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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SPARK follows Scott Snibbe at work on an installation piece Blow Up at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and through his studio as he discusses his installation, interactive, and net art projects and some of the ideas underlying them. This Educator Guide is about the digital and new media art and the historic interplay between art and science and technology.

SPARK visits with Crooked Jades as they rehearse, perform, and prepare for their tour. This Educator Guide is about old-time music and its roots.

Jacobo Palacios and Rafael Cutillo left families in Guatemala and El Salvador to play music in restaurants and on the streets of San Francisco's Mission District for tips. SPARK follows this duo, Los Cazadores del Sur (The Hunters From the South). This Educator Guide is about the history and tradition of roving musicians from Medieval minstrelsy through the Modern mariachi.

Conceptual artist Ken Goldberg combines robotics and the social behavior of internet communities in a series of whimsical artistic "experiments" where strangers use the internet to jointly control and monitor real life events and activities together. This Educator Guide is about tele-robotics and other new media, technology-based arts.

Master storyteller Larry Reed is dedicated to the study and practice of the ancient Balinese art of shadow puppetry. This Educator Guide explores the history of Balinese shadowpuppetry, Wayang Kulit and Reed's innovations.

SPARK takes a look at textile artist, weaver and teacher Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, who constructs histories of indigenous and non-indigenous conflict through her works on exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art. This Educator Guide explores the history and traditions of textiles in various cultures, as well as the US/Mexican border.

SPARK watches experimental filmmaker Kerry Laitala's painstaking process as she works on her ongoing tribute to the film medium itself, The Muse of Cinema. This Educator Guide is about the history of experimental and avant-garde filmmaking.

SPARK follows Joe Goode as he and the dancers of the Joe Goode Performance Group develop, rehearse, and perform a dance theatre work called Folk. This Educator Guide addresses the history and form of dance-theatre as an artistic genre.

Paul Kos helped define a Bay Area approach to Conceptual art that emphasizes the elegant use of materials to explore issues of perception, social relations, and life activities. SPARK gets an introduction to his 30-year body of provocative and humorous work at the first major retrospective exhibition of his work - "Everything Matters"- at the Berkeley Museum of Art. This Educator Guide explores the history of conceptual art.

Li Huayi, a painter of propaganda posters during the Cultural Revolution, reinvigorate the centuries-old tradition of Chinese landscape painting with his own, wholly contemporary vision. This Educator Guide explores the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Landscape Painting as well as contemporary painting.

Roberto Borrell's band, Orquesta La Moderna Tradicin, is one of the only musical ensembles in the world dedicated exclusively to the performance of classic Cuban dance music. This Educator Guide explores the history of danzn and the many music and dance forms it inspired.

The purpose of this lesson is to encourage students to examine various aspects of cultural identity. The students will view the film Turbans, which focuses on a Sikh family's immigration to Oregon in the early 1900s.

The activities in this lesson are designed for students to process information on diversity in family structures presented in one segment of the film That's a Family!

SPARK meets Tommy Guerrero, world famous street skateboarder and musician, whose music evokes the sounds and rhythms of San Francisco. This Educator Guide is about street culture in San Francisco, including skateboarding and its culture, as well as contemporary, instrumental music.

Urban renewal policies enacted in San Francisco's Fillmore district in the 1950s-60s provide a vivid case study in public policy, federal and local government, and citizen activism. This important history sheds light on present-day urban renewal policies, such as empowerment zones and welfare-to-work.

This lesson focuses on the music and poetry of Afghanistan, but teachers may conduct an analysis on global music in any given period of history, depending on what is pertinent to the grade level. Students will take into consideration important political events or conflicts, the ruling party of the area, the belief systems in place, and specific cultural features. Students will also learn to identify traditional musical instruments, consider the value of oral traditions, study the ghazal as a form of poetry and song, while creating their own musical works and poetry.

SPARK catches up with world-renowned sculptor Bruce Beasley in his West Oakland studio complex. This Educator Guide is about the work of Bruce Beasley and the history of modernist sculpture.

SPARK follows dance legend Anna Halprin, who at 85 years old continues to perform and create dances within the Bay Area and beyond. This Educator Guide introduces students to modern, postmodern, and contemporary dance, as well as to different applications for dance outside the field.

A lesson for students to think about the neighborhood they live in and what makes a neighborhood.