SPARK tails artists Jim Denevan and Cris Drury as they create large earth works. This Educator Guide is about the history and tradition of artists making work in and about the natural environment.
SPARK follows photographers from the Sixth Street Photography Workshop as they take pictures of their lives and ideas in some of San Francisco's most depressed neighborhoods. This Educator Guide is about the history of photography.
For more than 40 years, Young Audiences of Northern California has been providing quality arts education programs to K-12 schools and communities - over 250,000 each year. This Educator Guide explores the history of arts education in California and the Bay Area and provides a wide array of local resources.
SPARK follows cartoon artist and rap musician Keith Knight as he peddles his strip the K Chronicles at a massive comic convention. This Educator Guide explores the history and form of the cartoon.
SPARK explores the electro-acoustic world of Paul Dresher - musician, composer and inventor - as he prepares for a performance of a new work at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. This Educator Guide traces the legacy of new instrument development and experimentation and its impact on music.
SPARK trails writer, critic, and Conceptual artist Jonathon Keats as he works on his project, Divine Taxonomy, which attempts to find God's place on the phylogenetic tree. This Educator Guide explores the history of Conceptual art and the role of science in contemporary art.
SPARK is there as Rafe Chase, Tim Orr and Stephen Kearin hit the stage without a script and turn audience suggestions into narrative stories that amaze and amuse. This Educator Guide addresses improvisation as a technique for developing thinking and language skills.
Sound artist Loren Chasse seeks out unusual acoustic environments and teaches a class of students about fundamentals of sound. This Educator Guide explores sound and the history of sound as a musical form, extending back to the early 1900s.
Bees are an extremely vital part of life on this planet. In this video segment from QUEST, explore the huge impact these small insects have on our civilization.
SPARK follows sculptor Gary Stevens through his creative process, from harvesting unusual pieces of wood from ancient redwood forests through the painstaking work that produces his uniquely beautiful wood vessels. This Educator Guide is about the history and tradition of wood carving.
"Coastal Clash" is a one-hour documentary focusing on the urbanization of California's coastline. The activities and lesson plans for the film "Coastal Clash" target students at the high school level and align with the California State Standards for Government. Students will participate in a role-playing activity to determine if the public should have full access to the California coast.
"Coastal Clash" is a one-hour documentary focusing on the urbanization of California's coastline. The activities and lesson plans for the film "Coastal Clash" target students at the high school level and align with the California State Standards for Government. Students will study the concept of "private property" and the Fifth Amendment, analyze arguments, and evaluate evidence to develop their own opinions.
In this video from QUEST, learn about the issues of ethics and responsibility that are associated with genetic testing. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK follows Artistic Director Margaret Jenkins as she rehearses her company dancers in preparation for "Danger Orange," an outdoor site-specific performance in downtown San Francisco. This Educator Guide is about the history of modern dance and the contributions of some its most innovative choreographers, including Jenkins.
SPARK follows Artistic Director Margaret Jenkins as she rehearses her company dancers in preparation for "Danger Orange," an outdoor site-specific performance in downtown San Francisco. This Educator Guide is about the history of modern dance and the contributions of some its most innovative choreographers, including Jenkins.
Spark visits vanguard furniture maker Garry Knox Bennett at work as he produces the last in a series of fifty chairs for an upcoming exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California. This Educator Guide addresses the history of art furniture.
SPARK checks in on mosaic artist Laurel True's latest mural, which decorates a building across the street from her Oakland studio. This Educator Guide addresses the history and traditions of mosaic art and mosaic murals.
SPARK visits ceramicist Richard Shaw in his Fairfax studio as he scrambles to finish work for an upcoming one-person gallery show. This Educator Guide traces the history of the trompe l'oeil technique in art up through the Bay Area movement of realism in ceramics.
SPARK explores the impact of fame and notoriety on visual artist Chris Johanson, jettisoned to international art-stardom by his inclusion in the 2002 Whitney Biennial and a 2002 SECA award for emerging artists from the SF Museum of Modern Art. This Educator Guide explores the history and tradition of street-based works and the field of painting.
SPARK drops in on Jaime Guerrero at the Bay Area Glass Institute as he creates an elaborate snake sculpture and introduces his "Homies" series. This Educator Guide is about glass blowing, the dynamic work of Jaime Guerrero, Mayan and Aztec iconography, and the history of glass work in art and architecture.
SPARK visits the ensemble of the Traveling Jewish Theatre in a bold and moving play about the Middle East conflict called Blood Relative. This Educator Guide addresses collaborative theatre, political theatre, and the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In this lesson, students are given the opportunity to focus on the variety of responses the film Return of Navajo Boy evokes as they create their own "film within a film," learn about cultural expression, and engage in discussion and reflective writing activities.
Go inside the Bay Area's burgeoning Muslim spoken word, poetry, and Hip-Hop scene with Calligraphy of Thought women poets as they create and rehearse new works for a performance. This Educator Guide addresses the history of Muslim women in entertainment and the history of Hip-Hop.
This video segment, adapted from Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, summarizes in brief, the path traveled by gray whales on their annual migration from Mexico, to Alaska. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK is at the Oakland Museum of California as they work with acclaimed artist David Ireland to create an innovative exhibit and retrospective of his 30-year career. This Educator Guide explores the history of Conceptual art and Ireland's contributions.
This illustration is an approximate representation of the planets in our solar system and their relation to what scientists call The Habitable Zone. The planet distances from the sun are measured in Astronomical Units (AU) and are not to scale. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK follows Jared "Choclatt" Crawford as he prepares for his foot-tapping new musical theater production "Hit It!" at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. This Educator Guide is about the history of drumming, street performers, and African American musical theater.
SPARK explores the work of theatrical performance group headRush. This Educator Guide is about the exploration and history of experimental, political theater and performance art.
This video, edited from footage produced for Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, the Ocean Adventures team explores the world of a species of turtle found in the Amazon Basin and how climate change can have devastating consequences for their survival. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
Spark visits photographer Roman Loranc as he captures arresting images of the Central Valley landscape. This Educator Guide is about photography, landscape photography and Romanticism as a creative approach in art making.
Spark visits painter Christopher Brown in his studio as he explains his artistic process using memory and photographic images. This Educator Guide is about figurative painting and the evocation of memory in art making.
Sometimes it is challenging to comprehend the forces that effect out everyday life because most forces we can't see. This video segment from SPARK shows how one artist makes them visible. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
In this lesson, students will experience the internment of Japanese Americans from San Francisco's Fillmore neighborhood. By connecting local experiences with national events, students will understand both the constitutional issues at stake and the human impact of this government policy.
Choreographer Alonzo King has created contemporary ballets for more than fifty international dance companies as well as dozens of pieces for film, television, opera and his own company, LINES Ballet. This Educator Guide tracks the history of modern-contemporary ballet and the contributions of King and other innovative choreographers.
This video from Jean Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, describes the unique, interdependent characteristics of an underwater kelp forest ecosystem and explores the delicate balance of life between sea otters, urchins, and the kelp plant. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK goes backstage as 40 5th-9th grade students in the Marsh Youth Theatre (MYT) Mainstage Performance Ensemble prepare for the premiere of Jip, His Story. This Educator Guide is about the history of children's theatre in the US.
This video segment adapted from QUEST describes certain aspects of the life cycle of a species of ladybug found in the bay area. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
Modern dance choreographer Brenda Way inspires her Oberlin Dance Company dancers to work harder and accomplish more than they ever dreamed possible. This Educator Guide addresses the history and uniqueness of ODC/San Francisco and dance in San Francisco.
Acclaimed British playwright David Edgar takes aim at American politics with his two-play cycle, Continental Divide, at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. This Educator Guide explores the history of political activism and political theatre in the UK and the US.
Students will be introduced to Chinese Circus Arts and San Francisco’s Circus Center. They will learn about the origins of Chinese acrobatics and circus arts, and be inspired to study China’s history, and explore how circuses differ across cultures. Students will engage in group oral discussion, hands-on individual and group projects, as well as critical reflection on personal expressions.
Certain sections of the Northern California coast are host to some of the largest, most spectacular ocean waves in the world. In this video segment from QUEST, learn about how these waves are able to get so large. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK follows pioneering composer Terry Riley as he works with David Harrington and the Kronos Quartet on "The Cusp of Magic". This Educator Guide traces the history of minimalism and serialism in music, highlighting key contributions by noted composers such as Riley and Kronos Quartet.
Spark visits organ player Wil Blades as he jams with Dr. Lonnie Smith at San Francisco's Boom Boom Room. This Educator Guide is about jazz, the history of the Hammond B3 organ, and the science of electronic instruments.
SPARK visits with contemporary quilt artist Anna Von Mertens, who shows how she makes her work from first concepts to the last stitch. This Educator Guide traces the history of quilting from the early 18th century through the present day, including group quilts, slave quilts, and contemporary quilts.
SPARK trails behind internationally known tattooist Don Ed Hardy as he looks back at a career that has taken him from the tattoo parlor to the gallery and back again. This Educator Guide explores the tradition of tattooing from the earliest civilizations to the present day.
"Not In Our Town Northern California: When Hate Happens Here" looks at five communities that are dealing with hate violence. This Educator Guide addresses an event that took place in Anderson, CA. In January 2004, an eight-foot-high cross was erected and burned on the lawn of an African American family's home, inspiring a community-organized march in support of the family. This guide includes discussion ideas and activities related to hate crimes and racism.
Not in Our Town Northern California: When Hate Happens Here looks at five communities that are dealing with hate violence. The film’s four segments focus on hate crimes that took place in these five communities between 1999 and 2004. Taken together, the stories reveal that whether the crimes are motivated by racism, anti-Semitism, or gender or sexual orientation, hate is the same. From Sacramento to the center of San Francisco, from the shadow of Mount Shasta to the suburbs of Silicon Valley, community leaders and ordinary citizens have found new and innovative ways to move beyond controversy and differences to create safe communities for all residents. After a transgender teen is killed by local youth in the Silicon Valley suburb of Newark, high school students, residents and civic leaders respond, and in so doing, they struggle with how tod eal with a brutal and preventable crime. The Sacramento community mobilizes after the worst anti-Semitic attacks in the capital’s history. Redding citizens find new strength in diversity after a prominent gay couple is murdered. When a cross is burned on an African American family’s lawn in the Shasta County town of Anderson, the town’s residents join forces to make their values clear. And the San Francisco Public Library turns the mutilation of gay-themed books into an opportunity for creative community action.
In this video segment adapted from SPARK , we learn about the work of scientist and artist, Natalie Jeremijenko as she turns San Francisco's many neighborhoods into a gigantic laboratory. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK follows Teatro Visin de San Jose, a Latino community theatre organizations in San Jose, California as they mount a new theatre work called Conjunto. This Educator Guide offers activities related to Latino/Chicano Theatre, the internment of the Japanese, and theatre.
Son of slain San Francisco mayor George Moscone, California Shakespeare's Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone crafts his vision based on his deeply held belief that killing someone for a political purpose is never justified. This Educator Guide addresses the political nature of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar and the contemporary staging.
American Photorealist painter Robert Bechtle prepares for a retrospective exhibit of his work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This Educator Guide address the history and evolution of photorealism in painting.
SPARK explores experimental music with Matt Davignon as he curates "Live Play" at Artist's Television Access, the first event in San Francisco's Soundwave Series. This Educator Guide is about the history of experimental music and sound art.
This video resource from Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures explores the unique adaptations developed by the pink river dolphin in order to survive in the freshwater rivers of the Amazon. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK explores the musical inventions of Walter Kitundu and gets a sneak peek of his show at The Luggage Store Gallery in downtown San Francisco. This Educator Guide is about experimental music, turntablism, and the creation of new instruments inspired by those that are traditional.
This video segment, adapted from QUEST, describes the extraordinary research that scientists are doing to help demystify and possibly better predict earthquakes. ***Access to Teacher's Domain content now requires free login to PBS Learning Media.
SPARK goes behind the scenes with two conservators with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to get a glimpse into their painstaking work restoring and preserving treasures of the art world. This Educator Guide addresses the scientific and artistic issues of preserving and conserving works of art.
Spark visits painter Sandow Birk and his crew as they finish production on the artist's distinctly contemporary take on Dante's 14th century epic The Divine Comedy -- set in 21th century San Francisco. This Educator Guide is about history painting and storytelling.
In this video segment from QUEST, learn about a specific area of forensics and how it is applied to areas of immigration.
Visual artist Ann Chamberlain transforms what are often intimidating public spaces into welcoming, inspirational, and creative environments. This Educator Guide discusses the history of public monuments and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
SPARK spends time with Kawika Alfiche, a young hula kumu (teacher) who has devoted his life to reviving ancient Hawaiian music and dance traditions. This Educator Guide introduces the Hawaiian dance form of hula, including its historical traditions, cultural significance, and present day practice as both creative expression and social preservation.