The Observation Deck

Hi all,

Yesterday afternoon, Miss Nicka and Miss Kate hosted an artist's reception and gallery showing for this Fall's Art Explosion class. Parents, friends and library-goers were able to roam the gallery in the multipurpose room, chat with the artists and instructors, while enjoying cookies, pizza and Miss Kate's lemon-lime water.

This class had some fascinating work and the artists were very willing to explain their processes.

Here are some samples:

This assignment was to explore contrast:



This assignment was called "Beginning and End":




We were also treated to a slide show featuring the class on stage makeup in which the young artists learned about the way art can work on your face, in your day and in the world.

Congratulations, again, Miss Kate, Miss Nicka (and thank you for the great work you do!) and the talented young Lakewood artists.

Betsy Voinovich

Betsy -

Will this exhibit be "open to the public" for any extended period of time??

I think that we (as parents, as friends, as neighbors, as a society) instinctually know that art is important for our children ... but study after study after study has shown that art is uber-critical in children's development. Creating art expands a child's ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Not only does art help to develop the right side of the brain, it also cultivates important skills that benefit a child's development. Art also goes FAR beyond the tangible statistics measured by studies ... it can become a pivotal mode of uninhibited self-expression and amazement for a child. Art matters the same way language matters ... or the way breathing matters! It is a fundamental component of what makes us uniquely human.

SMILING EAR TO EAR

One of my all-time favorite quotes [from Pablo Picasso after he visited an exhibition of children's drawings]:
"When I was their age, I could draw like Raphael, but it took me a lifetime to learn to draw like them."