links to historic homes and house museums

      Historic house museums in the United States differ a great deal one from another. Some are organized around the person who lived there or the social role the house had. Consequently, they may contain objects that belonged to the inhabitants. This approach is mostly concerned with "authenticity". Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell the story of a particular area, kind of life or period in time. This approach is guided by the "narrative" of the people who lived there. In each kind visitors learn about what they are seeing.

      Important to all historic house museums, however, is that the structure once was intended, or at least used, as a place of human habitation, and that the contents of the structure, now a museum, were intended for such places. Thus, if historic structures, though once homes, do not principally contain objects originally intended for the home AND have them arranged in a home-like ambiance, but instead have such objects arranged like a more typical museum, or principally contain displays and objects not originally intended for a home, then they should not be called "historic house museums."

• Mount Vernon, is the former home of America's first president, George Washington.
• Colonial Williamsburg, an entire collection of buildings dating back to Colonial America.
• Native American Cliff Dwellings, are located in several State National Parks.
• The Pilgrim John Howland House is the one house located in Plymouth still where early American pilgrims actually lived.
• The John Alden House was inhabited by the youngest of the men who came to America on the Mayflower.
• Both the Custom House and the Derby House are located in Salem, the first town of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1626. These homes are preserved by the Maritime National Historic Sites Association.
• The Paul Revere House, at 19 North Square, is the oldest house in Boston and is the former home of Paul Revere.
• Not far from Revere's house is The Old State House Museum. It burned to the ground in 1747 but was rebuilt because of it's important historical significance. The Declaration of Independence, the repeal of the Stamp Act and the declaration of peace with England were all officially announced from this building's balcony.
• The Ironmaster's House built in approximately 1636, was restored by Wallace Nutting.
• Eleven house museums at Historic Deerfield.
• Visit homes of the 1800's at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass.
• In Amesbury, Mass. visit the homes of Mary Baker Eddy and John Greenleaf Whittier.
• There are several interesting homes along the Historic Seacoast of Massachusetts: The House at Yarmouth, built in 1721, The Squire Thomas Cooke House, built in 1765 in Martha's Vineyard, The Aptuxcet Trading Post, 1626, The Stoney Brook Mill at Brewster, Nantucket's Old Mill and The Jethro Coffin House, built in 1686.
• Fort Western in Augusta, Maine.

Homes In Missouri:

• The home and mill belonging to Waltus L. Watkins is very near to the town I grew up in. It has a marvelous man-made lake there and also a lovely bike path. The home and mill are in excellent condition. I grew up in the once small town of Liberty, MO. This little town had quite an unusual history. It would seem as though the townspeople could never make up their minds during the Civil War about who's side they were on. There are several historic homes there, in fact, that have old brick tunnels beneath them where slaves were hidden during the day and released at night. These tunnels have been filled in with clay and/or concrete because they became unstable over the passing of years. When I was young, I helped give guided tours through one of these beautiful old homes on Water Street during the holidays. Water Street is very near to the town square where Jesse James in broad daylight robbed the Clay County Bank. History enthusiasts can also tour the old James Family Farm in the nearby town of Kearney. Not far from the town square is William Jewell College. This college had a tumultuous past during both the Civil War and World War I and you can read about it here. Visitors should not pass up the chance to take two walking tours in Liberty. There is one of the college campus and another of the Lightburn Historic District. Included in that college tour, I'm assuming, is a quick look into the historic cemetery on Jewell campus.
• When I was a school girl, students often took day trips to Fort Osage, the very first outpost of the United States built following the Louisiana Purchase. It was built by William Clark to show the British and the Spanish that the U. S. could protect their territories. It also had a very active trading post.
• The very first permanent settlement in Missouri was at St. Genevieve, founded by the French in 1735. I love the historic charm of the architecture in this town.
• See the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) in Hannibal, MO.
• St. Louis, gateway to the West, has many historical homes people may tour year round. The oldest building in this city is the Manuel Lisa Warehouse. It was built by a Spanish fur trader in 1818. In the old Cathedral there are exhibits portraying the early history of St. Louis. Overlooking the river is the Old Courthouse. It was completed by 1864 and it was used by the county/city for 85 years. Dred Scott was tried there to defend his status as a free man. The Eugene Field House still stands on South Broadway and is open to the public. Robert Cambell, who made a fortune in trade, built an ornate Victorian mansion on the Southwest corner of Fifteenth and Locust Streets. Grant's Farm is home to the Hardscrabble House. It was built by Ulysses S. Grant during the early years of his marriage to Julia Dent before the Civil War.
• The Sappington House Museum was built by slave labor in 1808. It is located very near to the city of Kirkwood, Mo. Directly behind it is a charming library housing rare books and city history documents. There is also a tearoom at this complex where visitors can have brunch or desert.

Where do "big ideas" come from?

        Who, what, when, where and how do art teachers manage to come up with goals for my child's education? Although this may seem like a mystery for many parents, there is no real mystery to it at all. Goals or Big Ideas in the classroom are derivative of many sources. Parents can learn to think and analyze these goals by considering first the multiple origins of those ideas woven into the thinking processes of art educators who write lesson plans. 

• Human instinct or natural survival are popular sources in the development of big ideas. Parents can recognize these by noting objectives that have to do with fine motor skills and the basic manipulation of materials. These objectives are seen as fundamentally necessary with all people no matter where they come from or what they believe in. Often times state schools encourage their teachers to pursue these goals above all others because it means that they will not need to worry about displeasing parents from culturally diverse backgrounds. However, a teacher who avoids teaching big ideas from any other resources besides these, avoids teaching his students to think about the why of art and this ultimately is a inferior art education. The best art education is based upon a healthy diet including a variety of influences.
• Social or Community Values are usually those politically hot topics driven by all kinds of people from a wide variety of cultures. These big ideas will test the metal of an art teacher. How to teach variety without teaching in a condescending way and without insulting the intelligence of the parents and students in their care, becomes very important in the writing and deliberation of these lesson plans. A good teacher will be very selective here. Remember, no matter what you believe, there will always be someone who is insulted by it somewhere. Students need to be challenged and appreciative of differences in people in order to receive the highest form of art education. My reason for arguing this lies in the fact that students who learn to process through a wide variety of opinions while still maintaining the enduring qualities of their own beliefs are smarter, stronger, and ready to take on many of life's challenges. It is wonderful to keep little ones innocent but this does not mean that they should be naive. I understand that people often use these two words interchangeably but that is not how I am comparing the two. 

To be naive in my experience means that a student lacks wisdom and is easily misled.

To be innocent means that one maintains cultural values that dictate moral convictions.

• The media or the marketplace are often categorized under visual culture in many teaching publications. However, I have listed them apart from the visual culture defined by social groups or from community values. My reason for doing this is because I believe that popular media often represents a powerful subgroup within a specific political party or belief system. These influences may also be, quite frankly, economically driven or laced with some other form of prejudice. The origins for big ideas based upon a wealthy, smaller population that means to influence or propagate private agendas may cause cultural havoc on young impressionable minds. It is probably better to save these lessons for mature students.
• Big ideas have always included some personal agenda in the designing of lesson plans. Personal agenda does not need to be seen as negative. For example; if an art teacher is a sculptor and not a painter, this may increase the number of sculptural lessons that he will teach to your child.  Most teachers educate with those resources that they feel most comfortable with. However, there can be great negativity in personal agendas. If an art teacher does not believe that he has not benefited greatly in his choice of career, he may not teach art with the enthusiasm necessary to encourage your child or to believe in himself.
• Genetics influence art education but to what end we are not very certain. There has been little study in this field in terms of art education as of yet. However, we are aware that the chromosomes specific children receive from their parents do directly influence the way in which they process creative information. Not only do Gardner's theories of education have much to do with this concept but those students born with a disability or who are particularly gifted may also influence the way a teacher writes and implements an art lesson plan.
• Human History influences big ideas tremendously in nearly every lesson plan that your child will be taught. The obvious lessons are those that are based upon a specific artist or a past event.
• Big ideas influenced by philosophy are often categorized as forms of indoctrination. Students are taught to follow and accept those principles common to a particular school of thought or art movement.
• Big ideas specific to psychosomatic education are commonly referred to as age appropriate materials or gender specific materials. Psychosomatic education relies heavily on socialization as well as genetics so this is why I have included it on this list in addition to genetics.

article by Kathy Grimm copyrighted 2012 

teaching art movements: street art

      Street art is art, specifically visual art, developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives. The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, sculpture, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, and street installations. Typically, the term street art or the more specific post-graffiti is used to distinguish contemporary public-space artwork from territorial graffiti, vandalism, and corporate art.

Traditional street painting on a whole new level. 

      Artists have challenged art by situating it in non-art contexts. ‘Street’ artists do not aspire to change the definition of an artwork, but rather to question the existing environment with its own language. They attempt to have their work communicate with everyday people about socially relevant themes in ways that are informed by esthetic values without being imprisoned by them. John Fekner defines street art as "all art on the street that’s not graffiti".

Riverdance flashmob in Central Station Sydney.

      Whereas traditional graffiti artists have primarily used free-hand aerosol paints to produce their works, "street art" encompasses many other media and techniques, including: LED art, mosaic tiling, murals, stencil art, sticker art, "Lock On" street sculptures, street installations, wheatpasting, woodblocking, video projection, and yarn bombing. New media forms of graffiti, such as projection onto large city buildings, are an increasingly popular tool for street artists—and the availability of cheap hardware and software allows street artists to become more competitive with corporate advertisements. Much like open source software, artists are able to create art for the public realm from their personal computers, similarly creating things for free which compete with companies making things for profit.

Yarnbombing

 

      Traditional graffiti also has increasingly been adopted as a method for advertising; its trajectory has even in some cases led its artists to work on contract as graphic artists for corporations. Nevertheless, street art is a label often adopted by artists who wish to keep their work unaffiliated and strongly political. Street artists are those whose work is still largely done without official approval in public areas.

      For these reasons street art is sometimes considered "post-graffiti" and sometimes even "neo-graffiti." Street art can be found around the world and street artists often travel to other countries foreign to them so they can spread their designs. Read more . . .

Street Art Documentary:

• Rock Fresh (2004), a documentary film about the challenging world of the graffiti artist
• RASH (2005), a feature length documentary by Mutiny Media exploring the cultural value of Australian street art and graffiti
• Bomb It (2008), a documentary film about graffiti and street art around the world
• Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010), a documentary created by the artist Banksy about Thierry Guetta
• Roadsworth: Crossing the Line (2007), a documentary film about the legal struggle of Montreal street artist Roadsworth
• Street Art Awards (2010), opening of the street art festival in Berlin
• [Las Calles Hablan] (2013), Las Calles Hablan, a feature length documentary about street art in Barcelona

aeolian harps and how to make them

      The simplest pattern of an Aeolian harp is that which fits into any ordinary window frame.

      A box of thin, straight-grained, well-planed pine is glued together, having a length equal to that of the width of the window for which it is destined, a depth of four or five inches, and a breadth of five or six inches. The wood of which it is made is carefully planed on both sides, and is not over an eighth of an inch in thickness, and the joints are as true and clean as it is possible to make them. The more carefully the box is made the better will be the tone of the instrument.

       The bridges in all Aeolian harps are of some hard wood, such as oak, box or elm, and are glued on to the face of the sounding case. They are about half an inch high and a quarter of an inch thick.

The strings are of catgut, tightened by pegs screwed into the edges of the case, which are occasionally strengthened for the purpose by a thin fillet of beech. The strings are tuned in unison.

      Three inches above them is placed a thin board, supported upon four pegs, one at each corner of the case.

      The harp is rested on the bottom of the window frame, and the sash is brought down upon the upper board. The air passes in and out between this board and the sounding box, the strings are set in vibration, and so give off that soft, melodious murmur which, in a more subdued tone, is heard near telegraph posts when the wires are shaken by the wind.

      This is the ordinary Aeolian harp, but there are many more complicated forms of the instrument in existence. The Aeolians of the four Strasburg Cathedral towers, for instance, are well known to tourists. 

      At the castle of Baden Baden also the harps are a great attraction, and we here give a sketch of one of the loudest of these celebrated instruments (Fig. 1).

      It is set well back in the gallery, and the window opening is gradually contracted by the curious shed, of which one side is removed to show the construction, the air passing out through the grating, which is only slightly wider than the harp.

      Of the harp itself we give the plan and section (Fig. 2), and to avoid frictions, we retain its original measurement in meters and centimeters--sixty-one centimeters being as nearly as possible two feet, and a meter being a hundred centimeters, or thirty-nine inches and three-eighths.

      It will be noticed that this pattern of the instrument has strings on both sides, and that the inner edge of the box is fitted with narrow sound holes. The front of the box is of thin wood steamed into shape, and fitted round the curved ends as carefully as the sides are built into the back and belly of a violin.

       In Kircher's harp (Fig. 3), the older form, the screen fits into a window, the instrument is hung on an iron rod, and has a great many strings stretched over broad sound holes. The case is freely perforated, and is hung so as to half overlap the aperture which gives admittance to the air. 

      Kircher for a long time had the credit of being the inventor of the Aeolian harp, but it is of much earlier date. It is, in truth, a very obvious contrivance, easily made, and not susceptible of much improvement.

      In out last figure, we give its latest form, which differs from the others only in the arrangement of the screens. These are devised to throw a strong draught on to the strings, without having to be fitted into a window frame; but in this, it requires a pretty strong breeze to bring out its full tone. by James Elverson.
 

Printable article about Aeolian Harps for teachers and artisans.

   More Related Links:

• Strasbourg Cathedral
• Baden-Baden: Schloss Hohenbaden (Altes Schloss)
• The Making of an Aeolian Harp
• Aeolian (wind) harps of a wooden variety.mov
• the Little Aeolian Harp Page by Arthur Robb
• The Chicago Art Institute's School two-tier roof installation [(scroll down, klik) http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesb1.html#anchor15286 http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYj.html hexagrams Baffin Island Canada [1] (interactive, fan-controlled wind in art school gallery controlled [2] http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYk.html details http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYp.html; tuned strand and remote TRAM http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYs.html, http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYt.html] [related Meadow Piano "instrument" http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYm.html http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYn.html http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesc1.html/#anchor33428] [3]; [Chord Draft Monitor http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYu.html] [Leif Brush curriculum vitae http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/emeritus.htm] [harp-like evolution: Terrain Instruments (defined) http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/terraininstruments.html]; original Terrain Instrument's 1975 site [4] Terrain Instrument audio documentation [5] [intersecting wires over a wintry strawberry field http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYf.html http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesYONYo.html http://www.d.umn.edu/~lbrush/lbarchivesb1.html#anchor186420];
• Stoney Cross 2 - an example piece of music made on an aeolian harp.
• windharfe.m3u - a livestream of an aeolian harp at the University of Ulm (Germany).
• A website featuring recordings and images of a variety of wooden Aeolian harps designed and built by Greg Joly. [6]
• AeolianHarps.com  

"I made this windharp and recorded it on a beach in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The sounds are created randomly by the wind vibrating the strings. This is a track from my CD Windharp and Wavesong. The album tracks can be heard and downloaded at http://nickpenny.bandcamp.com/album/w... or for the physical CD visit http://www.nickpenny.com/windharp-and... There's also a video of my Paraguayan harp singing in the wind at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k08kBZ...

contour drawing lesson with anna stump

       "In this video lesson I demonstrate a continuous line contour drawing technique. Drawing a face from a life model, I start at the nose, and draw the entire face and neck without lifting the pen. Contour drawings should be slow and careful." Anna Stump. 

      Ms. Stump is a teacher who is both pleasant to watch and listen to at the same time. These are very important attributes to have when making video. Students pick up on sound and visuals more than some people think they do. For this reason alone it is a worthy pursuit to list excellent video makers appropriate to the art classroom.

      Because some of Anna Stump's videos are for adult art students only, educators will need to review her videos prior to showing them to minor aged students.

the competent teacher

      I am reminded of a remark made to me recently by a gentleman in middle life, a very excellent carpenter, whom I saw watching my boys, twenty-four of them, at work making their first weld in the forging shop. He seemed intensely interested as he watched one of the young men at work. I said: "You seem to like to see the boys work. Do you understand what they are doing?" "Yes, " said he, "I worked a year once in a blacksmith shop." "Well," said I, "then I suppose this operation of welding is a very simple matter to you." "Not at all," said he; "I never made a weld in my life. I never got a chance. I kindled the fire and blew the bellows, and I did some striking for other men; but they never let me try to make a weld." Then he added, with a good deal of feeling, "These boys learn more in one week about the really essential art of forging than I learned in half a year." And the secret of it is they have a thoroughly skilled workman who is competent both to teach and to demonstrate every principle involved.--Calvin M. Woodward

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"the singing tree"

      I just love this piece of sculpture! Sometimes I collect artifacts without even knowing just how I will use them in the future and this is certainly the case here. In the future, I am sure that this video will be shown in my classroom in order to inspire young, enthusastic artists.