Layered Landscapes: An Interdisciplinary Exploration
Middle-school students create mixed-media landscapes to explore art concepts, scientific knowledge, and Indigenous botany in meaningful ways.
1 December 2025
Latest Issues
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Mindfulness
The Mindfulness Issue, December 2025
Art teachers support students in slowing down, enjoying the creative process, and grounding themselves in the present. Young learners apply self- and social-awareness skills as they depict emotions through portraiture, elementary students explore watercolor techniques without the pressure of perfection, middle-school students create mixed-media landscapes that connect art with Indigenous botany, high-school students engage in the meditative practice of knitting, and more.
Transformation
The Transformation Issue, November 2025
Art teachers explore the theme of transformation, guiding students to shift perspectives and reimagine materials as new works of art. Young students collaborate on a school-wide clay mosaic inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar, elementary students breathe new life into cardboard with landscape-inspired low-reliefs, middle-schoolers transform recycled materials into wearable art, high-school students turn disassembled machine parts into futuristic inventions, and more.
Interdisciplinary Connections
The Connections Issue, September 2025
While teaching students about new artists, processes, and techniques, art teachers also prioritize building relationships and strong foundations. Young students transform the hallway bulletin board into a giant sheet music mural promoting kindness, elementary students develop fantastical illustrations, middle-school students embrace imperfections while making stained glass jewelry, high-school students work with limited materials to create balanced compositions, and more.
Choice-Based
The Student Voice and Choice Issue, October 2025
Art teachers foster student voice and choice, guiding them to be thoughtful artists and critical thinkers. Young students engage in a three-part insect-drawing unit that blends science and imagination. Elementary students design 3D miniature studios inspired by artist research. Middle-schoolers use mapping to craft conceptual self-portraits reflecting identity. High-schoolers study Naum Gabo’s Constructivist sculptures, then build original works tied to personal interests.
Classroom Practice
The Innovation Issue, Summer 2025
Art teachers share new and exciting art-making experiences in and outside the art room. Young students collaborate to paint a hanging cardboard butterfly installation, elementary students use everyday objects to create illuminating bookshelf dioramas, middle-school students use 3D-scanning technology to print lifelike portraits, high-school students address contemporary issues while creating in an outdoor classroom, and more.
Classroom Practice
The Process Issue, May 2025
Art teachers use a process-based approach to engage students in art-making. Young students apply color-mixing to create vibrant watercolor paintings, elementary students are introduced to the unique process of paper quilling, middle-school students use critical thinking and ideation skills while drawing meaningful self-portraits, high-school students use fused glass techniques to create functional works of art, and more.
Contemporary Art
The Contemporary Art Issue, April 2025
This issue focuses on various interpretations of contemporary art and what art means for students today. Young students connect to the natural world and print with leaves, elementary students combine elements from historical and contemporary artworks to create a new work of art, middle-school students explore the large-scale sculptures of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, high-school students channel contemporary themes into a self-portrait photo composite, and more.
Highlights
Two Sticks and Some Yarn: Mindful Knitting in the Art Room
High-school students engage in the meditative process of knitting, progressing from finger-knitted pieces to stitched and crocheted scarves.
1 December 2025
Reading Faces
Young students apply self- and social-awareness concepts by identifying, depicting, and responding to the emotions they see on their classmates’ faces.
1 December 2025
Editor's Letter: Mindfulness
Frank Juárez, SchoolArts editor-in-chief, discusses how moments of reflection remind us to slow down, be present, and rediscover joy in the process of making.
1 December 2025
The Mindful Studio: Earth Art Installations
Jane E. Dalton, professor and author, guides students through mindful walking and careful observation to create radial designs in nature.
1 December 2025
Kiln Calibration Made Simple: A Guide for Educators
Kiln calibration is crucial for educators to ensure consistent and reliable firings in the classroom. This guide focuses on the importance of calibration, highlighting benefits like improved glaze results and fewer ruined pieces. Learn how to use pyrometric witness cones and measure heat work accurately to optimize kiln performance.
1 December 2025Media Arts
Transforming Ideas into Animated Stories
Middle-school students become stop-motion animators and storytellers while exploring CTE and audio-visual concepts.
Media Arts, 1 November 2025
Peace Without Limits
Middle-school students make connections between the environment, artificial intelligence, and watercolor painting while participating in an art contest.
Media Arts, 1 August 2025
Woven Optical Illusions
Middle-school students take ownership over their learning while gaining familiarity with digital tools and creating a woven optical illusion.
Media Arts, 1 June 2025
Editor's Letter: Innovation
Frank Juárez, SchoolArts editor-in-chief, reflects on the importance of an innovative art curriculum that fosters curiosity and creative risk-taking.
Media Arts, 1 June 2025
AI-Generated Laughs
High-school students explore the emerging world of artificial intelligence while experimenting with two compositions based on visual puns.
Media Arts, 1 June 2025
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