The 2009/2010 Schedule

All evening presentations start at 7:30 pm in the School Board Room at the back
of the District Office at 25 Churchill.

October 8, 2009
Google and the Power of Doodles
Dennis Hwang
International Webmaster and Logo Designer, Google

Dennis Hwang is known for his creative reinventions of the Google logo, developed for all kinds of special and offbeat occasions. He’ll tell us how he got started doing his designs, show us some examples, and talk about the challenges juggling this creative pursuit with his full-time job (he’s the international webmaster at Google, overseeing all content development). He’s also a driving force behind Doodle 4 Google—a nationwide competition for K-12 students to reinvent the Google logo. He’ll talk about this exciting program and why Google believes so strongly in it.


November 5, 2009
Visual Arts Experience
Karen Kienzle, Director, Palo Alto Art Center
Ariel Feinberg Berson, Director, Project LOOK!
Larnie Fox, Children's Fine Art Program Director

What is the value of visual arts education? What are the benefits? The Palo Alto Art Center has
a lot of experience with this very thing. For over thirty years, they have been inspiring community members of all ages through engaging art programs, classes, and exhibitions. We’ll learn about the Center’s wide range of programs for children, adults  and families, the philosophies behind them and why they feel the arts are so important for our community. There also will be
a fun hands-on project to play with before the presentation, so come a little early.


December 10, 2009
Developing Confidence in Your Creative Ability Through Design Thinking
The Stanford d.school

Back by popular demand, Stanford’s d.school has offered to lead another hands-on session for ArtSpeak! We’ll learn about the basic design process used at the d.school and then we’ll all get the chance to put that process into action and make some prototypes. The wildly creative solutions that  came out of last year’s session—from the students and their parents— were really inspiring and a lot of fun to take part in.
 

NEW EVENT!
January 27, 2009
A Celebration of the Arts at PAUSD

Start the New Year on an up note. ArtSpeak! has added a special event to its annual schedule
to showcase the rich and lively offerings of the PAUSD arts education programs. Come stroll the halls of the District Offices as the arts take over. Enjoy a sampling of art, music, theater
and dance. Learn more about the philosophy of the youth art programs. See and hear works
created and performed by students. Participate in hands-on activities. Enjoy refreshments.
Talk to the professionals who bring their knowledge and talents to our youth.

February 4, 2010
The Big Picture
Ann Badillo
Business Strategist and Vice President, Crawford Communications Group

Some challenges are so complicated the best way to see the big picture is to actually draw a big picture.  Many corporations and global organizations use graphic facilitation to help them visualize and understand the nuances of complex issues, whether it’s developing a business strategy or finding solutions for global warming. Ann Badillo (business strategist, corporate coach, and Paly mom) has led many graphic facilitation sessions. She’ll tell us how they work, who uses them, show us some examples, and then, with the help of a graphic facilitator and artist, lead a session with the audience to create our own big picture. (You can see some
sample big pictures here.)


NEW EVENT!
March 4, 2010
Maker Faire
Dale Dougherty
Editor and Publisher of Make magazine

Dale Dougherty is one of the founders and driving forces behind the Maker Faire. He’s a big believer in the Do-It-Yourself mindset, and how making things is a great way to learn. When he heard about the PAUSD’s You Made It! jamboree for student creators, he offered to share his enthusiasm with us for making things. Come hear how the Maker Faire got started, see photos and video clips from past faires, get a preview of what’s in store for this year. If you only have time to make one thing this year, make it to this presentation!

NOTE: Our originally scheduled presenter, Cara McCarty, the Curatorial Director of the
Coooper-Hewitt Museum, has been rescheduled to next season.

April 1, 2010
Art in Our Own Backyard
A Conversation with Paly and Gunn Art Teachers

Since ArtSpeak! is dedicated to promoting the value of a visual arts education, we thought it would be a good idea to feature some people who do exactly that every day: the art teachers at Paly and Gunn. We’ll talk about their philosophy of teaching art, learn how they manage to juggle being both teachers and artists, and see some samples of their work.

May 15, 2010
You Made It! Jamboree

Do you make robots? Invent new toys? Design computer games? Direct movies? Re-fashion bikes or create new fashions? We want to hear about it. The You Made It! Jamboree will be a celebration of student innovation and creativity. Show off what you made at this event at the
Palo Alto Art Center. The entry period is open for the month of February. For more information, check out www.youmadeitjamboree.com