The visual art component of the Academy explores art from the perspective of production, history, criticism, and aesthetics. Instructors, whose work has influenced current educational practice and theory, come from around the country to provide stimulating and practical instruction. In addition to the visual art sessions, all participants attend performances, musings, special events and other activities.
Please check back regularly for updates and information about the 2012 Tennessee Arts Academy.
Elementary/Lower Middle School
Participants will attend each workshop for two consecutive days and a summary session for both workshops on Friday morning.
Connections in Art
Instructor: Elizabeth Willett
This interactive workshop will provide opportunities for participants to explore the rich connections that visual art can bring to curriculum content through hands-on art production. With a focus on children’s literature, activities are designed to reinforce curriculum content while building aesthetic knowledge. Participants will return to their classrooms with a toolbox of lessons, resources, and strategies that can be used across the curriculum and at any learning level.
Bookbinding Basics
Instructors: David and Julie Williams
Creating handmade books is a way of making beautiful and functional works of art. This workshop will cover the basic skills of bookbinding. There will be discussion regarding the tools, equipment, papers, and different materials that can be used for making handmade books. Various binding techniques will be demonstrated, including Coptic stitching, pamphlet stitching, stab binding, and a variety of folding methods.
Upper Middle/Secondary School
Participants will attend each workshop for two consecutive days and a summary session for both workshops on Friday morning.
Mixed-media Blitz
Instructor: Linda Peterson
This class will combine watercolor, calligraphy, encaustic, and mixed media. Students will explore the building blocks of watercolor, free-form calligraphy, encaustic painting, and more. Students will complete a sample project of each demonstration. As time permits, individual projects will be completed using one or more of the ideas shown. Students will be encouraged to continue working after scheduled class hours.
Wild and Crazy Figurative Sculpture
Instructor: Sheri Treadwell
This class will focus on techniques students can use to create figurative busts that represent fantastic expressions of themselves. As workshop participants create these fun, alter-ego self-portraits, the instructor will share with them methods of easily constructing figurative clay characters, starting with a basic coiling technique. Using a minimum of tools, raw clay will be transformed into stylized but very life-like renditions of the human head and shoulders. This class will take participants through the construction of these figures. Class demonstrations will provide insight into the finishing options that are possible after the initial firing of the objects has taken place.