I am working on a Mandala page as I type. Until the page is complete, here is the definition of Mandala from Wikipedia.
Mandala (Sanskrit: “essence” + “having” or “containing”, also translates as “circle-circumference” or “completion”), is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism. The term is of Hindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda as the name of the sections of the work, but is also used in other Indian religions, particularly Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed into sandpainting. They are also a key part of anuttarayoga tantra meditation practices.
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. According to David Fontana, its symbolic nature can help one “to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises.”
In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.
November 11, 2009By: janis Category: Crafts, glass
I first took a workshop by ALL FIRED UP two years ago. I have since fused flat glass pieces in my kiln. I am currently reading a book I bought on amazon.com called Warm Glass. I am looking forward to making some glass pieces in a slump mold for Christmas.
Resources
Molds for Slumping are available online at slumpys.com
There are some basic getting started kits available at dickblick.com
The Corning Museum of Glass is a great website. They also have a number of videos on You Tube (which is blocked by some school system’s software unfortunately)
Quest Atlantis (QA) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-16, in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. Participation in this game is designed to enhance the lives of children while helping them grow into knowledgeable, responsible, and empathetic adults.
QA How-To Guide: http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/main/support/guide_contents.pl
September 12, 2009By: janis Category: Crafts, Drawing
We have been hard at work in the art room at HAMMS. My 7th and 8th grade majors have done a few fused glass pieces thanks to a generous donation by Ellenburg & Shaffer Glass Art Studio. My 7th grade elective students have been hard at work making contour line drawings. My 6th graders are working on touring the Elements of Design and are creating some very colorful shape collages.
Some of this work will be displayed at the Dixie Classic Fair in October. I have posted some of their work online at Artsonia.
Muslim mosques are rich with geometric ornamentation called Zillij. These patterns reflect basic Islamic beliefs as well as mathematical truths. Muslims see these patterns as being “discovered rather than created.”
Look at photographs of mosques and other Islamic art. Study the patterns of the tiles in wall and floor mosaics. What do you notice about these arrangements? The designs are endlessly repeating in elaborate complexity.Looking at the whole, you see no center but rather an even, total, and unending aesthetic.
Islamic designs convey spirituality without iconography (drawings and statues). Although they are intense and brilliant in color and design, they are impersonal and anonymous. Nowhere do you see the artist’s hand, only the pure form and color.
Islamic artwork is not made using random, free-choice designs, but is drawn within the constraints of symmetry and the laws of proportion. The basic component is a simple shape, repeated in patterns following bilateral or radial symmetry. Are you ready for the challenge of discovering these designs?
From the Crayola website: http://www.crayola.com/educators/lesson_plans/printer.cfm?id=686
I found this great article on the Free Technology for Teachers blog. It mentions a Free (do you see a theme here) RSS to PDF Newspaper maker. This is a great tool that I can use to make newspapers for the students of my parents who don’t have computers. Fivefilters.org is the organization behind the programming. “This is a free software project to help people create printable PDFs from content found on the web. It is a free alternative to HP’s Tabbloid service. It is being developed as part of the Five Filters project to promote alternative, non-corporate media.”
