From TED Talks:
Brazilian-born, Brooklyn-based fine artist Vik Muniz has exhibited his work all over the world. Using unexpected materials to create portraits, landscapes and still lifes — which he then photographs — he delights in subverting a viewer’s expectations.
Watch as Mr. Muniz shares his art with us, and observe how he takes every day items and turns them into beautiful displays of artwork.
Happy learning!
Fabulous and famous, Salvador Dalí was a Spanish surrealist painter born in Figueres, Catalonia in 1904. Perhaps well known for his compelling and bizarre images in his paintings, Dalí’s repertoire included collaborations with Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock, as well as other films, sculpture, and photography.
Dalí’s mother encouraged his artistic ambitions; however, she died when he was sixteen. After her death, Dalí moved to Madrid to study art, and adopted his eccentric lifestyle. He dabbled in Dada and Cubism and was expelled from school after declaring that no one on the faculty was qualified to judge his work. It was then that Dalí began to grow the famous mustache. He also would then become acquaintances with Pablo Picasso.
Dalí was eccentric, often doing strange things to draw attention to himself. This gained him public recognition and people from all lifestyles began to purchase his paintings. His most famous work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931.
Throughout the 1930s, Dalí’s eccentricities were welcomed in artistic circles, such as in New York City and London. He alienated most of the surrealistic community by supporting the fascist regime of Francisco Franco. He was expelled completely when he announced that without him, there was no surrealism. He and his wife, Gala, moved to the United States when World War II began in Europe. They moved back to Spain in the 40s.
Although it is rumored that Dalí attempted suicide several times during his life, he died of heart failure at the age of 84. There is so much more information to learn about Dalí: his art, his sculptures, his eccentric behavior…treat yourself and visit Simply Dalí! You are in for quite an adventure! While you are at it, check out the Multimedia link for some awesome videos about Dalí…and do not forget to take the Simply Dalí poll!
Happy learning!
An article published by The Washington Post recently turned the spotlight on gifted children and why, in increasing numbers, parents of these children are pulling their children out of public schools. The reason given is because of the No Child Left Behind Act and the fact that it focuses on low-performing students and pretty much leaves the gifted students out in the cold.
Most at risk are math prodigies and creative writing students. Because the focus now is on teaching the basics and raising school district test scores, the school’s curriculum is structured and does not include enough flexibility to include a different way of thinking to resolve a problem. Because of this, students who may be math geniuses begin to hate math; kids who may be future novelists begin to hate to write and rue the thought of another writing worksheet in class. Our teachers’ hands are tied; they can see that some of the students are well past some of the rudimentary exercises presented in class; but they also have a curriculum to follow and lack incentives to appropriately educate all the students in the classroom to master the curriculum, not just pass it.
It takes a special kind of person to educate a child; a person of strong will, courage, and lots of patience. And that is just to deal with the imposition and intrusion of the government in their job. But it is a job of love. Most teachers try to do as much as they can with gifted students, including book reading programs, extra creative writing assignments, math projects, and other things that may go outside of the curriculum. Thankfully, some teachers will not be hampered by governmental policies; instead they will use it as motivation to do what they love best: teach and watch children flourish.
Happy Learning!
p.s. Click here if you would like to read the Washington Post article.
Because of cutbacks in school programs, it has been said that schools have become regimented and structured; often missing out on tapping into the creative side of the students. At Simply Charly, it is our goal to offer a new and different portal for students and teachers to explore historical figures. How exciting would it be to pull up the Simply Charly Web site, completely devoted to favorite historical figures, after studying them in class? Simply Charly’s Web sites come complete with awesome caricatures, quiz questions about each icon’s life, electronic postcards that could be sent to others, and other exciting information that could be downloaded and referenced again and again.
Simply Charly is designed to serve as a complement to our teachers and educators and offers a way to stir the students’ creative minds. We provide students and other absorbers of knowledge a new and different way to gather information on historical icons by supplying access to videos, audio clips, and other materials that can be used to supplement the curriculum received through regular learning environments.
Speaking of creative minds, Sir Ken Robinson makes a very compelling argument that students have all been educated to be good workers, rather than creative thinkers. He believes that a radical rethink of our education system needs to be done; one that cultivates creativity and acknowledges that everyone does not learn the same way.
Click on the video to watch this very enlightening presentation.
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