Art can be found in everything, even ordinary objects. Artist David Huffman finds that abstraction is a great way to delve into the meaning and symbolism of everyday objects, like a basketball or a shoe. Find your own inspiration and create some abstract art -- it might have more meaning than you might think!

San Francisco's Ben Venom creates punk quilts for everyday rockers who want to be cozy, as well as quilts that are a little less functional and sit more comfortably in a framed-art context. Venom takes his inspiration from the historical and social aspect of quilting, and particularly the Gees Bend community of quilters in Alabama, who are highly regarded as some of the most significant contributors to African American art history.

Johanson reflects on the past decade of his career and shares his philosophies on art making in the first Art School video from KQED. Then, Johanson creates a simple painting based on Venn diagrams, an art lesson developed for students in partnership with SFMOMA for their project, Open Studio: Artist-Designed Classroom Activities.

Georgina Drapeau and Mat Pendleton of the Lower Sioux Indian Community talk about the revival of quill working traditions taking place in the Minnesota River Valley, inspired by master quill workers Hope TwoHearts of Cansayapi and David Louis of Flandreau, South Dakota.

A lesson plan for grades 7-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

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Daughter of a master quill artist, Georgina Drapeau and Mat Pendleton of the Lower Sioux Indian Community near Morton are interviewed for a story about a revival of quill working traditions taking place in the Minnesota River Valley, inspired by master quill workers Hope TwoHearts of Cansayapi and David Louis of Flandreau, South Dakota.

Pieper Bloomquist uses natural materials and homemade paints in the Swedish styles of Dalmålning and Bonadsmålning. She studied under master artists Karen Jenson of Milan, MN and Judith Kjenstad of Minneapolis, MN and works from her studio in Grand Forks, ND.

Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards visit our show page or video portal.

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Line is one of the seven basic elements of art along with Shape, Form, Texture, Value, Space and Color. These are the building blocks of all art and are a good place to start when making, looking at or analyzing works of art. However, lines are not only limited to drawings. They apply to photographs, videos and anything that is placed anywhere deliberately to convey meaning. Learn about the different types of lines here.

Check out the entire collection of KQED Art School videos!

Shape is one of the seven basic building blocks of art along with Line, Form, Texture, Value, Space, and Color. Using still life paintings of fruit, we look into how artists' create their individual style and develop a unique approach to making shapes.

Check out the entire collection of KQED Art School videos!

Elisabeth Higgins O'Connor creates poignant, larger-than-life figures that are seemingly cobbled together with reused scrap materials including wood, textiles and newspaper.

Linda Black Elk is passionate about plants. Linda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist and professor of ethnobotany and science education at Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, North Dakota and recently she traveled to the Cansayapi Oyate (the Lower Sioux Indian Community) to share her knowledge of medicinal plants with students there.

Two lesson plans for grades 9-12 are included as gallery assets and in the Support Materials.

Artist Evah Fan makes drawings, zines and more in a style that is influenced by wordplay and folk art techniques. She tells visual stories through her interpretation of words she finds tantalizing with their multiple meanings. She emphasizes that style is not a skill that can be found overnight, but rather developed over years and realized in retrospect.

David Huffman is a Bay Area artist who heavily uses basketballs and astronauts as symbols of African Americans' cultural trauma and historical homelessness. He uses these two specifically because they serve as metaphors for self-discovery in a place that has been previously hostile. Basketball is a sport that connects cultural divides, and the astronaut suit protects those who are venturing into dangerous places in order to see things they have never seen before.

Derrick Woods, the gallery teaching manager at Speed Art Museum in Louisville, shows how to play the game “How Art You Feeling?” The idea is to have students express what they’re feeling through art instead of words. Students are asked to do a “full systems check” to consider how they’re feeling beyond simple words like “fine” or “okay.” Students then create art to show these feelings and share their art with a partner, who describes what they see in the artwork.

The game encourages students be thoughtful about expressing their feelings. It also helps them learn to consider their partner’s feelings. In the video, the two young women who are game partners discuss the feelings they were trying to express and find common elements in their drawings. The activity helps students develop social awareness and relationship skills.

Students will learn about the work of illustrator Elizabeth Zunon. Zunon calls herself “a global artist" because she grew up in Ivory Coast, West Africa, and would spend summers in Albany, New York, with her American grandparents. She loved reading and drawing and decided to combine her two passions to tell stories for children. Today, Elizabeth is a successful children's book illustrator and author. In the related activity, students will work with drawing, painting, and collage to create an illustration of their own. The video and discussion will take one class session. The art activity may take several class sessions.

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For more studio tours and other arts content from WMHT, visit AHA! A House for Arts. AHA! A House for Arts features the stories of artists, makers, and creative institutions right here in our backyard and across the country. A celebration of all things creative, AHA! features everything from the traditional to the innovative.

Learn how Lynn Ferris uses watercolor materials and skills to create her works of art.

Joyce Pendleton and her brother Benjamin Pendleton give a glimpse into the Cansayapi makaćhèga resurgence and classes for community members and youth.

A lesson plan for grades 7-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

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Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.

San Francisco artist Jenny Odell uses various secondhand imagery to render our built environment otherworldly and strange. In this episode of Art School, we hang out with Odell in her apartment in San Francisco’s Mission District and get a glimpse of her process of gathering images and crafting them into grids and other forms.

Learn about the art of Kenneth Ragsdale. After watching a short video, students will experiment with making folded paper structures that they will photograph, using lighting and camera angles to create different effects. Completing all activities will take 2-3 class periods.

More About This Resource
For more studio tours and other arts content from WMHT, visit AHA! A House For Arts. AHA! A House for Arts features the stories of artists, makers, and creative institutions right here in our backyard and across the country. A celebration of all things creative, AHA! features everything from the traditional to the innovative.

Use this demonstration video and the supporting written lesson plan to engage students in the printmaking process like artist Jan Heath.

Roger Abrahamson demonstrates his craft to youth. Abrahamson is a traditional bowl turner who uses the medieval technology of a spring pole lathe and hand-forged tools to create Norwegian ale vessels.

A lesson plan for grades 5-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

More About This Resource
Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.

Karen Jenson reflects on her life and lengthy career as a renowned Norwegian and Swedish rosemåler. Take a tour of her awe-inspiring house full of her work.

A lesson plan for grades 8-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

More About This Resource
Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.