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Staff Spotlight: Tom Jungerberg

Published May 5, 2011 Art & Teaching , People , Resources , works of art 6 Comments
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Over the past two years, we’ve shared with you our exciting work with teachers related to Connect: Teachers, Technology and Art, a project supported by an IMLS grant.  This funding made possible a grant coordinator position that assists with various tasks related to the grant.   Tom Jungerberg quickly fit in with our department, and helped tilt the very uneven ratio of male to female staff ever-so-slightly in the opposite direction.

Could you trace the path that has brought you to the DMA?

I have Bachelor’s degrees from Florida State University in art history and English, and a Master’s degree from Boston University in English.  I’m originally from Florida and I lived there for two years prior to moving to Dallas. I worked at University of South Florida as a visiting assistant professor teaching composition, mostly, and expository writing.

My girlfriend began teaching at UNT Dallas last August, and that’s what brought me here. When I got here, I was excited to see an opening for the IMLS grant coordinator position since it seemed so suitable to my skill set. 

What is your role with the IMLS grant?

I serve as the liaison between Nicole and Jenny and the teachers – I correspond with teachers and coordinate meetings with them.  I write and edit some of the new online teaching resources.  I also participate in meetings, during which we discuss how we’ll approach the artwork as we develop materials and the steps we’ll need to follow to complete the project.

What has been the most interesting aspect of your work here?

I’ve really enjoyed everything, but it’s been especially interesting to observe teachers in the classroom. It’s great to see how people take the materials we’re preparing and apply them to their own curricula and lesson plans.  I appreciate being able to see the final outcome of these things that we’re making, and to see the different ways they’ll be used when they go public.

How do you spend your free time?

I just bought a house, so that takes a lot of my free time.  It was built in 1895, and legend has that it was built by one of the founders of TCU.  I also raise chickens, and I have a garden which I’m pretty excited about since it’s the growing season.  Yellow and green squash are coming in right now; I have also planted tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, spinach, some lettuce, bok choy, peas, and green beans.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

That’s hard, as this job is ending in September.  I enjoyed my time at University of South Florida, so I’d like to teach.  I think teaching, but if you ask me tomorrow, I don’t know.

We’ve invited Tom to be a guest blogger; look for posts written by him in the coming months.

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

Educator Resources: Five Outside Online Resources

Published May 3, 2011 Resources 1 Comment
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Several weeks ago for parts one and two of our Educator Resources series, I wrote about three wonderful DMA online resources and field trip grant opportunities.  For the third installment of our series, we wanted to introduce to you five phenomenal online resources from other arts institutions. 

1. Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The Heilbrunn Timeline, produced by Metropolitan Museum of Art curators and education staff, presents maps, timelines, thematic essays, works of art, and indexes from prehistory to the present day.  Launched in 2000, the Timeline continues to expand in scope and depth and reflect the most up-to-date scholarship.

2. ArtsConnectEd

ArtsConnectEd, a joint venture between the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center, provides two key features: “Art Finder” and “Art Collector.”  Art Finder offers textual, audio, video, and interactive resources regarding works of art from the two collections, while Art Collector allows users to save and customize resources through comments, tags, and ratings. 

3. Art 21

Art21 produces Art: 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century, an Emmy-nominated PBS series that highlights contemporary art and artists, in addition to books, online resources, and public programs.  The mission of Art21 is to create a living history of contemporary art by presenting contemporary artists discussing their work in their own words.  This is done in hopes of ultimately increasing the accessibility and knowledge of contemporary art. 

Artists represented in our galleries at the Museum such as John Baldessari, Trenton Doyle Handcock, and Bruce Nauman have been featured in past series.

4. MoMA’s Modern Teachers

Modern Teachers is an online resource offered by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  The site provides educator guides, lessons, and images related to the Museum’s collection.  These resources span modern art of the 1880s, including Post-Impressionism and Symbolism, to recent 21st-century works.

5. ArtBabble

ArtBabble is an initiative of the Indianapolis Museum of Art that showcases video content from a variety of arts institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Museum of Arts and Design, among others.

Enjoy exploring these resources, and please share in the comments below any additional resources you find useful when teaching about art in your classroom!

Ashley Bruckbauer
McDermott Intern for Teacher Programs and Resources

Educator Resources: Sneak a Peek at New Online Teaching Materials

Published March 29, 2011 Resources 4 Comments
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Egungun costume; 1920 - 1950; Yoruba peoples, Nigeria; cotton, silk, and wool fabric, metal, leather, mirrors, cotton, and wood; Dallas Museum of Art, Textile Purchase Fund, 1995.35.

This Egungun costume from Nigeria is one of sixty-five artworks in the Dallas Museum of Art’s collection that will be part of new online teaching materials to be launched in Fall 2011. Education staff, working in close collaboration with curators, designers, and web developers, have been hard at work for over one year designing a new model for creating online resources for teachers that are easy-to-access and provide the following:

  • more and better-organized information
  • video and audio clips related to the artworks and cultures
  • contextual images and multiple views of the artworks
  • teaching ideas that could be customized by classroom educators

The project is officially called Connect: Teachers, Technology, and Art, and it is supported through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. When we started our project work in November 2009, we went straight to the audience we serve: TEACHERS.  The dialogue and partnership that developed with ten teachers who were selected to represent the minds, wishes, and needs of classroom educators everywhere has been crucial, as it led to a pivotal decision about the presentation of information and ideas about the sixty-five works of art.

These teachers helped us test current teaching materials to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and they showed us how they might use objects like the Egungun costume in a classroom experience with their students. Together, we analyzed and re-imagined what great teaching materials for DMA artworks could be and we are excited to reveal this sneak peek.

I reveal to you the new template for online teaching materials and the future of online resources for teachers and students at the Dallas Museum of Art.  Each work of art will have its own set of information, clearly organized according to tabs.  The “First Glance” tab provides introductory information about the object, similar to the information found on a label in the galleries.  It may serve as the hook to pull you further into an exploration of the artwork.  The “Extended Information” tab provides paragraphs of topical information that reveal more about the object.  For example, the Egungun costume information includes paragraphs about Death and Religion, Materials, and African Masquerades.  This text has been culled from new curatorial scholarship and existing interpretive resources.  A teacher will also find contextual images in this section.

The third tab, “Teaching Ideas,” is a section presenting questions, comparisons, and activities that any teacher could use to get started teaching a lesson using this artwork.  These ideas are a mix of resources generated by DMA education staff and K-12 teachers.  Finally, the “Media/Resources” tab provides extra resources in the form of books, audio and video clips, and additional web sites.  We are also working to provide as many pronunciations as possible for less familiar words, easy print capabilities, opportunities to view the images in larger sizes, and access to detail images of the art.

In April, we will begin testing this new model with a new group of ten teachers. Will they agree with the first ten in terms of needs and wishes?  That is exactly what we hope to find out. Each of the new teachers will design and implement a lesson using the teaching material template above, and we will ask them to tell us what works and what needs to be changed or added.  We look forward to this second round of crucial work because it will only make the online resources stronger.  What are your initial thoughts about this new look and presentation?

At the completion of the Connect project, we plan to have a wonderful new model, but we will only have converted sixty-five objects to the new teaching materials.  We have hundreds to convert!  A redesigned home page and teacher resources site will help us streamline the presentation of resources as we remain in transition mode and continue converting the existing resources to the new format.  I will be anxious to share the new site with you later this year and welcome your comments.

Nicole Stutzman
Director of Teaching Programs and Partnerships

Educator Resources: Three Excellent Online Resources from the DMA

Published March 3, 2011 Resources 1 Comment
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As educators, we know you all are always looking for fantastic resources to benefit both you and your students in and outside the classroom.  However, these resources can be hard to come by, especially if you don’t know where to look.

So, we are beginning a series on Educator Resources to highlight some of the materials and opportunities available to you and your students.  This month, we will begin by talking about various online resources available through the Museum and accessible on our main web site. 

1. Teaching Materials

Under the “Educators” tab of the main website, select “Teaching Resources” and then “Teaching Materials.”  This portion of our website offers over thirty FREE downloadable “packets” of information, organized by theme, age level, or collection.  Some examples include Silver in America, A Looking Journey (4th grade), and Arts of the Americas.  These packets include introductory information, images of art objects, and classroom activities, along with bibliographies and printable materials. 

This portion of our online offerings is currently in a period of transition.  Through an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant, to be discussed here later this month by Nicole, the materials are being revamped to better suit teacher needs.  As we begin to add new and updated materials, the original materials and packets will still be online for your use.

2. Collections Online

Another fantastic resource to be found on the Museum web site are the Collections Online or Search Collections features.  Several of our staff are working tirelessly to present the over 20,000 objects within the DMA collection to online audiences.  Currently, over 6,300 works have been added to the online database and are searchable through the website.  When viewing these objects online, users have access to images, basic object information, and notes from the curators.  Objects can be sorted by collection area (i.e. African, Asian, etc.), artist, and object name.  Users can also create a FREE eMuseum account to group and save images in customizable packets.

3. DMA TV

Finally from the main website, you can access DMA TV.  This resource includes both videos and podcasts created by the Museum, ranging from interviews with curators and artists (i.e. this video interview with painter Luc Tuymans) to recordings of past lectures (i.e. Yale University Anthropology Professor, Michael D. Coe’s presentation: The True History of Chocolate). 

We hope that you will take the time to explore the many wonderful online resources the DMA has to offer and find ways to incorporate them into your lesson preparation or classroom teaching.  Don’t forget to check back in the coming months for posts about other educator resources, including online resources from other institutions, area adult learning opportunities, and local and national grants.

If you have any additional tips for your fellow educators, please leave a comment below!

Ashley Bruckbauer
McDermott Intern for Teaching Programs and Resources

Elephants, Buffalo, and Giraffes…Oh My!

Published February 24, 2011 Art & Teaching , works of art Closed
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Take a moment and imagine an African elephant at the Dallas Zoo.  Now imagine an elephant at the Dallas Museum of Art.    Were the images of the elephants the same?    It would definitely make an interesting story (with a strong potential of damaging artworks) to see a live elephant  in the Museum galleries!    Although elephants are not allowed in the Museum, images and representations of elephants and other animals by living African cultures are.

On Saturday, January 29, twelve teachers from a variety of disciplines and grade levels joined the DMA and the Dallas Zoo for a full-day teacher workshop.   Teachers spent the morning exploring animals from Africa in the DMA exhibition African Masks: The Art of Disguise and in the afternoon engaged with live animals in the Dallas Zoo’s Giants of the Savanna exhibition.

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At the Museum, teachers considered the connections between the animals represented in masks and the living cultures that created the masks in response to their beliefs and surrounding environment.  With a focus on antelope, elephants, and buffalo, Museum staff encouraged teachers to think about descriptive words that relate to each, observe the realistic and abstract qualities of the animal masks, and think about the context of each mask in relationship to the ceremonies performed by the different cultures.

The conversation continued at the Dallas Zoo as teachers discussed  the  location of the African Savanna, the animal habitats within, and the challenges facing animals in the different African countries.  Luckily, the weather outside was extraordinary (the workshop occurred the weekend before the snow and ice), and the teachers were able to ride the monorail around the Zoo, participate in elephant observation studies, and feed the giraffes.

By the end of the day, teachers commented on their experiences with looking at patterns on the African masks and on the animals and made connections to the  significance of animals within the cultures and countries in Africa.

We all had a great time and are looking forward to another collaborative teacher workshop with the Dallas Zoo soon!  This workshop is one example of what the DMA offers to teachers of all grade levels and disciplines.   Be sure to check the Teacher Programs website for new workshops later this spring.

Until next time….

Jenny Marvel
Manager of Programs and Resources for Teachers

Community Connection: 1 month, 56 tours, and 4,300 fifth-graders

Published January 18, 2011 Community Connection , People Closed
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For the past four years, Garland ISD has committed to bringing every fifth-grade student to the DMA for a one-hour docent-guided visit.  Such an endeavor requires an extensive amount of time, resources, and coordination of staff, teachers, students, and docents.  This impressive undertaking is possible thanks to Brenda Hass, Fine Arts Coordinator for Garland ISD.

What is your role with Garland ISD?

I am the Fine Arts Coordinator; I work with our K-12 art and theater program and our elementary music program.

Describe your relationship with the DMA.

I began working with the DMA when I was in another school district and learned about the tour program.  When I came to Garland, one of the things I set in motion right away was to make an arrangement for all fifth-graders to come to the DMA for tours that align with social studies TEKS.  It’s been a great relationship.

How, and why, do you manage such a large task?

We do it because we feel it’s important.  Many children wouldn’t have the experience of coming to an art museum if we didn’t provide it.  The majority of our forty-seven elementary schools are considered Title 1 and are located in lower socioeconomic areas.  Whatever the students’ backgrounds are, we want to them have the opportunity to visit.  We choose to put our money and our time here.

 
 

Brenda is also a talented piano player.

What is the most memorable thing that has happened during these tours?

Every year after our DMA tours in January, I always receive an email from a classroom teacher who had never visited before, wanting me to know what an amazing experience it was for his/her children and thanking me for providing the transportation.  I think a lot of people who didn’t get to visit museums as a child don’t go to museums as adults.  But once they have an opportunity, they don’t want to miss it.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Being with children.  If it’s theater, watching them perform in a show.  With art, I may be helping them organize exhibitions of their work.  In music, I’m watching a program or working with our children’s chorus.  Whatever role we have in administration, we have to continue being around the children.  That’s what keeps us fresh and keeps us on the cutting edge of education. 

Also, I am passionate about making sure our students have a museum experience.  I think that everybody, child or adult, should do the same.

Melissa Nelson
Manager of Teaching in the Community

French Art Teacher Workshop

Published November 4, 2010 Art & Teaching , works of art Closed
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Bonjour!  I would like to invite you to travel to France through works of art at the Dallas Museum of Art on Saturday, December 4 from 9:00 to 12:30pm.    We will explore 18th–19th century French paintings and sculptures, the Reves Collection, and the special exhibition The Mourners: Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy.  

 

      
      

 

 

To register for this teacher workshop or to learn more about other workshops and programs offered in Spring 2011, go to DallasMuseumofArt.org/teachers. 

À bientôt….

Jenny Marvel
Manager of Programs and Resources for Teachers

A Day in the Life: Intern Ashley

Published October 28, 2010 Art & Teaching , Friday Photos Closed
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When asked to write a post about a day in life of my job here at the DMA, I wondered how I would ever choose what to include.  My days at the Museum are so varied, from docent trainings on Mondays, meetings galore on Wednesdays, to catching up on anything yet to be done on Fridays.  So, I decided to select a day that is one of my favorites and really illustrates the reasons why I love my time at the DMA: Thursdays!

My Thursday calendars primarily consist of two activities: touring and researching. 

Touring: From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday mornings I have the pleasure of touring K-12 students at the museum.  I typically arrive at the docent desk fifteen minutes before my tour to ensure that everything is on schedule before welcoming the children into the Museum.  Once everyone is in the door, we talk about museums, museum visits, and things to remember while on the tour.   The students are always eager to share their knowledge of museum etiquette: “stay with the group,” “use inside voices,” and “keep a safe distance between ourselves and the art.”  Next, we head into the galleries to look closely at six or so works of art.  Since we only have an hour for our tour, I attempt to be as strategic as possible, selecting objects across a wide variety of cultures, time periods, and media.  The students are amazed to realize how much they can discover just through looking and how much knowledge they already have.  It is such a joy to share in their experience!

Research: My Thursday afternoons are spent researching various objects in the collection, compiling information, and writing text, which eventually becomes online resources for teachers to use in their classrooms.  I also research special exhibitions and some of our collection for upcoming teacher workshops.  For example, I’ve been conducting research the last few weeks on The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy in preparation for our upcoming workshop on French art.  It is wonderful to have the opportunity to learn about periods in history and styles of art to which I’ve had little exposure or with which I’m less familiar. 

Teaching and research are two of my passions, and I feel so lucky to be able to dedicate a large amount of my time to pursuing both.

Ashley Bruckbauer

Programs and Resources for Teachers Intern

Summer Seminar: Exploring the Creative Process

Published May 11, 2010 Art & Teaching 1 Comment
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Each summer, the Dallas Museum of Art and The University of Texas at Dallas collaborate to offer Summer Seminar, a graduate-level course for teachers.  Summer Seminar is an opportunity for teachers to immerse themselves in art and learning alongside other educators for one week.

The topic changes each year, and this year the title is The Creative Process.  We will be exploring both the theory and practice of creativity in sessions led by Dr. Magdalena Grohman and myself along with other DMA educators and UT Dallas faculty.  Sessions will include gallery experiences in the Museum’s collections and Center for Creative Connections, creative thinking workshops, and discussions about classroom applications.

Tuesday, June 15 – Friday, June 18, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily
$100 registration fee

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with other educators, have meaningful experiences with works of art, and rejuvenate your teaching!  Visit the Web site for more details and to register.

Molly Kysar
Head of Teaching Programs

Connect: Teachers, Technology, and Art

Published November 10, 2009 Art & Teaching , Museum Insight , works of art 4 Comments
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Our work on a new grant project, Connect: Teachers, Technology, and Art, has officially begun!  Through the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and their Museums for America grant program, the DMA was awarded $150,000 in October 2009 to begin redesigning online teaching materials.  Over the course of the next two years, we will work to create five new dynamic, web-based resource units that present the wealth of our collections in African and South Asian art.  How will we do it?  Thoughtfully, by connecting these three things:

Teachers: Results from a 2007 evaluation with 450 teachers, which focused on how teachers learn and teach with art, will inform the initial selection and organization of artwork images and information.  Staff will also collaborate closely with twenty teachers, who will help design and test the new teaching resources in their classrooms.  How do you currently use the Museum’s online teaching materials?  We welcome your comments!

Technology: Digital images, video, and audio, similar to those on DMAtv, will enliven the resources by providing extended information about works of art and cultures.  Imagine all of this packaged into custom units that are easy for teachers to access, search, and share with students.

Art: Works of art from Africa and South Asia will be the focus for the five new resource units.  The units will reflect recent curatorial scholarship and upcoming catalogue publications for both collections.  They will also highlight artworks recently added to the collection, such as the olumeye from Nigeria and the Buddha Sakyamuni from Thailand.

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Kneeling female figure with bowl (olumeye)

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Buddha Sakyamuni

Grant work to tackle over the next two months includes taking inventory of great images, information, video, and audio content related to the African and South Asian artworks, as well as selecting ten teachers to begin collaborating with staff.  If you would like to hear more about the grant, please feel free to email us.  Also look for future progress reports on the Connect project here on the blog or delivered via the Educator Newsletter.

Nicole Stutzman
Director of Learning Partnerships with Schools and the Community
nstutzman@DallasMuseumofArt.org

Jenny Marvel
Manager of Learning Partnerships with Schools
jmarvel@DallasMuseumofArt.org

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