art edventures: August 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

ITALY 2010

The deadline for registering for the Italy 2010 trip is September 18th! Prices go up soon after that and we are trying to lock our total number of travelers in early this year. Information, itineraries and prices will be given out at the meeting on Tuesday in room 901. If you can't make the meeting, please let me know if you are interested. You can also access most of the information below. Click on the Bell Italia link. I did this trip several years ago and we had such an amazing time I wanted to go back and do it again. I have several repeat travelers/students coming with me, including several Northside grads/college students!

Please do not delay if you are seriously thinking about going. Autopay can spread out your payments so you have longer to pay- I strongly recommend it!

Please e-mail me if you have any questions! sara.gant@onslow.k12.nc.us

Ciao!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Stonehenge

Summer Solstice Celebration

This summer we were driving from Dorset to Southampton to Suffolk. I asked my husband if we could detour through Stonehenge. Well, not exactly THROUGH it, literally, but through the area. It was June 27th- soon after the summer solstice. Saturday, at noon. We heard announcements coming over the loudspeaker asking guests NOT to follow the "Dolmen Grove" into Stonehenge. Then we heard the drums and flutes and I watched the procession walk right past me. (See the video below.)

The group walked into the site playing the instruments, and circled the site once or twice before entering. After that it was hard to see or hear much of anything. The man wearing antlers seemed to be conducting much of the ceremony, and I managed to get some great pictures of him. I was curious about their practices, and looked up their website. (http://www.dolmengrove.co.uk/index.htm). According to the website, "Antlers have been worn as head dresses by European Shaman and Native Americans,they can also be found within the oldest religions of India and other indigenous tribes."

I also learned that the group regarded that day, the 27th, as the true solstice day. I later heard someone refer to them all as "barmy" which I didn't like, AT ALL! I think this is THE single greatest problem we face today: lack of compassion, understanding, and a lack of shared faith. These people were not doing anyone any harm. They were celebrating a ritual and a belief important to them. It's amazing how threatened people feel by anything that is different or difficult for them to understand.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Had to try Wordle tonight, it is a lot of fun! You can create "word art" using pasted text. You can also control font and colors.

Check it out! Wordle

Incompetech-This site is a generous gift from a talented composer! Kevin McLeod composes music for educational use in schools. Anyone creating videos in school definitely needs to look at this comprehensive listing of royalty free and copyright free music. Free music!

Digital Media- this is a huge site for technology educators and facilitators with some great links and very useful pages.

Christo and Jeanne Claude

Christo and Jeanne Claude's website

I first saw Christo in Paris when he and Jeanne Claude covered the Pont Neuf in Paris. (History lesson: Pont Neuf means "New Bridge" in French. It is actually the oldest bridge in Paris, dating to the sixteenth century. Henry IV inaugurated the bridge in 1607. It was the first bridge not to have buildings on it, as was the custom, to allow a unobstructed view of the Louvre!)

In 1984 I was a student in Paris when the Pont Neuf was transformed. I was mesmerized with how the interactions of people and the bridge changed- instead of just driving across, or walking across, people were noticing the surface on which they walked, really paying attention. I walked across the bridge, and watched the divers attaching the long cords to tie the canvas material to the bridge. I walked to the press office and 'obtained' a press pass and then as I walked out I ran straight into Christo's chest! I got his autograph, and was so happy. Unfortunately, I lost it some time later in one of my many moves. So I was determined to see him again when I found out he was coming to Asheville, NC!

I brought my poster of the Pont Neuf and they both signed it for me! Below is a picture of them signing my poster. Look on their website for information about their proposed project in Colorado.

Christo and Jeanne Claude in February 2009 talking about some of the requirements they looked for when selecting a locale for their upcoming project "The River."

Jeanne Claude responds to an audience question that asked which was their favorite project!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Note to self: get caught up with the rest of the millions of links that I want to put on here!

I am heading to Wilmington tonight for the first of several days of fun with former high school friends. I am looking forward to taking some pics in the old historic part of Wilmington.

I am also getting excited about the next trip I have planned to Italy. June 2010! If you are interested please visit http://traveledventures.blogspot.com and click on the right under Bell Italia.