Welcome to our Summer Art Challenge! Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to complete as many of these challenges as you can – and your family allows. I hope the challenges exercise your creativity, introduce you to new-to-you types of art, and provide some fun all at the same time. Some of these may require adult supervision or help. Any pictures of your artwork or documenting outings can be emailed to me (lgautreau@ebrschools). A printable version of the Challenge is here:
LSU’s Museum of Art (LSUMOA), the Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM), and the Baton Rouge Gallery have a lot to offer for those new to art – no matter how old you are. LSUMOA and LASM offer Free First Sunday’s that sometimes have extra activities available. The Baton Rouge Gallery has an opening reception the first Wednesday of every month. If this visit is the first to a museum or gallery, be sure to caution everyone to not touch any of the artwork (that’s a big deal). If your child is under six, it may help them to carry a favorite stuffed animal. You can encourage a longer visit by challenging them to find some of the following (to make a kind of “hunt” out of it). Pointing is encouraged. Touching is discouraged.:
- Textures: Something that looks soft; Something that looks bumpy: Something that looks rough, etc.
- Shapes: Geometric (circles, squares, triangles – anything with a “name”) or Organic (things from nature, free-form (clouds, leaves, flowers, puddles, etc.)
- Subjects: Portraits (art about a person), Landscapes (art about a place or type of land), Cityscape (art about a place in a city – buildings), Narrative (art that tells a story)
- Narrative art offers other potential challenges: what do they think happened just before this moment? What will happen next? If they were telling this story, what would they change?
- Lines: Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal, Wavy, Zig-zag, etc.
- Color: Find their favorite color, find a darker version of their favorite (a shade), find a lighter version of their favorite (a tint)
Architecture is an art related profession. One of the most fun "buildings" to design are tree houses. Design a fabulous tree house or fort. Will your structure be round or square? What shape will your roof be? How do you get up and into your structure? Will there be windows? What shapes will they be. Will it be symmetrical or asymmetrical? What colors will you paint it? Visit Barbara Bulter's website for inspiration.
On the first Saturday of each month, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge hosts an Arts Market. When you go you'll see a variety of hand-made arts including: pottery, cast & blown glass, jewelry, metal sculpture, hand-bound books, hand-made soaps, mixed media, hand-made garments, furniture, wood carvings, hand-painted silks, mosaics, hand-woven baskets, photography, and more! Held in conjunction with the weekly Red Stick Farmer’s Market, it's located at 5th and Main Street.
Some of the links on my website (Links) are more fun than art. But explore them (try many and practice one) to see what you can come up with. Use "Print Screen" or the "Snipping Tool" to capture your artwork to email to me.
(Don't forget the saving part.)
(Don't forget the saving part.)
From arts to crafts, here are some upcoming options offered by BREC and our library system:
BREC: Art History
Libraries: Many require prior registration
Events Calendar (you can filter to see just arts and crafts events). Some that jumped out to me:
BREC: Art History
Libraries: Many require prior registration
Events Calendar (you can filter to see just arts and crafts events). Some that jumped out to me:
- Three Billy Goats Gruff: Ages 3-8, Sat, May 26, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Jones Creek
- New Orleans Jazz Painting: Ages 7-11, Thu, June 14, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Fairwood
- Mini Art Book Using Recycled Paper Bags Storycraft: Ages 8-11, Mon, June 25, 2018 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Delmont Gardens
- Red, White and Blue Art: Ages 6-11, Tues, July 03, 2018 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Jones Creek
The power of words to inspire, touch our hearts, engage our minds, imagination and courage, and change lives can be even more powerful when partnered with art. Find a quote that speaks to you then enhance it's meaning by writing it artfully and adding designs or pictures.
Here is a link to some quotes to get you started:
Inspire My Kids
And some that I saved on Pinterest for your artistic inspiration.
Here is a link to some quotes to get you started:
Inspire My Kids
And some that I saved on Pinterest for your artistic inspiration.
Baton Rouge is really lucky to have a lot of public art. Both The Walls Project and the Museum of Public Art have brought artists from all over the world to paint murals in different parts of our community. Here are some of my favorites. Send me a picture if you visit one and we'll try to put it on our blog.
You don't have to go to special stores to find art supplies. You can create a metal sculpture using something most of us have in our kitchen. (Just be sure to ask an adult first) Aluminum foil can be squeezed, twisted, pinched and pulled to create interesting Forms. Check out some of these websites to get some ideas:
Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists
Spider
Tips and some super, impressive pieces by artists in Oklahoma
Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists
Spider
Tips and some super, impressive pieces by artists in Oklahoma
While architects design whole buildings, interior designers and decorators can do a room (or more) at a time. Designers can do big things like planning to add or take away walls, add windows, move doors. They can also do a lot of what decorators can: choose colors for walls, ceilings, and floor, pick furniture and light fixtures, plan where everything will go in the space. While your first thought might be to start toy and game shopping, Think first about what colors you would want, what kinds of textures (the "feels") would be good for a bedroom, and what furniture you need. Will you choose bright colors, a bunk bed, and lots of soft textures? Or will you go for something futuristic looking with metallic colors, a hidden bed (called a "Murphy" bed), and smooth, sleek textures? Look through catalogs and magazines to get some ideas. If an adult can help, look online for colors, furniture, and other things you like. Draw a floor plan - a picture of where everything in your room would be if you were looking down from the ceiling (see the picture below).
Create a "Mood Board" to show your choices. If you're using magazines and catalogs, check with an adult before cutting anything out. If you are working online, open a Google Drawing and copy/paste your choices onto your board. Here's one that I've started: Room Mood Board
Create a "Mood Board" to show your choices. If you're using magazines and catalogs, check with an adult before cutting anything out. If you are working online, open a Google Drawing and copy/paste your choices onto your board. Here's one that I've started: Room Mood Board
I love fancy, special, and quality art supplies, but there are many artists who make due - and make fabulous art - with found and/or recyclable materials. Anything from bottle lids to prescription bottles, dried up markers to empty K-cups, wood scraps to odd jigsaw puzzle pieces can be combined into one-of-a-kind artworks. Your first step would be putting the word out to family, friends, and co-workers that you're looking to score their castoffs. Older children can be shown how to use a low-temp glue gun. Littles can use double sided tape or glue dots. Work can range from almost flat mosaics to quirky sculptures.