About Art Work

Art Work is committed to the research and development of art education and instructional materials specifically designed for the Montessori classroom. Based on Julie’s six principles of Sharing Art with Children and the Montessori Method, all Art Work lessons are designed to provide the Montessori educator with easily accessible materials and easy-to-understand instructions that will inspire the unique development of every child’s creative imagination and intellect.

About the Author

Julie Karlonas, the founder of Art Work, has been providing art instruction for children and adults for more than 25 years. She holds a master’s degree in Montessori education, AMS Elementary I and II teaching credentials, and a studio degree in printmaking. In addition to teaching Creative Arts for the Montessori School of Education at Saint Mary’s College, she lectures and conducts teacher‐training seminars. Julie is also a working artist whose paintings, prints, and drawings have been shown throughout Northern California.

About the Materials

Sharing Art With Children in the Montessori Way is a philosophy, a method, and a curriculum. The philosophy is based on my six principles of sharing art with children. The method is based on the Montessori methodology of preparing the adult, preparing the environment, and providing developmentally appropriate creative opportunities with freedom and responsibility. The curriculum, built on the philosophy and Montessori methodology, comprises four suites of curricular materials: Toddler (ages 1-3), Early Childhood Education (ages 3-6), Lower Elementary (ages 6-9), and Upper Elementary (ages 9-12). Each suite features a teaching manual, language of art material, and visual art material.

Each material type may be used in a stand-alone manner or with any of the other materials. All materials are designed for use by any educator with any student regardless of their artistic dispositions. Teachers can easily learn and discover right along with their students.

Suite I – Toddler Materials

Sharing Art With Children in the Montessori Way: An Introduction to Art Exploration is designed specifically for the Toddler Montessori classroom. The book contains 36 lessons organized into three key disciplines: drawing, painting, and collage and three-dimensional work. The lessons are written in standard Montessori format to provide toddlers with open-ended explorative art experiences. All visual examples are created by toddlers. The appendix is complete with a brief history of each discipline, glossary of materials, and art shelf recommendations.

The Language of Art Toddler is an art education material designed specifically for sharing with toddlers. This work introduces children to the vocabulary of art by having them look for shapes and colors on visual art cards. The material consists of 96 visual image cards and 48 command cards in the following six categories: circles, squares, triangles, ovals, rectangles and rhombuses in primary and secondary colors. The Language of Art Toddler can be used with one child or with a group of children.

Art Look ECE Material is a visual art matching material designed to expose young children to the vast diversity of art. It may be used in the ECE and in the Toddler Classrooms.  Each set consists of 72 matching pairs of visual image cards (216 cards in all) from the following six different art genres: abstract, representational, textile, artful objects, sculpture, and realism.

Suite II – Early Childhood Education

Sharing Art With Children in the Montessori Way: An Introduction to Materials is the second book in the series. This sensorial introduction to art materials contains 62 lessons organized into five key disciplines: drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, and three-dimensional work. Each lesson includes a vocabulary component — the language of art.

The Language of Art ECE Material is a set of 100 command cards and 100 visual image cards. Each command card instructs the child to look for one of the elements of art or principles of design within the visual image cards. As children become familiar with the language of art — by learning to name what they see — they will be able to respond to art in a more objective way and make more informed choices about their artwork as their artistic spirits develop.

Art Look ECE Material is a visual art matching material designed to expose young children to the vast diversity of art. Each set consists of 72 matching pairs of visual image cards (216 cards in all) from the following six different art genres: abstract, representational, textile, artful objects, sculpture, and realism. By matching images and genres, children will experience and be inspired by the diversity of art, learn to appreciate the art of others, and ultimately understand and respect their own artistic visions.

Art Look – Elementary Art Appreciation Material may be used in both the ECE and the Elementary classroom. This material consists of the same visual images as the matching material, but in an 8.5 x 11 inch format. These cards may be used to hang on the wall or as part of a larger ECE matching work.

Suite III – Lower Elementary

Sharing Art With Children in the Montessori Way: An Introduction to the Elements of Art and Principles of Design is the third book in the series. This book contains 92 lessons organized into 18 mini-units, one for each of the elements of art and principles of design. Each lesson introduces the child to one of the elements of art or principles of design through a Key Experience Lesson, followed by work lessons in these disciplines: drawing work, painting work, printmaking work, and collage work.

The key experience lessons can be visually illustrated with the Elementary I Key Experience Cards. The language of the elements of art and principles of design is introduced with the lesson and reinforced with The Elementary Language of Art Material. This material is in the same format as the ECE Language of Art Material, but the language is more advanced. This material features 100 command cards and 100 visual image cards. Each command card instructs the child to look for one of the elements of art or principles of design within the visual image cards. These visual image cards provide children with a plethora of visual images, which further illustrates how different artists have investigated the elements of art and principles of design. This material includes a control of error for the teacher. You will learn right along with your students.

Art Look – Elementary Art Appreciation Material consists of 108 art image cards organized into three 36-card groups. Each group of cards represents six different art genres: abstract, representational, textile, artful objects, sculpture, and realism. These 8.5 x 11 inch cards are meant to be hung on a wall at the children’s eye level. Begin by hanging the first card from the first group on the first week then hang another card next to it each week until six cards are up (one from each genre).

Simply replace the first card on the 7th week, the second card on the 8th week, the 3rd card on the 9th week, etc. There are enough cards to hang a new card per week for three years. These images introduce children to the diversity of art and help them see that art is essentially part of everything around them. This understanding will enable them to appreciate and respect art in many forms.

Suite IV – Upper Elementary

Sharing Art With Children in the Montessori Way: An Introduction to Three-Dimensional Materials is the fourth book in the series. This book features eight chapters, each covering a specific three-dimensional art material: stone, wood, plants, fiber, clay, metal, glass, and paper. Each chapter begins with a Key Experience Lesson followed by six work lessons. The Key Experience Lesson introduces children to a particular art material (e.g., stone) by providing examples of how people have used that material (stone) to meet their fundamental physical and spiritual needs. The six work lessons that follow provide children with an opportunity to use some of the very same materials that prehistoric, ancient, and contemporary people have used to create art.

The Key Experience Art Cards that accompany this book consist of 94 visual image cards, which illustrate how humans have used various (art) materials to meet their fundamental physical and spiritual needs. The visual examples are from a variety of sources including prehistoric, ancient, and contemporary cultures from around the world. This diverse inclusivity engages the children in conversation about the past, present, and future of art and the materials we use to make art.