Is Art Recession-Proof?

Eight Forty-Eight - Is Art Recession-Proof?
"In 2002 after the troubles at Enron, Arthur Anderson turned their Chicago offices into a gallery and sold off some of their art collection. Their fine art investment proved profitable."

This report poses an interesting argument for investing in fine art. Click on the link and listen for yourself.
Peter and I asked a local gallery owner for her take this weekend and she laughed a boisterous laugh. Her words: buying emerging art is like buying a lottery ticket - you could get lucky but the chances of turning a profit in the future are slim. If you want a profitable return on your investment you must start by spending a large sum of money.
I for one would like to purchase a nice Modigliani.
If only I had about 5 to 8 million dollars.

Engaging Parents

Something worth thinking about:

Engaging Parents - vs - Involving Parents

"When schools involve parents they are leading with their institutional self-interest and desires -- school staff are leading with their mouths."
"When we're engaging parents, the parent is considered a leader or a potential leader who is integral to identifying a vision and goals." - Larry Ferlazzo

Priceless.

This link takes you to the full article.

Eight Forty-Eight - Into the World of Synesthesia

Yesterday I caught a story about Synesthesia on Eight Forty-Eight. If you are unfamiliar with Synesthesia it is a condition in which people have two sensory experiences simultaneously, think of eight as always being pink or in the case of this story, angry. Early on in my career I worked one-on-one with a pre-school aged boy with Autism and it changed my life. Autism is not Synesthesia but the story supports the theory that people experience the world in a different way. In fact they take the stance that this 'different way' reminds us that we are all unique and that the world is full of rainbows like we suspected when we were children. Ok, the rainbow part is my idea but I think it's going to catch on like wildfire.
Eight Forty-Eight - Into the World of Synesthesia

Creativity

Newsweek brought up an interesting topic in a recent issue: creativity. You can read the full article here and I highly recommend you do, it will change your life.

"The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false trade-off. Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process."

This article falls in line with a new way of teaching that I have been learning this summer: TAB or Teaching Artistic Behaviors. I believe this way of teaching can revolutionize the way students learn. If you are excited like I am excited then take a look at the TAB link and read about the neat group of people that are making this work nationally. You can also check out the blog for Julie Toole, my CFE study group team leader.