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DVI Workshop at Ani Academy Waichulis

3/30/2015

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Recently the Da Vinci Initiative Partnered with the ARC Approved™ Ani Art Academy Waichulis in PA to bring a free skill-based workshop to K-12 art educators. About the workshop Waichulis said:

“I am very pleased to report that the recent Visual Language workshop hosted by the Ani Art Academies Waichulis was a stunning affirmation for our recent curricula efforts. Our K-12 Core Program curriculum adaptation aims to develop visual literacy and communication skills that will prepare students to successfully interact and contribute to a global environment that is increasingly dependent on visual stimuli. Teachers in attendance arrived with an infectious enthusiasm that was impossible to evade. Suggestions and creative contributions from each attendee made the two day workshop far more productive than I ever could have hoped. It is thrilling to see the momentum growing behind this push for stronger visual arts education and I am elated to be a part of it.”


n addition to district wide workshops and weekend retreats for educators, the Da Vinci Initiative partners with ARC Approved Schools™ in order to provide special workshops geared for art educators. To see a list of upcoming workshops and to register, please visit the DVI store by clicking here.The Art Renewal Center is the foremost entity for researching and vetting art schools that teach skill-based training techniques in the visual arts. ARC is known for keeping the highest standards in art education, only approving those schools who teach solid, skill-based training methods, which increase visual literacy.

To view a list of ARC Approved Schools™, click here.
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DVI Lobbies for Art Education 

3/27/2015

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The Da Vinci Initiative recently partnered with The Washington Art Education Association to send Mandy Hallenius, DVI President, to Washington D.C. to lobby for art education funding as part of Arts Advocacy Day /AAD2015. The Da Vinci Initiative was granted this opportunity to meet with congress members about art education due to their increasingly well known and dedicated work for skill-based education in K-12 classrooms. 

About the experience, Hallenus said, "I can't wait to do it again, I couldn't believe what a difference giving elected officials a little bit of art education knowledge makes."

The Da Vinci Initiative will continue its efforts to reach elected officials about the importance of art education and skill-based training in the visual arts. 
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Washington Weekend Retreat Recap 

3/24/2015

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Recently, the Da Vinci Initiative partnered with the Washington Art Education Association to offer a free weekend retreat for art teachers. The event was a great success, featuring renowned artist and author, Juliette Aristides. Attendees had an evening painting demonstration at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, WA followed by a full-day figure drawing workshop lead by Aristides.

One attendee wrote of the event, "Thank you for writing and presenting the incredible Figure Drawing Workshop with Juliette, John, the WAEA, and the Gage! I am a changed person from the experience! Bravo, Kudos, and Thank You! Your efforts provided positive transformation, validation, reflection, motivation, and inspiration to all!"

If you are interested in attending a Da Vinci Initiative workshop or retreat, check out the current events schedule. All Da Vinci Initiative workshops are held at ARC Approved ™ Schools or are taught by artists affiliated with ARC Approved Schools ™.  If you are unable to attend an event, consider our new online course. The first class is entitled, "Introduction to Advanced Observational Drawing," and includes 30 videos, approximately 5 hours of footage, as well as applicable lesson plans. Continuing education credits are available for some states.  
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Cast Shadow Lesson Plan 

3/13/2015

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The Da Vinci Initiative offers free lesson plans on our website for grades K-12. The plans include step-by-step instructions, applicable common core standards, a supply list, and grading rubrics. For complete lesson plans, visit the lesson plan section of our website. 

Our latest lesson plan is intended for high school-aged students, where students learn the practical aspects of cast shadows. The students manipulate and observe shadows using a variety of objects and light source angles.  

The exercise is intended to allow students to experiment with shadow cast on a variety of surfaces. Students also render a still-life with emphasis on the shadow. The students should take away from the exercise that shadows are sharp when they are closest to the light and get softer as they travel farther away from the light source. Shadows are also sharper when the light source is more concentrated and cast shadows appear as cut out shapes. This exercise enhances visual literacy and can directly translate to advanced drawing skills. To view this lesson plan, click here.
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Teacher of the Month

3/5/2015

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The Da Vinci Initiative is pleased to announce our new segment: Teacher of the Month. Educators around the United States have been giving us very positive feedback on our workshops, lesson plans and general mission for visual literacy. They have been implementing our strategies in their art classrooms with great success, and we couldn't be more excited to hear the results. 

This month, we want to feature Mr. Jeremy Caniglia from Creigton Prep High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. Caniglia is an advocate for the Da Vinci Initiative in the Midwest, and his students are excelling after his skill-based instruction. In fact, his high school students have won 64 Scholastic Awards this year, and all the pieces were done using skill-based methods like those taught at Da Vinci Initiative workshops 


(Two examples of high school students work pictured below).
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Jeremy Caniglia has also been using light boxes for quick drawing and painting studies. His "Bread Study" lessons are a fantastic application of many Da Vinci Initiative objectives. Students have a limited palette of black, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and flake white, which they use to to draw and paint a piece of bread in 70 minutes. Through this study, his students are not only gaining an understanding of composition, hue, value and color, but are building confidence and trusting their own eye. This lesson plan will be available on our website soon. Bravo to Mr. Caniglia and his students at Creigton High School. Keep up the great work!
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