McKee Library

McKee Library celebrates American artists from every walk of life and corner of the nation this July 2022.  Learn more using these resources. 

Research Guide

View the McKee Library art research guides below: 

Art History & Time Periods

Art Movements

Streaming Media

Take a look at these documentaries to further explore American art. 

The Whitney Museum Of American Art - New York

1000 Masterpieces from the Great Museums of the World is one of the most successful TV series about art. The original, with improved image quality, takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of art. Comprehensively illustrated and compellingly presented – the well-known authors of five short art surveys provide a deeper insight into the masterpieces of painting. The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York accommodates one of the most important collections of American Art from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Exhibition on Screen: The Artist's Garden, American Impressionism

Taking its lead from French artists like Renoir and Monet, the American impressionist movement followed its own path which over a forty-year period reveals as much about America as a nation as it does about its art as a creative power-house. It’s a story closely tied to a love of gardens and a desire to preserve nature in a rapidly urbanizing nation. Travelling to studios, gardens and iconic locations throughout the United States, UK and France, this mesmerizing film is a feast for the eyes.

American Art in the 1960s

During this critical decade in American life, artists built on the styles of the 1950s. An explosion of artistic energy produced Pop Art, Minimalism, color-field painting, and hard-edged abstraction. Sculptors and painters on both coasts explored new methods and new subject matter. American Art in the Sixties examines the key figures of that decade including Rauschenberg and Johns, two crucial transitional figures between Abstract Expressionism and the sensibilities of the new decade. The art of that time mirrors the optimism and the affluence, and the technology and the vulgarity of those boom years.

Books

Click on the books below for more information about American art and artists.

McKee Library will transition to modified summer hours for SmartStart beginning on July 25.  Please see the graphic below for specific hours for the library, Writing Center, and Tutoring Center. Regular library hours will resume on Monday, August 22. 

Please contact the circulation desk with questions. 

The third week of July is National Parenting Gifted Children Week in the United States. It is estimated that six percent of public school students are enrolled in gifted and talented programs (NAGC). Parenting a gifted child brings about its own unique challenges. The National Association for Gifted Children provides numerous resources on their website, including the Helping Your Gift Child Succeed brochure. Additionally, McKee Library's Parenting Research Guide provides resources for all aspects of parenting. 

Recommended Books

Raising a Gift Child: A Parenting Success Handbook by Carol Fertig

Call Number: Electronic Book (Login Required)

ISBN: 1593635079

Publication Date: 2004

From the author of the nation's most popular blog on parenting gifted children comes the definitive how-to manual for parents, Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook . Raising gifted children isn't easy, but when armed with the practical knowledge and tools in this exciting book, parents can navigate the maze of raising bright kids, leading to success in school and beyond.

 

Gifted Lives: What Happens When Gifted Children Grow Up? by Joan Freeman

Call Number: BF412 .F74 2010

ISBN: 9780415470087

Publication Date: 2010

This book reveals the dramatic stories of twenty outstandingly gifted people as they grew from early promise to maturity in Britain. Recorded over the last thirty-five years by award-winning psychologist, Joan Freeman, these fascinating accounts reveal the frustrations and triumphs of her participants, and investigates why some fell by the wayside whilst others reached fame and fortune.These exceptional people possess a range of intellectual, social and emotional gifts in fields such as mathematics, the arts, music and spirituality.

 

Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds by Jan Davidson

Call Number: LC3993.9 .D37 2005

ISBN: 0743254600

Publication Date: 2005

In Genius Denied, the Davidsons describe the “quiet crisis” in education: gifted students spending their days in classrooms learning little beyond how to cope with boredom as they “relearn” material they've already mastered years before.

 

 

American Nerd: The Story of My People by Benjamin Nugent

Call Number: BF412 .N84 2009

ISBN: 9780743288026

Publication Date: 2009

Most people know a nerd when they see one but can't define just what a nerd is. American Nerd: The Story of My People gives us the history of the concept of nerdiness and of the subcultures we consider nerdy. What makes Dr. Frankenstein the archetypal nerd? Where did the modern jock come from? When and how did being a self-described nerd become trendy? As the nerd emerged, vaguely formed, in the nineteenth century, and popped up again and again in college humor journals and sketch comedy, our culture obsessed over the designation. Mixing research and reportage with autobiography, critically acclaimed writer Benjamin Nugent embarks on a fact-finding mission of the most entertaining variety.

 

Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World by Deborah Reber

Call Number: RJ138 .R43 2018

ISBN: 9781523502127

Publication Date: 2018

"Today millions of kids are stuck in a world that doesn't respect, support, or embrace who they really are--these are what Deborah Reber is calling the "differently wired" kids, the one in five children with ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger's, giftedness, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, and other neurodifferences. Their challenges are many. But for the parents who love them, the challenges are just as hard--struggling to find the right school, the right therapist, the right parenting group while feeling isolated and harboring endless internal doubts about what's normal, what's not, and how to handle it all. But now there's hope. Written by Deborah Reber, a bestselling author and mother in the midst of an eye-opening journey with her son who is twice exceptional (he has ADHD, Asperger's, and is highly gifted), Differently Wired is a how-to, a manifesto, a book of wise advice, and the best kind of been-there, done-that companion.

 

Parenting Gifted children: The Authoritative Guide from the National Association for Gifted Children by Jennifer Jolly

Call Number: Electronic Book (Login Required)

ISBN: 1593635168

Publication Date: 2010

This comprehensive guide covers topics such as working with high achievers and young gifted children, acceleration, advocating for talented students, serving as role models and mentors for gifted kids, homeschooling, underachievement, twice-exceptional students, and postsecondary opportunities.

 

Success Strategies for Parenting Gifted Kids: Expert Advice from the National Association for Gifted Children by Kathleen Nilles

Call Number: Electronic Book (Login Required)

ISBN: 1618219243

Publication Date: 2019

When parents need guidance on raising gifted kids, they can turn to Success Strategies for Parenting Gifted Kids: Expert Advice From the National Association for Gifted Children. This collection of practical, dynamic articles from NAGC's Parenting for High Potential magazine.

 

Streaming Films

2e: Twice Exceptional: Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities

2e: Twice Exceptional examines the concept of “twice exceptionality” – gifted or highly gifted children with learning disabilities and/or differences. Some have trouble interpreting social cues and processing visual and auditory information. Others have difficulty with time management and organization; they may finish their homework but routinely forget to turn it in. Some have been labeled as “underachievers” and “lazy”, accused of just not trying hard enough.

Child Genius: Young and Gifted

Extremely gifted children are the envy of many parents—but no childhood, least of all that of the young prodigy, is without stress and frustration. This program visits several such children in the midst of lightning-quick development and progress toward puberty. Peter, at 11, is a chess champion. Adam, now eight and a half, is heading off to a prestigious boarding school, while math wonder Mikhail, still in elementary school, is now a spelling star. In addition to profiling other children, the program introduces a new genius: three-year-old Georgia, who has displaced Mikhail as Mensa’s youngest member, and her mother Lucy, who is desperate for Georgia to be admitted into a nearby school.

The Gifted Child

When a child displays advanced skills in one or more areas of development, a special challenge is set before teachers, parents, and childcare providers alike. This program seeks to foster an understanding of gifted children by identifying their characteristics, addressing their educational needs, and recommending ways to enhance their development. 

 

July 12th is Malala Day, a day to remember the brave stand Malala Yousafzai for women's education in Pakistan and for each of us to take a stand for the right of women everywhere to a good education.  

Books

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai; Christina Lamb (As told to) When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

Call Number: LC2330 .Y69 2013

ISBN: 9780316322409

Publication Date: 2013-10-08

 

 

 

He Named Me Malala by Davis Guggenheim An intimate portrait of Malala Yousafzai, who was wounded when Taliban gunmen opened fire on her in Pakistan's Swat Valley. The shooting of the then fifteen-year-old teenager sparked international media outrage. An educational activist in Pakistan, Yousafzai has since emerged as a leading campaigner for the rights of children worldwide and in December 2014, became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Call Number: LC2330 .H4 2015

Publication Date: 2015

 

 

 

 

Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky It's a scientific fact: Women rock!   A charmingly illustrated and educational book, Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.   Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists, and more!

Call Number: Q141 .I33 2016

ISBN: 9781607749769

Publication Date: 2016-07-26

 

 

Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen Bad Girls Throughout History is a vibrantly illustrated volume featuring 100 women who were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for all who followed. Each entry features a portrait rendered in author Ann Shen's distinctive, bold watercolor style and a brief essay highlighting the woman's notable achievements. Organized chronologically, the collection features bad girls from a range of places, eras, ethnicities, and fields - from Aphra Behn (first female professional writer) to Sojourner Truth (activist and abolitionist), Ada Lovelace (the first computer programmer), Marie Currie (first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize), Joan Jett (the Godmother of punk), and many, many more!

Call Number: 920 S5461ba

ISBN: 9781452153933

Publication Date: 2016-09-06

Streaming Media

Meet Malala Yousafzai

Dianne Sawyer introduces the story of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who defies the oppressive culture in which she was raised to fight for girls' right to education. An ABC News Production.

Malala: The Power of One Voice

Around the world, an estimated 66 million girls remain uneducated, making up more than 54% of the non-schooled population. This program features Malala Yousafzai, the teenage human rights activist who won a Nobel Peace Prize. In a moving speech to the UN, she declared, “one child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” In fact, scholars have long said that providing girls with a basic education could change the course of human history.

Investing in Women's Education

Wyuma shares what she's learning with her family. Despite financial sacrifices, her mother has also benefited from new knowledge. Her father farms and struggles to afford the tuition.

To Educate a Girl: Empowering Women and Girls in the Developing World

In 2000, 110 million children in the world were not in school—two thirds of them were girls. In 2010, filmmakers Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky traveled to Nepal and Uganda, two countries emerging from conflict and struggling with poverty, to find the answer to one question: What does it take to educate a girl? Framed by the United Nations global initiative to provide equal access to education for girls by 2015, TO EDUCATE A GIRL takes a ground-up and visually stunning view of that effort through the eyes of girls out of school, starting school or fighting against the odds to stay in school.

Women are the Change: Overcoming Barriers to Education in Africa

When you educate ordinary girls, they become extraordinary women.

Only a tiny percentage of African women make it to college. Educating girls is regarded as a waste of money in most sub-Saharan countries. This is the story of six ordinary girls from sub-Saharan Africa who overcame the cultural barriers to becoming educated. These ordinary girls have become extraordinary women, who give back to their communities.