Tempe Center for the Arts' Curriculum Takes National Stage

Tempe Center for the Arts’ (TCA) online visual art curriculum will take center stage as part of a Best Practice Lecture at the National Art Education Association’s National Conference on March 29-31 in San Diego, Calif. 

Mary Erickson, Ph.D. and Tempe Center for the Arts Gallery Coordinator Michelle Dock’s presentation, “Sustainable Virtual Artist Residency: Model Collaboration between Schools and Art Community,” shows how the TCA is assisting teachers as they work to meet national education standards for art. 

“The TCA’s online curriculum resources offer teachers a head start on adapting the common core standards by offering students an opportunity to learn about art through an inquiry-based strategy that makes them ask a lot of questions,” Nichols Dock said. “In essence, the new common core is all about encouraging students to ask educated questions and find the answers that best fit.” 

The Gallery at TCA has been providing online curriculum since 2005 and has more than 20 easy-to-use lesson plans for enhancing the art experiences of elementary and secondary school students. Each of the units was developed in conjunction with a Gallery at TCA exhibition and in collaboration with Dr. Erickson and local Arizona art teachers. 

The lessons are provided free of charge. 

The online curriculum features ready-to-print-out worksheets, lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations on topics ranging from wood to glass, from portraits to landscapes, from guitars to cartoons.