Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/396235
Perspectives Profile My fashion show project challenges students because… their designs cannot be costumes and must fit the criteria for high fashion. This is not a sewing class. Rather, students can use duct tape, Velcro, glue, needle and thread, and anything else they can think of to make their design a reality. I teach students to walk the runway like pros. Last year, 30 professional makeup artists and hairstylists from Adamme Artistry and Paul Mitchell School enthusiastically donat- ed their time and materials to bring the show to a world-class level. My favorite mystery room… was created by a student with numerous disabilities, including webbed fingers and toes, monocular vision that required him to have one eye only three inches from what he was looking at, and other unusual learning handicaps. He discovered he could work with hand tools in ways that his fingers alone could not achieve. He worked night and day to come up with the most incredible ideas and make them a reality. His meticulously detailed and decorated room featured some of the most inventive and creative achievements of Leonardo da Vinci, in miniature. People don't realize… that art literally runs the world. Everything that is bought and sold is designed by artists. Right down to the color and shape of the pills doctors prescribe, the buttons on our clothes, food and product packaging, political and religious per- suasion, advertising, and so on, everything is directly communicated through art. Those with the best designers working for them succeed; those who don't have the best designers have a tougher time competing. With this in mind… all subject areas can and should make a connection to art as a major component of curriculum. The days of administrators and other stake- holders treating art classes as a poorly funded fun place for personal enrichment are gradually being brought up to a higher standard. School budgets must provide art teachers with sufficient materials and instructional aids to make it possible for them to align with state standards for career and college readiness. Art classes help students develop communication, cultural awareness, critical thinking and prob- lem-solving skills, which are essential for success in the 21st century for students in Fresno and throughout the world. IN PAUL'S WORDS: 26 www.cta.org When you're ready to elevate student achievement. You are ready for American Public University. With more than 90 degrees to choose from, there's almost no end to what you can learn. Pursue a respected Education degree online — at a cost that's 33% less for graduate students than the average in-state rates at public universities.* Visit StudyatAPU.com/cal-ed *National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Digest of Education Statistics, 2011. We want you to make an informed decision about the university that's right for you. For more about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed each program, and other important information, visit www.apus.edu/disclosure. 2014 ONLINE PROGRAMS BE ST BACHELOR'S