Family Art Event at St Aidan's Episcopal Day School

Great family art event yesterday at St Aidan's Episcopal Day School.
I begin with this photo from our blocks set up in the children's studio space.  The blocks out on the table invited parents and children to build and then to draw designs inspired by their buildings.
I begin with this image also because an important part of our afternoon was another kind of building - building community through creating together.

Our collage station included inviting mixtures of recycled papers, fibers and small objects.  Glue in shallow containers with a small brush offered optimal control for young artists.  A drop of blue paint in the glue gave it a bit of color and surprise.
Putting out materials for art reminded me of setting a table for a meal - for each material there is a place setting with specific tools and utensils as well as shared items.  In the case of collage, individual artists choose their own base paper and then share in communal collections of paper and objects.  The small pots of glue placed around the table can be used individually or shared between a couple of makers.  Setting things up so that supplies are shared (similar to setting the table for "family style" service) is a key part of facilitating community art.

At our stamping station, artists were invited to explore different everyday objects for printing with paint.

This printing was extended with an opportunity to work more communally on a larger piece of paper at a group stamped mural.  

These two stations worked together for community sharing and inspiration.  Some artists were more comfortable trying things out on their own paper before joining a group creation.  Others enjoyed being part of the group creation and getting ideas from what they saw there before creating an individual piece.  

To take advantage of the nice day, we had a bucket of recycled CD's outside for designing on the grass. These young artists made trails and tracks with the shiny CDs.  For great CD art inspiration, see the website of artist Bruce Munro.

Stampers at work ...

Busy hands of collage artists...

And a growing group stamping mural...

One of my favorite aspects of community art is noticing how strategies are developed and shared.  After watching artists make dots and drag lines with the comb, it was fun to watch this artist use the side of the teeth to stamp grass to begin his image.

Community art is also a great chance to see many developmental stages of making side by side.  This older sister explored representation and symmetry with her butterfly created from stamped shapes.

At the same table younger artists explore shape and color with repetition and energy.  Sharing space  in mixed age settings allows for great sharing of ideas in community.

At another table, older siblings began making 3D collage creations using strips of paper. 

This grew as others joined in, finding many inventive ways to twist, tie and curl paper to make architectural creations.

The arches below layer and parts build on other parts.  In the same way, it is fun to watch strategies build on each other.

Finished community art works took two forms: below a collage quilt allows varied individual pieces to come together to create a group piece.

For stamping, the community art was created in layers with artists working with and around other artists to add to a group mural.  It was fun to watch this one grow and change as artists filled in spaces left by others and added new shapes, marks, and patterns.  Can you find the word art from the beginning photo at the top of the page?



Many thanks to all who participated and the many hands that helped with set up and clean up.  It was great to watch people collaborate around tables.  Reflecting on our afternoon, I noted great individuality in invention and creativity.  There was also a sense of calm and intention as artists worked in the different spaces.  I enjoyed the energy of the makers, the sharing of ideas and the wonderful color and invention of our new creations.

Reflections on International Dot Day

I wrote last week about International Dot Day celebrated September 15 this year. What I forgot to add is that the real date is September 15th-ish.
The beauty of this is that Dot Day celebrations can continue throughout the fall. For more about Ishful thinking, see Peter Reynolds book, Ish. Reading The Dot by Peter Reynolds for Dot Day this year I noticed a few new themes in the story.
For those of you not familiar with the story, I offer a quick summary to help my reflections make sense. I highly recommend you check out the book for yourself to experience the full story as it is told through pictures and words.
The Dot begins with a child frustrated in art class. She sits staring at a blank piece of paper at the end of class. The teacher suggests she just make a mark so the child jabs her marker on the page, making a dot. The teacher tells her to sign it and the child does so, leaving the paper behind as class ends. She returns the following week to find her signed dot hung in a gilded frame.
The child is surprised to see her work honored and displayed in this way. She soon decides she can do better and she sets out on an artistic journey creating more dots, exploring size, color, and design variations as she creates an entire collection of dot art. The book ends when the child has her dots featured in the school art show. She is approached by a boy who makes that classic complaint of many intimidated by art, "I can't draw a straight line with a ruler." The girl suggests he show her and then tells him to sign his mark, leaving the reader to imagine what might come next for this boy as he begins an artistic journey with his squiggle.
The challenge for Dot Day is "Make your mark and see where it takes you!" This is a great starting point and a fun one to explore with kids, especially as we begin a new school year. Reading The Dot this year, I notice new themes and would add to that challenge, "Make your mark and own it. See where it takes you and share your journey." "Make your mark and own it..." The request to sign a first mark is powerful at both the beginning and the end of this story. Signing a work is a mark of authorship. It seems that taking ownership of these first marks leads to a feeling of inner authority. The teacher's role in framing the work, allows the student to reflect on her first mark and to challenge herself to further exploration. "...See where it takes you and share your journey." It is in the sharing of her creations that the main character meets another child who also longs to be an artist.
I recently read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, a book that offers a guide for creative people wanting to gain a broader audience. As the title suggests, the book offers ideas and examples of ways artists can show their work during the creative process rather than waiting to have it all figured out with a finished project at the end. Kleon even suggests that viewers prefer this, people like to hear the story behind works of art and feel like they are part of the unfolding by getting to see the steps and hear about discoveries along the way.
In our work at Art at the Center, we try to build this sharing into aspects of making across age levels. For our toddler artists, simply pinning their art to the board and encouraging them to look at the colorful wall before leaving class invites a reflection on these wonderful first marks. For our preschool artists, signatures on work denote authorship and also become part of the artists' overall sense of design in wonderful ways. Artists at this age begin to tell elaborate stories about the settings and characters in their creations. We write these stories to display with the work, allowing a glimpse into the creative thinking behind the work. For our grade school artists, sketchbooks and portfolios allow artists to collect work over time and see themes emerge. Our weekly sharing time and end of session display for parents further allow children to share both finished products and unique steps in the process such as mixing a unique color or sketching out a plan for a sculpture. This fall for our evening studio, Jenna has added time for creating a digital portfolio and reflecting on work over the course of the session allowing middle school and teen artists the ability to use technology to share their work and process with a wider audience.

BIG CHALK DRAW 2014

Many thanks to all who came out for our 6th annual Big Chalk Draw.  We had a beautiful cool morning and a fresh slate of parking lot for a fun morning of community art.  Looking over the pictures from the event reminded me of some of my favorite aspects of group art making.

First there is just the great energy of people making marks together.  It was fun to watch people gather throughout the morning.

As we worked and drew I loved the shared projects that emerged.
Sometimes one person began an outline and others added details or lots of color.

Sometimes a drawing seemed to suggest a story and other artists added to the tableau with new ideas.

Tracing each other was a fun way to play with inventing characters.

Then there was the fun of watching designs emerge from the mosaics of colored sections of cracked black-top.

I loved watching drawings inspire other drawings.  The large fish was drawn very early in the morning and later inspired a whole school of baby fish.  The younger artist modeled her drawing on the bigger fish but also added her own unique style.  Great practice observing and connecting with another artist through viewing art.

Nearby I loved watching the emergence of this sun over mountains.

It was only later that I saw it had also clearly inspired another similar peaceful scene nearby.

Our sewing teacher began this geometric pattern of traditional quilt blocks and other artists soon added blocks of their own design to what she began.

On the other side of the parking lot a group created a friend tree with hands and feet for leaves.  This reminded me of how great it is to mark beginnings and endings with group art making.  Last spring we had several groups in the studio make art pieces for friends who were moving away.  The end of summer marks both a beginning of school and an end to summer so it is fun to see this celebration of friendship at this transition time.

While I watched lots of activity around this grid, it was only when another adult pointed it out to me that I realized the children had been playing a game.  "Find the face" was like a maze drawn on a grid for kids to play the puzzle.  This brought to mind how important it is to get the story behind an image to really understand it.  I was also thankful to the woman who observed and shared the story with me so I didn't miss the chance to know about it.

Thanks again to all participants for a great morning of creativity, collaboration and fun.  Thank you also to all who brought school supplies for Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services and to Bethlehem Baptist Church for the use of their parking lot so ours was free for art.
Many thanks as well to Louise Kraft for her great photo essay of the event in the Mount Vernon Gazette.
Below is a link to a time-lapse video reducing our 2 hours of chalk drawing to two and a half minutes.

Labyrinths and Creative Process

A labyrinth is a path to the center but it is not a straight path, it winds and doubles back, curving round the center and leading the walker toward and away from the center in the process of walking.
This sort of movement provides a wonderful metaphor for the creative process. Creating doesn't proceed neatly from point A to point B.  It winds, circles back and can seem to take forever - a maker may move close to completion only to discover another option and take things apart again to try a new form.

At times it can feel like you are in a maze but a labyrinth will always lead to the center - you can't get lost. The challenge is to persist and keep going even when it feels like you are just going in circles.
Often with anything we want to make, the greatest challenge is getting started.  When the path winds or it becomes unclear that we are making progress, staying the course becomes the new challenge.  What is important is just to keep moving, because even when it seems you are just doubling back the same way you came you are still always moving toward the center.

Learning to trust that there is a path and taking time to enjoy the process offers the opportunity for surprises and unexpected discovery along the way.  This is where a guide can help. Having the knowledge that the path is supposed to wind and double back and seem confusing can help in persisting through challenges or discouragement.
This is the role of the teacher: to support the process even when it looks messy or repetitive.  Knowledge of development helps here too - so often we grow in fits and starts, moving forward then doubling back as we integrate new skills and understanding.  When we are taught to enjoy the winding walk and not worry so much about our final destination, we often find that getting to the center is that much more satisfying.  We end with a product that is a true reflection and even a celebration of all the steps we took along the way.  
Visit our website to see our new dates for Labyrinth Workshops or Visit Kathryn's Etsy site for handmade labyrinth art.

Gaithersburg Book Festival Community Collage

I felt SO welcome at the Gaitersburg Book Festival on Saturday.  Thanks to all the volunteers and the great team who put this event together.  In addition to wonderful people, the event was topped off with beautiful weather and so many creative visitors.
Thanks to everyone who helped create this community collage.  As you scroll through the photo see if you can find new elements in each new image of the collage as it grows...

 The finished piece at the end of the day.

 And a tour of some of the details... an alligator...

...a person...

 ...an anteater...

 ...a cheetah...

 ...a cat...

 ...a tree with leaves and cherry blossoms...

 ...Collette and a face in the grass...

 ...Collette, where it all began.

Thanks also to everyone who helped create this poster of many faces of Collette.

And finally, special thanks to my relief crew who helped take down my exhibit at the end of the day.