A Doodlebug’s Van Gogh In our Doodlebugs preschool classes and student...
Recent Posts
Museum Mayhem!
As is the case most years, things start speeding up around spring break, and don’t let up til sometime in mid-May. That phenomenon, which will henceforth be called the April Blitz(Spring Fever and March Madness were already taken!), is in full swing right now. We have had some fabulous school groups visiting this month, we’ve [...]
Happy Birthday, Grant Wood!
Kicking off our Pajama Storytimes for this spring, we celebrated Grant Wood’s birthday with an artist party. Decorations were the easy part: we grabbed the paintbrushes from the classroom, scribble-painted roll paper for make-shift tablecloths, put up some Grant Wood posters on easels around the room… We had leftover mini puzzles from Family Fun [...]
How Artists See Colors
I was delighted to have our friend & local artist Mary Zeran back again last month. This time she was teaching a mini-camp during the kids’ winter break. It was called, “How Artists See Colors.” It was fantastic! I’m so impressed with Mary’s approach to teaching. She started off each of the three days with warm-up [...]
Epic Fail, Christmas Edition
Every blogger is anxious to share (or sometimes brag) about their great successes, but how many are willing to embarrass themselves for the sake of public edification? This is my sacrifice for you, dear readers. Please consider mine a cautionary tale, and learn from my mistakes. And hopefully you’ll laugh as much as I did [...]
All That Glitters… is a Giant Pain in the Butt
Anyone who has had a conversation with me about glitter knows that my feelings are strong, to say the least. I adore things that sparkle, but I LOATHE glitter. I can’t stand how it gets into every crevice, seemingly defying the laws of physics. I hate that you think you’ve showered and shampooed enough to [...]
When is the last time you picked up a children’s book—not for your kids, but just to enjoy for yourself? On the hunt for storytellers and storybooks for various programs at the CRMA, I think I’ve checked out at least 2/3 of the local libraries’ children’s books. The books that I love most, the ones [...]
Practice
A Doodlebug’s Van Gogh In our Doodlebugs preschool classes and student workshops, much of what I want our participants to experience is about the process, not the product. I always tell kids not to worry about what the final product looks like; just fiddle with things to see what you like or don’t like, [...]
What the Heck is That?! …Part 2
Last time, I included artwork from my friend & contributing CRMA instructor Mary Zeran. Abstract is what Mary does best, so I thought I’d share her responses to sentiments like, “My kid could do that,” and “How can you tell the difference between a professional and a pretender?” If you’d like more info on her, or [...]
What the Heck is That?! …Part 1
Occasionally I hear our visitors discussing the abstract pieces in our galleries, and their reactions run the full spectrum. My favorite reaction, though, is when people dislike a piece so much that they almost seem angry. I know, it’s weird, right? To enjoy it when people hate something? But it is absolutely fascinating to me! [...]
Art Beyond Sight
How do you explain a ceramic sculpture when it’s out of reach behind a Plexiglas case? How do you describe a cloud to someone who’s never seen the sky? How do you describe an artist’s process or inspiration with more than just words? How do you bring abstracts to life for someone who can’t see [...]
A Work of HeART
I’ve always LOVED weddings. I love all sentimentality, the romance. Plus, as an Olympic list-maker, I love the hundreds of delicious details to keep track of. And now that I work in a beautiful, historic building that’s available for event rentals, I get to see weddings nearly every weekend. It got me started thinking about [...]
Brand New Junk
We often lead workshops on Grant Wood’s Lilies of the Alley. These sculptures were made out of junk that Wood found in the alley behind his house (get it?) which he transformed into potted flower arrangements. The originals were given out to Wood’s friends as gifts, but we find that the idea relates to environmental [...]
