Fall Greetings!

If you have not received your 2008/2009 Traveling Exhibit catalog, it's on the way! We mailed catalogs to elementary, middle and high school art teachers and public libraries. If you aren't in one of these groups, click here to request yours! You will see 7 new exhibits this year! We polled our customers last year and were able to deliver some of the most requested topics. We bring you Degas, in all its splendor. When we received the exhibits from our printer, we were speechless. We had many request for a woman artist. We bring you Mary Cassatt, a cool independent lady who lived by her own rules. (Sorry to the many of you who requested Georgia O'Keeffe. We spent a great deal of time trying to persuade her foundation to let us honor her with an exhibits but they have a strict "no reproduction on fabric" rule.) We worked hard with the M.C. Escher Foundation to bring you the incomparable drawings that your whole class can admire together. We had many requests for a contemporary artist and we bring you Jackson Pollock, whose art/emotion connection is so powerful, it's hard to tear yourself away. (Again, sorry to all of you who voted Warhol, his foundation refused as well, although they were very nice about it!) As our world gets smaller, we bring you Hokusai and the magic of the intricate prints and paintings. Renaissance art is always a favorite and we are proud to bring you Michelangelo, simply breathtaking. And finally, there are other forms of art besides painting and sculpture so be bring you Antoni Gaudi, one of the most creative and innovative architects ever.
You'll also find several new products we've developed and are really proud of! A cool, fun set of careers in art posters that inspire. We put your windows to work with the exclusive artist quote cling sets. You can visit a "virtual museum" featuring Picasso, and hear from him as well! And we developed computer games to reinforce art history.
Bookmark this blog, we've got loads of ideas to share!
Inspire passion!

Art in Washington

While in Washington DC for the AEP Awards, I took the opportunity to visit the National Galleries of Art. I hadn't been there in years, certainly not since I started with Teacher's Discovery Traveling Exhibits.
As I said, it was 100 degrees in Washington that weekend and I was quite warm by the time I walked the several blocks to the West Gallery. The cool air in the magnificent building provided immediate relief. The feeling of entering this gallery provided a different feeling, more awestruck that I have ever felt entering a museum. I wasn't sure why, I have been to many wonderful museums. But then it dawned on me, this is what we do with Teacher's Discovery Traveling Exhibits, we bring this art to the classrooms, libraries and hearts of the students of the U.S.
Class field trips used to be quite common. Budget cuts and security concerns have made the trips far less common. For many schools and libraries, museums simply are not close enough. We are helping to bring art to you. Maybe not original art, like in the National Gallery, but such a good reproduction, you can see brushstrokes. The enormous size we provide contributes to the experience, so much different than a slide or a poster.
My feeling of awe is probably much like the experience you give your students and guests when you display an exhibit. Suddenly, the art is real, the talent is beyond comprehension and history is before your eyes.
I thought I knew why I have this job. Now I really know.

AEP Awards in Washington DC

It was was weekend of excitement, inspiration, and honor in Washington DC June 6. Teacher's Discovery Traveling Exhibits was a finalist for a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. The exhibit was Global Warming, which we are very proud of.
I departed for Washington on Friday morning, honored that we were finalists but really hoping we would win! I was especially excited because I love Washington. I love the city, the monuments and everything it represents. It was 100 degrees outside but once I checked in to the hotel, I headed out on foot for my favorite locations, the White House, the capitol, the Lincoln monument, and the rest.
What a wonderful day. That evening, I arrived at the JW Marriott for the AEP banquet. I met many nice people from our industry. I was humbled to be in the same categories as National Geographic Kids, The Weather Channel, Scholastic, the National Science Teachers Association and so many others. I met many people that face the same challenges as we do, how do we reach today's students? Looking around that evening, I have every confidence that our kid's educations are in good hands, at least with the tools and resources that are and will be available.
When awards were announced, we cheered for each other. I almost forgot why I was there when they announced Teacher's Discovery Traveling Exhibits as the winner in our category.
Couldn't think of a better way to wrap up the evening!
So, along with the many, many letters, calls and emails we receive from teachers and librarians across the country,
we now add the Distinguished Achievement Award to our collection. Your comments mean more, but the plaque is nice!

Harlem Renaissance

Isn't this wonderful?
I would like to share some comments from Cheryl S. in North Carolina. Cheryl arranged rental of our Harlem Renaissance Traveling Exhibit.
She expressed thanks for the beautiful exhibit and sent this photo of an event they had called "Walk Through Harlem." During this event, students took on the personalties of the figures of the Harlem Renaissance, presented original monologues and poems and guided family and community members through the exhibit. They also created a music video of the evening and posted it on YouTube.
Cheryl has also expressed interest in exhibits featuring other literature topics. What do you think?

exhibits@teachersdiscovery.com
I am incredibly proud that our Harlem Renaissance Exhibit was a backdrop for this fabulous event. We have been fortunate enough to provide the backdrop for many such events-
how about yours???

Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
More than a reason to eat Mexican food and enjoy a Mariachi band, Cinco de Mayo is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. There is a common misconception that the 5th of May is Mexico's Independence Day, but that is actually September 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a victory of Mexican forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Only regionally celebrated in Mexico, it is gaining popularity as the day to celebrate Mexican culture in the United States. Don't let the fact that is not a national holiday stop you, celebrate!!!
Check out a quick video at Teacher Tube.
So, how do we celebrate? We celebrate Diego Rivera, muralist of Mexico. Our most popular Traveling Exhibit, Diego Rivera was masterful at depicting the history of Mexico through murals so intricate, it's mind boggling. We are so fortunate that our local museum (The Detroit Institute of Arts) is home to a magnificent Rivera mural celebrating U.S. industry.
You can enjoy a mural right in your school or library. Beyond a museum, it's the best way for students to understand the magnificent murals of Diego Rivera!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!
Here at Teacher's Discovery, we celebrated by gathering all of our employees and we spent the afternoon cleaning up around our building. Ryan even climbed into the trees to pull out those offensive plastic grocery bags that cling to branches. We picked up trash, raked (my grandma used to say that raking in the spring was like "scratching the Earth's back"), and swept. It was made more enjoyable by loads of sunshine and laughs. Thanks to Pat, our operations manager who coordinated the effort and rewarded us all with a BBQ lunch!
There has been much publicity about "Earth Day," but we think every day should be Earth Day. Our Global Warming Traveling Exhibit takes a positive spin on the controversial issue by empowering viewers with ideas for easy lifestyle changes that benefit both the Earth, and your pocketbook!
Have you seen or done anything cool for Earth Day?

Global Warming AEP Finalist!

Big News!

Our Global Warming Exhibit is a finalist for a prestigious AEP Distinguished Achievement Award!

The official press release:
LOGAN TWP., NJ--APRIL 1, 2008--The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP), the nonprofit professional organization for educational publishers and content developers, is proud to announce the finalists for the 2008 AEP Awards. The program's Distinguished Achievement and Golden Lamp Awards recognize the year's most outstanding materials in the field of teaching and learning.

We are incredibly proud of our Global Warming Exhibit. We we set out to tackle this topic, we realized that Global Warming is a "hot button" in scientific and political circles. Instead of siding with any group or scientifically proving a theory, we decided that most people would agree that human activities have consequences. We may not agree what, or how severe, those consequences may be. But, we can lessen the consequences.
One of the arguments about discussing Global Warming in school is creating fear. Fear can impact in a positve or negative way, but why take the chance. We chose to focus our Global Warming Exhibit on positive changes that individuals can make to help the environment and even save money. Empowering with knowledge is our message.
The Global Warming Exhibit is filled with bright images and ideas. We have set up over 30 web pages with suggestions and links to find more information. In a classroom setting, you could assign each student an images and have them report to the class.
Challenge students to find information that supports and information that contradicts popular ideas. An example is biofuels. The demand for fuels made from corn is growing enormously. Why? Better for auto emissions. So, farmers plant more corn to keep up with demand. Now there is a shortage of wheat (have you noticed bread prices lately?). Every action, positive or negative has a reaction. Our students today will be the professionals tomorrow dealing with these problems.
And if none of that appeals to you, consider the savings in your pocket when replacing a regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb saves you money every year. According to GE, you can save $36-$59 over the life of each bulb!
A step further? At www.lightbulbsamerica.com
you can arrange a fund raiser selling bulbs and making money while saving money. That fund raiser could even...
fund your Traveling Exhibit!
The AEP Award winners are announced in June, of course we'll keep you posted!