,"I put some in a display case and everyone was amazed with not onlythe quality and subject matter, but the concept of creating clocks asartworks." "Ideas come from all directions--you never know when one isgoing to hit you," writes Jo Woodcock, whose "incite TheirInterest with a Collaborative Painting Project" is found on page34. After attending a friend's birthday party where the guestscreated a large painting together, she thought this would be a greatconcept to try with her lower-elementary students. "This new typeof collaborative painting has become--and will be--a great project in mypresent and future classrooms," writes Jo. "My husband, ahigh-school art teacher, also uses it as an ongoing project for hisstudents." While visiting Europe, Karen Skophammer had an idea inspired bytrash bins covered with modern art: Her students could paintconservation messages on the school's trash cans to remind everyoneto be Earth-friendly! In "Colorful Conservation" (page 38) shewrites, "I knew the idea would be a big hit with fourth- andfifth-graders--and boy, was I right!" Have I helped at all with your decision-making dilemma? Whicheverlesson you choose to begin with, when presenting these projects tostudents, you will all achieve success and win the painting game. Maryellen Bridge, Editor and Publisher ed@artsandactivities.com