Winston Salem Arts

This wonderful world of science and nature was created by architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela and is the largest cultural-educational complex in Europe. Covering over a 3 km stretch of the drained and diverted river Turia and measuring approximately 350,000 sqm it comprises of five different buildings which are L’Oceanogràfic, L’Hemisfèric, El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, L’Umbracle and El Museu de les Ciències Principe Felipe.

L’Umbracle is the entry to the City of the Arts and Sciences and consists of an enormous green 320 metres in length and 60 metres in width. The gardens are surrounded by many palm and orange trees along with various shrubs, 5,500 ground plants and at least 450 climbing plants. Don’t forget to look for the fragrant plants of Rosemary and Lavender and also take in the views of the entire complex from this area.

L’Umbracle

Leaving L’Umbracle you come across a spectacular building consisting of a huge glass wall and hanging platforms, this is the Prince Felipe Science Museum. Here visitors are encouraged to take part, touch and experiment with present day and future technology. Within this building you will also find the L’Espai dels Xiquets, this is an area especially for young children aged between 4 and 7 where they can watch in a giant incubator funny little chicks hatching from their eggs, followed by a Cartoon Mascot on a giant screen.

Visit the Space Cadet School and travel with Professor Bombilla and his assistant Sparky through the solar system in an audio visual spectacle which lasts approximately 10 minutes. You can also see on the first floor of the museum a giant pendulum which hangs from the top of the building’s eaves, this demonstrates how the earth rotates around its own axis and is said to be one of the longest in the world!

Near to the museum is the building which is shaped in the form of a huge human eye, this is called L’Hemisfèric. Here you can enjoy 3D films, laser shows, multimedia shows and hundreds of animations.

Take a spectacular adventure to the Grand Canyon, one of the most remote and extraordinary places in the world. Experience the thrills of flying over it or the breathtaking sensation of sailing along its waters and discover the history surrounding it.

Visit ‘Forces of Nature’, a National Geographic film based on the greatest natural disasters on our planet. Feel the power of the earthquakes, volcanoes and tornadoes in the company of scientists.

At the other end of the City of Arts and Sciences is l’Oceanogràfic which is Europe’s largest marine centre. The aquarium is home to 45,000 examples of 500 species from around the world. Walk through the maze of glass and tunnels, taking in the spectacular marine life and surrounding yourself with sharks and rays or walk with the penguins.

Dolphin in L’Oceanografic

In the Temperate and Tropical building you can see the Marine Turtles and in the Izu Peninsula there is an exhibit which recreates the coastline in Japan. This area is where the giant spider crab can be found which grows up to an amazing 4 metres in length!

A must for all visitors is the Dolphinarium which is one of the largest in the world and contains approximately 23 million litres of water.

Seating up to 2,210 people you can watch the Bottlenose dophins which are common in the coastal regions and the building also has small whales – a must for the children during those long summer holidays.

The majestic building known as Palau de les Arts completes the City, said to be the largest Opera House after the Sydney Opera House. Inside the Main hall there is seating for 1,800, the Master Room or Chamber Musical Hall seats 400, the Amphitheatre above the Main hall seats 1,800 and the Chamber Theatre seats another 400.

You can visit the City by taking the A7 and the N340 or for further information call 902 100 031 or visit your local Tourist Information Office.

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Did you know that students who participate in the arts – music, drama, voice, and visual arts such as painting or sculpture, are a step ahead of their peers who do not? Well, it’s true! Students attending Oklahoma City schools are no exception.

It has been proven time and time again that the benefits of receiving an arts education are numerous. Art students in Oklahoma City public schools are 4 times more likely to stand out in their academic studies; they are often recognized for academic achievement, find they are successful in getting elected to class office, and are more likely to participate in a math or science fair. These same kids are also more likely to earn recognition for good attendance, to win an award for writing, and often become peer mentors to other students with similar interests.

Music Fights Crime in Oklahoma City Schools

Arts students in the Oklahoma City schools are also known to participate in community service projects more often than their non-art peers. Being involved in the arts for a significant part of each week also helps reduce delinquent behavior such as truancy. Kids who are busy at band practice, or competing in an art competitions, simply aren’t out on the street with nothing but trouble to get into. Not concentrating on their artistic discipline makes it likely that these students of Oklahoma City schools will lose out on their art opportunities altogether. Once they’ve had a taste of a good arts education, few students attending Oklahoma City schools are willing to put that opportunity in danger by doing something stupid.

Kids in Oklahoma City Schools Hop on the Bandwagon!

It’s important that community and business leaders support arts education for Oklahoma City schools’ students as well. For those in the know, it is apparent that an arts education for Oklahoma City schools offers many benefits. Some of these are that having a good background in the arts helps build a school climate of high expectations. It also helps students improve their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. When working on their art, students in Oklahoma City schools develop a sense of craftsmanship; they want to perfect their art and share it with others. Learning more about the arts allows students in Oklahoma City schools gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the world around them, and it also helps them develop a positive work ethic and pride in their work.

In addition, a solid arts education program will get supporters of Oklahoma City schools even more involved with what the schools are trying to do. By participating in a special grant program funded by the Arts in Education Fund, Oklahoma City schools are all set to improve their art curriculum and enhance their music programs. Since there is really no other way for a large school system to purchase all they need in regards to musical instruments, receiving this grant is a boon for Oklahoma City schools.

This year’s 38th Annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival in Park City / Deer Valley will be held August 4 & 5, 2007.

The Arts Festival is the longest running festival of its kind in the West. Park City, sitting at 7,000 feet elevation above sea level, it a great place to be. Not only is this a great spot for the adults, but also it’s a wonderful time for children with face painting and other fun filled activities.

The festival showcases 220 artists including potters, painters, jewelry designers and more! The artwork is different every year, and you don’t want to miss it! We have attended the Park City Arts Festival for many years, and it’s always an outstanding experience. From the distinctive art, the music, and not to mention the great food, it makes Park City Utah in August the perfect place to be.

Enjoy live music, all kinds of delicious food from Greek to gourmet burgers, Utah’s Castle Creek wines, ice cold Budweiser beer and a full day of fun.

Let me take a moment and recommend the Park City Gallery Stroll – Friday, August 3, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. The Park City Gallery Stroll is held on Friday evening! Get ready for fine art, hors d’oeuvres, and artists on hand at more than 20 galleries in Park City!

Pick up your map/ticket at the Kimball Arts Center for $5 and get ready for an evening of gallery strolling, live jazz and lots of fun!

Many people understand the importance of exposure to the arts. We love art; it is a necessary part of our society. In fact, for every culture and every society, art in some form or another is critical to how we live. For many, many years, arts programs have been cut in Oklahoma City Schools in efforts to divert funds to “more pressing” subject areas like reading and mathematics. While these are indeed necessary subjects for Oklahoma City Schools students to master, including an arts education in a student’s learning experiences can do nothing but improve their time attending Oklahoma City Schools, as well as contribute to the amount of success they see as a whole.

Most Oklahoma City Public Schools concentrate on teaching students in three ways; by showing them how to do things, by telling them the information they need, or by giving them opportunities to try things themselves (also known as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles).

There are, in fact, many learning styles as identified by Howard Gardner, psychologist and noted pedagogical theorist:

- Linguistic – “word-smart”

- Interpersonal – “people smart”

- Bodily-kinesthetic – “body smart”

- Logical-mathematical – “math smart”

- Naturalist – “nature smart”

- Spatial – “picture smart”

- Musical – “music smart”

- Intrapersonal – “self smart”

More than ever, schools are realizing the importance of addressing all of these learning styles. Students attending certain Oklahoma City Schools are reaping the benefits of the commitment to providing educational experiences via these learning styles.

In efforts to give more and more students an education that addresses their specific learning style(s), some Oklahoma City Schools are integrating the arts into their programs. Following an “A+” model originally begun in North Carolina, Oklahoma City Schools are instituting their own arts integration programs. Originally a project of the DaVinci Institute, it is currently administered by the University of Central Oklahoma.

The model being used by Oklahoma City Schools looks at 8 different areas to improve arts integration in their schools:

1) Arts;

2) Curriculum;

3) Multiple intelligences;

4) Experiential learning;

5) Enriched assessment;

6) Collaboration;

7) Infrastructure; and
Climate

For teachers employed with Oklahoma City Schools, the program has been a godsend. All educators strive to “light the spark” and desperately want to reach all – 100% – of their students. For the instructional staff, of the Oklahoma City Schools using this model, discovering how to appeal to the different ways children learn has been exactly what they have been looking for.

Another impressive aspect of the program is the Oklahoma City Schools professional development that goes along with it. Instead of giving newly trained teaches the manual with the expectation that they follow the model, the A+ model provides extensive and ongoing training and support to all teachers new to the program. Oklahoma City Schools’ teachers focus on learning to work together, using research-based practices to establish curriculum that includes interdisciplinary themes that foster arts integration across classes as well as use Gardner’s various learning styles.

For years, parents and educators have been told that children’s participation in the arts help develop their brains in ways that enhance learning. A research consortium has identified that the arts can enhance how the mind performs many tasks needed to be successful in school. While the results are not totally conclusive, they do have many researchers, educators and parents enthusiastic to learn more through additional research.

This groundbreaking study is invaluable for parents and educators as they wrestle with determining the most effective environments for children to grow mentally and academically. As school systems throughout the country reduce art programs in school, the consortium’s findings show encouraging results that point to the importance of art as an avenue to enhance learning.

According to the Dana Foundation, the research has resulted in some of the following findings:

• Children who studied music intensively (20 or more hours a week) versus other types of arts and sports training have enhanced abilities in math

• The more musical training children have, the greater their improvement in reading

• Children who practice their art intensely enhance their ability to focus attention, which impacts their ability to learn

When you consider having your children participate in the arts, you should first focus on how they will enjoy it personally and master their art for the joy of it. Only then should you consider how it will help them in the logic, math and language world of school. Your children’s motivation to master their art will naturally lead to developing their minds in ways that improve learning.

An art directory is similar to an ordinary web directory such that it is an extensive catalogue of web addresses which are indexed by subject and relevance. It can store information about an artist, a musician, an actor, or an art shop.

Art directories help people to easily locate an artwork of a specific artist or of a specific genre. Art directories play an important role in promoting the arts and artwork by providing a visual door to the outside world with the help of internet.

The majority of art directories lists arts organizations, local artists, facilities, and instructors with an interest in the arts together. This helps a web surfer to easily make searches by keywords or category and vast number of websites can be sorted to locate what he/she is looking for.

Websites are included either by submission by the webmaster or by the directory editors when they come across the sites. Well, now let us look on how the arts can help use of web directories to promote themselves.

Web directories are mainly of two types – general directories and selected directories.

General directories are those which are automated indexes of pages not vetted by any reviewer or editor. General directories are a collection of websites and various other online documents which are indexed under various categories. Each of these listings comprises of a brief summary of the content included in it. Some of the popular general directories are Google and Excite.

Selected directories, on the other hand, comprise of websites and pages which have been vetted. Selected directories provide links to other websites and documents relating to a specific theme or subject. These directories help you to find out documents or materials provided by experts in each field. Some of the popular selected directories include About.com and Virtual Library.

Art directories can be any of these types. If your website is included in a popular web directory, then people or art buffs can type queries into the directory and the directory will look for relevant matches. A web surfer can also look in the indexed categories of the art directory. Some main categories can also include sub categories which pertain to various aspects of the primary category.

In most cases, links in an art directory can be paid, free, or sometimes free but need a reciprocal link. Links are included on web pages with similar or related content.

Some of the main advantages of listing art websites in an art directory include:

• Increase click through traffic
• Can obtain high page rankings for targeted keywords
• The website will be indexed by search engines
• The website will be indexed by spiders

In simple words, by including your art related website in an art directory, you can increase the traffic to your website and if the website is having targeted keywords, the site will be listed in the top pages by search engines.To ensure that your website is fitted for an art directory, you need to make your website unique, comprehensive, and content rich. Try to include new content or update existing contents in a regular manner.

While selecting an art directory for your website, make sure that you selected a search engine friendly art directory rather than one with numerous out links.

You can integrate the Christian faith into every subject. Try these language arts activities with your class:

• Diagram sentences. Choose a Bible verse instead of the book samples. Be careful which one you pick – they can be tricky!
• Discuss verbs. Print out a passage from the Bible. Ask students to circle the active verbs and underline the linking verbs.
• Name nouns. Use this week’s memory work. Highlight every noun.
• Choose spelling and vocabulary lists. Pick spelling words from this week’s memory work. Ask students to look up the meanings as well.
• Create Bible dictionary. After they have spelled and defined words, students can assemble a classroom Bible dictionary. They can share the dictionary, a different student contributing to the book each week.
• Develop evangelism opportunities. Write out some scenarios for evangelism opportunities that might pop up in your students’ lives, like running into an unfamiliar child at a playground or a new student at school. Give the same scenario to at least two different pairs of students. Then, allow them to brainstorm and practice for a few minutes before presenting their scenarios to the class. This exercise will allow students to practice their public speaking skills and evangelism. Aim for realistic dialogue, not the after-school-special-type of artificial exchange.
• Read for a spiritual meaning. Remember to discuss the spiritual side to each story or book your class reads. Ask questions like these: Do you think the main character believes in God? If they lived in our town, which church might they go to? How did the spiritual health of the character change during the book? If you were in the story, how might you tell the character about God or invite him to church? What spiritual ideas showed up in the book (honesty, love others, humility, etc.)?

Your classroom will become a place where all students are able to feel free to discuss faith issues freely. Encourage them in every subject.