When Science Meets Art

At NASA, our revolutionary "Science Meets Art" curriculum is divided into two parts - Painting and Sculpture.

The Science Meets Art Painting program introduces artwork from the Renaissance period through modern times. Students learn to appreciate such artworks through application of various art techniques. Activities such as paint analysis, perspective computing and geometric system studies are inspired by mathematics and chemistry principles. Students will realize that learning science can be FUN.

The Sculpture part of the program employs similar structure as the Painting program. Students will re-create miniature versions of sculptural works of famous artists. Activities such as modulus construction, static calculating and models building will inspire participants and enhance their understanding of fundamental math and physics principles.

Haute Couture

Gianni Versace (Italian, 1946–1997)

Patou by Christian Lacroix (French, born 1951)

"Mondrian" day dress, autumn 1965
Yves Saint Laurent (French, born Algeria, 1936-2008)

"Bar" suit and jacket, spring/summer 1947
Christian Dior (French, 1905–1957); Christian Dior Haute Couture (French, founded 1947)

The Measurements

The taking of measurements is a very important procedure, because the fit and the elegance of the garment depend wholly upon the accuracy with which these measurements are taken. For loose, flowing garments, comparatively few measurements are required. For tight-fitting garments, more measurements are necessary, because of the great accuracy with which each part must be adjusted. A close-fitting waist always requires more measurements than a skirt. Measurements for a tight-fitting waist should always be taken over a corset cover. A waist is often ill-fitting, and if the measurements are taken over it, they are apt to be misleading.

Waist Measurements: 1, Length of back; 2, width across back; 3, bust measure; 4, underarm seam; 5, width across chest; 6, length of front; 7, waist measure; 8, neck measure; 9, length of sleeve.

Skirt Measurements: 1, Waist measure; a, hip measure taken 7" below the waist line; b, front length; c, side length; d, back length.

Do Science and Fashion mix?

pic from http://www.itsno.name/index.php

History of Zipper

Do you know the history of ZIPPER? An engineer named Whitcomb Judson invented the zipper in 1891. Judson's version consisted of hooks and eyes joined by a moving slide. Later inventors substituted two rows of interlocking teeth for the eyes and hooks. A wedge forces the teeth together or apart. Back then, the general public wasn't convinced to accept the zipper as part of everyday costume. The magazine and fashion industry made the novel zipper the popular item it is today, but it happened nearly 80 years after the zipper's first appearance.


Illustration: Whitcomb Judson's clasp locker

The Geometry of Crop Circles

In case you don't know what crop circles are... You go to bed and the wheat fields are in perfect condition... The next morning, you wake up and find that someone or something (Extra-Terrestrial??) has mashed down huge patches of the wheat in the form of huge circles.

Art Quotations by Albert Einstein

After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are artists as well.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely. That is why I think a photograph can be kind.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.

© 1995-2009 Art.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.art.com/products/p10007607-sa-i878988/chris-and-monique-fall-albert-einstein.htm

Revealing Picasso: X-Radiography

X-rays can reveal much about an artist's working process and can frequently show compositional changes. X-rays are located beyond UV in the electromagnetic spectrum. Like UV they are invisible but have even shorter wavelengths and greater energy than visible light. X-rays penetrate through paint layers and supports to varying degrees depending on the atomic weight of the material being x-rayed. Materials of low atomic weight allow x-rays to pass through easily and therefore appear dark on x-ray film, and those of high atomic weight block x-rays and appear white. For example, lead white paint is highly opaque to x-rays whereas carbon-based paints, including some blacks, are more transparent. The thickness of the material also determines the degree of opacity.

X -ray setup

In the study of The Old Guitarist, examinations with visible and ultraviolet radiation suggested the existence of two earlier compositions underneath the image of the old guitarist. X-radiographs revealed two faces peering out from behind the musician:

(Contour 1) an older woman with her head bent forward, and

(Contour 2) a young mother with a nursing child kneeling at her side.

One or both figures appeared to be sitting with their left arms outstretched. In addition, the head of an animal was visible on the right. In this example the x-rays penetrated the upper paint layers which are thinly painted and less x-ray opaque, revealing x-ray absorbent layers beneath.

The Old Guitarist x-ray still image.

Since an x-ray penetrates down to the support layer of a painting, it can be used to examine the structure of the panel on which The Old Guitarist is painted. Detail 1 shows the wood grain of the panel. Detail 2 shows white lines that are actually cuts made into the wooden support before it was painted. When Picasso applied the ground laye,r the greater thickness of the ground material at the cuts shows up white on the x-ray film. It has been hypothesized that the wooden support for The Old Guitarist was originally a large breadboard, which would explain the multiple cuts and the joins at either end.

Detail 1: wood grain, center

Detail 2: cuts in panel, left center

© 2009 The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60603-6404

http://www.artic.edu/aic/conservation/revealingpicasso/

Summer Camp & Enrichment Programs

Daily Schedule
1st Period 9-10:30am
Science Meets Art (Sculpture, 3D, Architecture)
or Beginning Drawing, Painting and Sketching
or Math Immersion, Middle School Prep, SAT Math

2nd Period 10:45-12:15am
Science Meets Art (Painting, 2D, Photography)
or Art Appreciation, Renaissance Art, Pop Art
or Science Immersion, SAT II Prep

Lunch Break

3rd Period 1:30- 3:15pm
Fashion Design, Project Runway, Garment Construction
or Art Exploration, Multimedia Art, Art Go Green
or Club Fun 3:15-5:15pm (Additional Fee)

Weekly Rates
Half Day Camp:
¨ 3-Day -$100
¨ 4-Day -$130
¨ 5-Day -$150
3-Period Camp:
¨ 3-Day -$120
¨ 4-Day -$150
¨ 5-Day -$170

Registration $25 ; Club Fun $20 per day ; Art Supplies Fee $25
Siblings receive discounts. Special rates apply to multi-week enrollment.

Spring 2009 Classes - Enroll NOW!

Art of All Kinds I and II - Ages 5 to 8 and Ages 9 to 12
This is a self-directed class with the opportunity for your child to explore in different art media such as found objects, clay, collage, soft sculpture, paint and drawing. Weekly take-home activities will be provided as a great resource for parents wanting to do more art at home.
No art experience required.

Drawing and Painting - Ages 5+
Class is tailored to expressing yourself while using various media such as water colors, pastels, charcoals, pencils and various types of materials. Assignments are designed to explore the elements of art such as line, shape, and color in both two and three dimensions. Learn to observe the visual world around while developing hand-eye coordination.

Science meets Art - Painting - Ages 12+
At NASA, we offer the most unique and revolutionary way of learning. Through hands-on visual art projects, students not only learn to appreciate art, they also explore abstract concepts of math and science. Activities such as paints analysis, perspective computing and geometric system in paintings will flex your child’s brain. The knowledge gained in this painting class and the stunning projects will inspire participants for years to come.

6th grade level of math is required. Some science background is recommended.

Science meets Art - Sculpture - Ages 12+
At NASA, we offer the most unique and revolutionary way of learning. Through hands-on visual art projects, students not only learn to appreciate art, they also explore abstract concepts of math and science. Activities such as modulus construction, static calculating and models building will inspire participants and enhance their understanding of physics, math and chemistry principles.

6th grade level of math is required. Some science background is recommended.

Email us for schedule.

Mother’s Day Weekend - Wearable Art Workshop

May 9, SATURDAY, 1pm to 4pm

1931 Old Middlefield Way, Unit C, Mountain View, CA 94043
Instructor: Christopher Tse
=Register by May 1 to get 20%OFF==

Celebrate Mother’s Day Weekend with this FUN art workshop. Make your VERY special gifts for Mommy and Grandma
*Mommy-and-Me Matching T-shirts*
*Comfy Leggings*

Christopher will also show you how to make beautiful artwork from simple household found-items:
*One-of-a-kind Sock-Animal*
*Decorative Hanging Ornaments*