"American Qur'an - Sura 25" (detail) by Sandow Birk
Sandow Birk was featured on KQED's Spark when he was making paintings about an imagined war between Northern and Southern California. He was also making a film based on Dante's Inferno that starred handmade puppets. Since making the movie, Birk has been busy in his studio, working with different mediums and themes to create his highly-charged works, which sometimes comment on politicized events we hear about in the news such as the war in Iraq.
di Rosa holds the largest collection of Bay Area art in the world, which is exhibited on the grounds of a beautiful nature preserve in Napa. Offering school group tours for all levels, it's the perfect place to introduce your students to the richness of local art. On February 8th, di Rosa is hosting an Educators Open House where you are invited to learn more about the tours, and enjoy the art (and wine and cheese).
Before heading to di Rosa with your class, introduce your students to Rene di Rosa, the generous and witty collector who built his beloved collection with his wife Veronica, and later gifted it to the public. Rene di Rosa was featured on Spark and in the PBS Documentary, Smitten. Check out our Spark Educator Guide for classroom activity ideas related to collecting.
A di Rosa exhibition of Oakland artists and parts of the collection were featured in a recent Gallery Crawl episode.
Have you been to di Rosa or taken your students on a tour? Leave a comment and tell us all about it. And don't miss out on the Educators Open House, February 8 from 4-6pm.
Do Now is a weekly activity for students to respond to current issues through the use KQED's award-winning online media resources and social media tools like Twitter.
