​Bob said in an interview, on the Phil Donahue show, that his work would never hang in a museum, and was not "fine art." (see above)
 
I would say Bob was a great craftsman. Based on my many decades of experience as both an artist and a craftsman, (Painter, Blacksmith, Illustrator, Sculptor, Potter, Origami Master, Photographer) I know that art and craft often intersect and morph into each other.
 
It would be a mistake to say or assume one is "better" than another. (It might even be racist to do so in some cases.) Many craftsman pass down traditions through generations, and success is measured based on how well they met the expectations of the previous generation. I own a beautiful Siwa Oasis wedding basket. It is an amazing piece of workmanship with many layers of depth and meaning to its Bedouin culture. It is categorized as a craft. Had its maker incorporated personal items, or chose colors to represent a specific point of view, or had a meaning other than that of a basket and it's cultural significance, it would then become a work of art. 

​THESE ARTISTS (click text for link) use the traditions and knowledge of basket weaving to create sculptural works of art. They are expressive in some ways that are obvious and others that are not so much. Sometimes the difference between art and craft can only be determined by an interview with the maker which is not always possible.
 
In another example, I own a piece of Alebrijes I bought from a family in Oaxaca. It is a work of art though communally created by the family in many steps. The patterns, and animal all have cultural significance, but hold meanings beyond the obvious aesthetic. By speaking with the artist, and his family I learned the deeper significance of this particular work. They do however produce other works at a lower price for the sake of sales, hummingbirds, porcupines, turtles, etc... These they too consider craft. They are purely decorative and do not have any deeper meaning than to be pleasant decorative items that help the family financially.

​Bob Ross is a craftsman with a lot in his tool box... mountains, grasses, happy clouds, majestic trees, etc. They are rendered with a specific set of techniques he learned from another, Bill Alexander, though the actual technique (alla prima) goes back to the 1400s. In the work, a tree is a tree, a mountain is a mountain, so what you see is what you get. There is no "deeper" meaning or significance other than it being attractive. I would argue, as have many others, that this would put Ross' work squarely in the realm of craft. THIS IS NOT A BAD thing, it is a thing that helps reveal context. Many will argue that art cannot be defined. If a banana duct-taped to a wall can be art, why not Bob's work?

If you dig deeper into the life's work of banana artist Maurizio Cattelan, you might think differently. PBS did a good review of this HERE. This further "makes my point," that sometimes, one needs to interview the maker or investigate more to know if the work would be considered art or craft, or in the case of Cattelan, a joke perhaps.

Some people assume art is more expensive than craft, and therefore more "important" or somehow "better." These arguments fall apart with a little scrutiny... Marilyn Monroe's dress, the work of a craftsman, sold for $5.5 million. A Cycladic Marble Figurine sold for nearly $17 million. A Patek Philippe watch sold for over $24 million. An Islamic carpet sold at Sotheby’s in June 2012 for more than $33 million. Many cultural crafts are considered priceless and almost never are bought and sold.
 
So what is the point of making a delineation of what is art and how it might be different than craft?
 
As an art teacher, I see great value in both. I find that helping my students discern the difference is helpful in our discussions. Sometimes not knowing the difference and appreciating those differences can lead to cultural appropriation, or minimizing the cultures of others. This can sometimes result in a kind of elitism or minimizing craft's value. In my opinion, taking a craft exploration and incorporating personal expression can help students understand the context of the culture being explored without appropriating it. HERE is one way I do that.
 
PBS has a good VIDEO on this topic, the difference between Art & Craft.

In this lesson, we take the idea of a basic birthday card design and tie it into art history by creating a birthday card for a historical artist or figure. This site has a calendar so students can look up artists HERE who share the same birthday.
 
A simplified version of this lesson, for elementary students, can be found on this blog HERE.
 
Using materials available to the teacher, students create an illustration that incorporates the chosen artist's work through emulation or parody like this example for Salvador Dali'. By having students choose based on their own birthdays, there will be fewer overlapping projects, like having a ton of Picasso samples. You could open this more broadly to historical figures in general, or by culture for additional possibilities. I have students "sketch" on scrap copy paper as a way to recycle, but also to work out ideas, and share with peers before moving onto the final paper.
 
The inside of the card should include a greeting; a personal message that incorporates 3 to 4 facts about the artist or historical figure. This way a degree of investigating is needed and hones student's research skills. I allow my students to either hand-write or print out and glue-in their text based on their own comfort level with their handwriting.
 
The card closes with a logo to identify the student. You may wish them to include their class period or homeroom to identify work. This logo can be based on their name or a company name they make up. It can be a simple logo like my design, based on initials, or maybe more complex and in color.
 
Grading, should it be desired, can be based on a rubric that checks for the number of facts in the written greeting, and the degree they used their illustration skills. For lower elementary students a single layer of color might be acceptable, whereas, in middle school, layering of color and simple shading may be required. For my high school students, I expect textures, the use of both analogous and complementary colors and have created this video to demonstrate those skills HERE. 

For more information and resources, please explore the tabs to the left here, or for printed resources like books and posters, my publishing website is at www.FirehousePublications.com

Illustration is a career in art some artists choose to focus on. For this lesson I have expanded on one I use as a sub plan seen here, but have "beefed it up" for a regular classroom lesson. (Due to the pandemic, this will be a hybrid lesson where some students submit work online, and others may in person.)
 
This lesson can be done by nearly every age level. By simplifying or adding complexity to the expectations, it can meet the pedagogical goals of your students. While I would require a sketch and class discussion from grades 4 and up, I might let grades K-2 just work directly on their final paper. Perhaps grade 2 and 3 can make additional cards, especially if some finish early.

I think it's important to push for layering of colors and perhaps shading for those ready for it. This is why I reference & link the "Am I Done" video. The small size of the paper helps that this is not too overwhelming.
 
I did not specify a medium or material because you can use whatever you have on hand. For lower grades, crayons or markers would be fine, but perhaps older students can use pen and ink on watercolor paper. They could incorporate some engineering by making a pop-out element a requirement. You could go even further by requiring students create a birthday card for a famous artist and the card needs to be in the style of that artist, or make it "as if" that artist did. A Salvador Dali' card would certainly be different that a Monet or Caravaggio card.
 
HERE is an online calendar of famous artist's birthdays. To avoid getting 30 Picasso-style cards, students could look up the artist who shares a birthday with themselves!
 
A downloadable list of funny holidays is HERE. https://bit.ly/WeirdHolidays
The "Am I Done" video is HERE. https://bit.ly/AmIDone
 
More resources for Art Educators HERE.

Was it rigorous? Yes.
Will it impact my teaching? Yes.
Was it worth it? For me, yes...
...but not likely for everyone.
 
I have been teaching now for more than 30 years, and had not considered the National Board Certification before. (I already hold my lifetime Art Education and Elementary Education Certifications) But I have retired early from teaching in NJ to move to NC to lower my taxes, build up my savings for retirement, and escape cold winters. For me it was a good financial decision. I was vested in my pension system and have lifetime health coverage. Without those, moving would have been unwise. The pay cut in NC was significant, and though they took my years of experience into consideration, they pay 30% less than NJ did. My pension made up for that difference, but I wanted to raise my salary for the sake of my NC pension and social security, which are both tied to income.
 
North Carolina, and Washington State offer significant pay incentives for securing a National Board Certification. They even have rigorous professional development to help you through the process. I am certain I would not have certified without that help. However, many states offer no incentives... and pay increases may be tied to your level of education or other factors. So though it was a wise decision for me, it is not for everyone. The process is expensive on a teacher's salary, $1975.00. (More if you have to re-take a component.) I will recoup that in my first year, but will need to re-certify in 5 years. If you do not "pass" you will need to pay again for the components you scored low on. It can be done in 1 year, but many take 2 years to complete the process. To me, it felt like a year of graduate school, so it is a significant investment in both time and money. I also had the "benefit" of being able to write during the pandemic, so I did have a lot of time on my hands at home.
 
I would say it is probably a good idea for those who have achieved tenure and have about 5 years of experience in the classroom. Learning to be a teacher, and doing your National Boards, I feel, would be unwise. Some experience teaching your subject will be invaluable. Consider you may need to demonstrate great classroom management and differentiation before you are actually able to know what that really means.
 
For those of us in our more senior years of teaching, I would only start the process if there was a significant financial benefit like I mention; helping with pension numbers and pay. Mid-career teachers who wish to excel in their field might want to opt for a master's degree for longer term benefits. I'd consider the National Boards to be the icing on that cake. Investigate the benefits based on where you teach and base your decision on the economics as opposed to bragging rights. Remember that the certification is for 5 years and you'll need to renew, though the process is more simple for renewal and costs less at present. If you are considering a move to another state, look at their benefits as well.
 
I can see that through this process, I will incorporate some of the collaborative practices I experimented with in certifying, and have a more in-depth understanding of my school population. My administration sees the value in how I tied literacy to art education and that my student's scores in literacy improved in the process. I assumed the process would just be re-hashing my 30 years of experience, but I did honestly learn quite a bit and it will impact my teaching, and even my future publications.
 
So for me, and my situation, it was a good decision.

From middle school though high school, I believe a research assignment is the best way to end a course, be it a semester or a year. It allows students to pull together their knowledge, dig a bit deeper into topics they may enjoy, and gives you, the instructor, the time to close down your course for winter/summer break.
 
My assumption is that every course of art includes connections to art history and cultures. I further believe it is important that students experience an academic assignment in art that can often take the form of an art history report focused on a specific artist, period in history, or a culture. Though some may want to assign a specific topic to an entire class, I find it more engaging if students have a certain amount of choice. My students pick from a list but may choose artists I have not included on the list as long as they meet 2 parameters... They must be dead, and have work in more than one major museum collection. This ensures that there should be ample material for them to find as they research.
 
I design my research assignments in such a way that they can be completed in class over a 5 day period, assuming about 45 minutes to 1 hour per day. I make assignments due on a Friday, but I accept them as on-time If I get them Monday at the start of the day. Making expectations clear is very important as well as penalties for lateness.
 
I have shared previously my "Interview With A Dead Artist" assignment, which I still use for my introductory classes. You can find that HERE. You can even download the packet I use with my students.
 
This year I have an advanced class, and wanted to try something different for them. I wanted to give them 2 options, and let them choose.
 
Option 1 was based on some Videos that Google Arts & Culture created during the Covid Pandemic. They were short and informative, so I picked 5 and created a Google Document students could insert their work into and submit. This was very straight forward but designed in a way that I could see if they were incorporating their vocabulary into the assignment and making deeper connections to the work. I outlined expectations, letting them understand that completing the assignment and just meeting expectations was like meeting the requirements to pass, a "C" grade. If they wanted an "A," a possible 100%, they had to exceed expectations with depth and insightful information that showed off what they had learned since Art 1, 2 and 3.
 
Below is a link to my Google document. Remember to go to FILE --> Select "Make A Copy" and you can alter it to fit your needs. DO NOT request access, just make your own copy, keeping my credit line in the footer please.  As Google Arts & Cultures adds more videos, you can change hyperlinks to target videos you wish your students to use.
 
Assignment LINK:
 
Option 2 was to take 4 to 6 images from art history and pretend they were illustrations for a story. They were to use the basic outline in my Google Document below, and weave a tale, and finish with a bit of research on the works they included and information about the artist. 4 images would meet the minimal expectation for a "C" while more would exceed expectations and the ability to earn 100%. Again, to use my Google Document, go to FILE --> Select "Make A Copy" and you can alter it to fit your needs. DO NOT request access, just make your own copy, keeping my credit line in the footer please.  
 
Assignment LINK:


More assessments can be found in my book, "Art Assessments" HERE and on Amazon.