Art For Creative Kids – Abrakadoodle®

Artist Andy Warhol, born August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is perhaps best known for helping to establish the Pop Art Movement in American art. Pop Art takes items from everyday life, such as Warhol’s famous images of Campbell’s soup cans, and presents these simple objects in vibrant colors and patterns.

Abrakadoodle provides lessons in its Kids on Canvas and Digital Doodles program to teach preschool and school age children how to create their own art in his famous style.

Company Announces Newest Series in its Popular Drawsters™ Program
Reston, VA, August 18, 2010 – Art is going back to school with Abrakadoodle, transporting children to a creative place where they create, design, explore and use their imaginations as they participate in visual arts programs at schools and community sites. This fall, Abrakadoodle is launching the latest installment of its Drawsters Creative Drawing Program, EZ Draw, which will teach school age children how to use skills they already have and to apply them with some EZ techniques to create art.

“We are very excited about EZ Draw,” commented Mary Rogers, MA.Ed, and CEO of Abrakadoodle. “This new program takes into account that everyone can draw and combines these skills with a variety of EZ techniques that make drawing success a breeze. We think kids will love this program and find immediate ways to apply these skills at school, in activities and just for fun!”

In Abrakadoodle’s Drawsters program, children learn to draw animals, people, flowers, still life and more by using shapes and lines to develop a unique kind of artwork. After the initial instruction, students are encouraged to make their own art based upon the techniques they have learned but adding personal touches and their own creative interpretations.

Abrakadoodle offers a wide variety of art classes, in addition to the Drawsters program. Twoosy Doodlers (ages 20-36 months), Mini Doodlers (ages 3 to K), and Doodlers (grades 1-6) are a series of ongoing classes that teach children a wide range of art forms and techniques. Each lesson is unique, offering students the opportunity to learn the methods and styles of contemporary and master artists specializing in paint, sculpture, collage, mosaics and more. Abrakadoodle’s specialty art classes focus upon one aspect of art, such as Anime, painting and drawing. In addition to its creative drawing program, Abrakadoodle offers a variety of specialty classes including Kids on Canvas, a program in which students learn about painting on canvas paper, canvas board and stretched canvas using acrylics. Anime makes use of Abrakadoodle’s exclusive Anime Guide Book to help children explore the unique characteristics of an anime character. Did You Say Clay engages children in modeling and provides multi-cultural lessons that introduce students to sculptors and cultures from around the world that inspire them to sculpt with colorful shapes and designs. Green Kids in a Colorful World encourages kids to recycle and reuse materials by making art form water bottles, magazines and other recycled materials. Other programs include Garden Art Safari, Portfolio Kids, Cool Globes and many, many more.

Abrakadoodle, nominated for seven 2010 Nickelodeon Parents’ Picks Awards for “Best Party Place” and “Best Party Entertainer” and recipient of seven awards for the 2009 category of “Best Art Class” – more than any other art program — teaches children a fine arts vocabulary and art history as students learn about the styles and techniques of such artists as Renoir, Matisse, and many other classic and contemporary artists. Abrakadoodle students learn how to paint, sculpt, draw, design collage and mosaics, create with paper and fabric, as well as create art with stamping, anime, and digital photography, to name just some of the art forms. Abrakadoodle uses an abundance of creative materials (bamboo brushes, sculpting materials, fabric, watercolors, acrylics and more) to inspire students’ to create their artwork.

Abrakadoodle art programs are designed for children ages 20 months to 14 years old. From single day art workshops to ongoing art classes, integrated and after school art instruction in schools, as well as vacation camps and arty parties, Abrakadoodle offers highly regarded programs at convenient locations throughout the community. To find programs near you, visit Abrakadoodle on the web. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Abrakadoodle (www.abrakadoodle.com)
Abrakadoodle was co-founded in 2002 by award-winning educator/franchise developer Mary Rogers, MA.Ed, and children’s services franchising expert Rosemarie Hartnett, CFE. Abrakadoodle is the most comprehensive art education company of its kind, offering extensive visual arts classes, in-school field trips, after school programs, workshops, camps, parties and events for preschool and school age children. The magic behind Abrakadoodle is the creative energy between a child and his/her art materials inspired by a well-trained teacher. Abrakadoodle uses safe, high quality Crayola® art materials and other superior products and supplies in its programs. The imaginative curriculum is developed by artists and educators and exceeds state and national standards for visual arts education.

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Abrakadoodle and the Abrakadoodle logo are registered trademarks. Copyright © 2010 Abrakadoodle, Inc. All rights reserved.

The following letter was submitted to Krista Roberts, Director of Abrakadoodle, serving Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey.

June 16, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

Abrakadoodle is a fantastic art program! And that is no exaggeration. I begged them to come to The Galaxy two years ago and my son has taken it since he was 2 ½ years old and now my daughter who is two is a student as well. Abrakadoodle is an intelligent, well crafted class that in 45 minutes packs in education, social skills and a beautiful art project that the children complete and present. Children are getting public speaking skills as well.

Of course, the curriculum is only one aspect and the other main one is the level of teachers who are real educators. The instructors relate well to the kids, introduce new concepts and then help translate them into action through the art projects. My now four-year old son, after 2 years, still wants to come to the class because every single project is different, challenging, and most importantly fun! The relationship he has formed with the teachers and the curriculum has enhanced his life and now my daughter’s life as well.

Sincerely,

Deborah Sklar-Weiss
Mom of Jascha, 4 and Julia Rose, 2

Her business is children’s art education, and Lisa Hoffmann of Chicago, Illinois excels in her pursuits as reflected in a Top Producers Award and two Raving Fan Awards based upon results from the 2010 site and parent surveys. In addition to these honors, Hoffmann received the 2010 Community Service Award for making significant contributions to her community under the Abrakadoodle brand (Photo right- Lisa is flanked by Abrakadoodle cofounders Mary Rogers, left and Rosemarie Hartnett). Lisa accepted these awards during Abrakadoodle’s sixth annual national conference held April 30-May 2, 2010 at the National Harbor in Oxen Hill, Maryland.

“Lisa is a wonderful ambassador for Abrakadoodle and develops outstanding relationships in her community while spreading goodwill along the way,” remarked Rosemarie Hartnett, CFE, Co-Founder & President of Abrakadoodle, Inc.

Her church is very active in mission work and whenever they are going to an impoverished place, Lisa always asks if there will be kids there and if she can send art supplies for them. “I always try to send frames because I think it is so powerful for kids – especially kids without much – to have their artwork framed,” Hoffmann explains. She has sent art supplies to Kentucky every summer for five years to benefit children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in art.

When Lisa spoke to the principal of the Holy Family Catholic School regarding their new school, the principal mentioned that she would love to have the school’s mascot painted on the gym wall. Lisa jumped – or rather climbed – at the opportunity. Hoffmann is currently providing an integrated preschool program at the school and afterschool art club for 5-8^th graders. The principal recently approached Lisa about helping the school’s 8^th graders paint a mural on the wall as a donation to the school for graduation. Lisa is guiding the 8^th graders on this art project and enables each of them to paint at least once on the mural (section shown right). She exclaims, “The kids weren’t really sure what to expect when starting the mural.  It is fun to see the kids paint and the kids are SO proud!”

Lisa also joined in a community fundraising fair to benefit a family whose youngest boy (Logan) is battling leukemia. Lisa conducted face painting, which was well-received. The event was successful not just in raising money but also in showing support and raising community awareness.

Lisa has also collected broken crayons, which were melted down to make heart-shaped crayons in support of Hearts for Haiti. She is repeating this project in preparation for a trip to Guatemala this summer, so that the children can sell these heart-shaped crayons and make money. “I was looking for something that the youngest children in our church could do to be a part of the missions in our church,” Lisa reports.

After a recent Kids on Canvas class, which Lisa conducted at-cost for a small group of children, she displayed the art in the hallway between classes and she exclaimed, “Children are so excited to see their art displayed.  The adults didn’t quite know what they were going to see.  Everyone was thrilled with the quality of the kids’ art.  They LOVED it!”

We salute Lisa Hoffmann for her caring, can-do attitude which helps brighten and enrich the lives of children.

Kids love to express their imaginations through art! The six-month Kids’ Imagination Project campaign culminated in a wonderful premiere of children’s postcard art that reflected children’s ideas around the open-ended topic “IMAGINE.” The art exhibit took place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 30th at the Art Whino Gallery located at the National Harbor in Oxen Hill, Maryland and was attended by Abrakadoodle directors, teachers and managers from across the US, who came together to kick off the company’s 6th annual national conference. Numerous art lovers and tourists visiting the waterfront enjoyed the display of children’s creative art works.

KIP was open to children everywhere, as well as Abrakadoodle students at participating locations throughout the US, Singapore and Malaysia. Leonor Brazao, Abrakadoodle’s Artist-in-Residence, selected about 180 postcards for the premiere exhibition. The inaugural campaign was a success, with nearly 8,000 children ages 18 months to 18 years old representing the United States, Colombia, Portugal, Singapore and Sweden, who submitted postcard art for Abrakadoodle’s Kids’ Imagination Project.

Brazao exclaimed, “I saw a wonderful range of mediums represented on the postcard art, such as beads, wikki stix, pencils, markers, crayons, tempera, oil pastels, watercolor, leaves and paper for collage!”

“I was impressed in general by how these children applied problem solving to their creative ideas on a small size paper. Even for a professional artist, a small artwork is more challenging than a large artwork. I was struck by the original materials they incorporated in their artwork, such as beads, wikki stix and leaves. Also, how they were able to create beautiful and original artwork with more common materials, such as pencils, tempera, crayons and markers. The children did a good job expressing themselves through their art. I could feel their personalities while browsing their artwork, and I loved their comments!”

See KIP artwork by viewing our albums when you visit Abrakadoodle’s Facebook Fan Page!

The premiere of Abrakadoodle’s Kids’ Imagination Project is scheduled Friday, April 30^th from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Art Whino Gallery, 173 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745.

Join Abrakadoodle and its US franchise owners for a reception to view an exhibit of the imaginative works of postcard art submitted by children from around the globe. Abrakadoodle’s Kids’ Imagination Project was designed as a worldwide campaign to promote the importance of encouraging children to express their creativity through the visual arts. The theme for this inaugural year was “IMAGINE …”

Special thanks to our wonderful host, Shane Pomajambo, owner of the acclaimed Art Whino Gallery, for making this event possible. 

Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP: Karin Machusic, Director of Public Relations, Abrakadoodle: karin@abrakadoodle.com.

For further information, call Karin at 866-419-4278.

Art for kids is taking center stage in Austin! Abrakadoodle-Austin kids are busily creating original art creations that will decorate the windows of the 2nd Street Retail District to celebrate Art Week April 21-25, leading up to the annual Art City Austin festival. Abrakadoodle has been a partner offering art activities over the past five years and this year stepped up to an expanded role, bringing a greater role for children to participate in the arts. Through a partnership with Art Alliance Austin, Abrakadoodle has been delivering free creative field trip programs as part of Abrakadoodle’s global Kids’ Imagination Project (KIP) at participating schools throughout the community. Children at area schools are creating postcards that finish the sentence, “I IMAGINE AUSTIN…” See Abrakadoodle-Austin’s KIP page on the web.

“I am thrilled with the response to this expanded children’s art program that further engages area elementary students in the arts,” commented Geraldine Smythe, Director of Abrakadoodle-Austin. “We are inspiring budding artists and creative thinkers with a tie-in to a wonderful community event with special thanks to Art Alliance Austin!”
Approximately 7,000 children will be submitting KIP postcard art!

Below is a partial list of schools participating, in addition to approximately 1000 of our regular Abrakadoodle kids across 37 sites in the metropolitan area of Austin:

Leander ISD
Riverplace Elementary
Grandview Hills Elementary

Austin ISD
Cunningham Elementary
Pease Elementary

Charter Schools
Cedars International Academy
Eden Park Academy

Private Schools
St. Theresa’s Catholic School
Holy Family Catholic School

Private Pre-Schools
Little Folks Child Development Center
Faith Presbyterian Preschool
Mt. Sinai Baptist Preschool
Trinity Preschool

YMCA of Williamson County

See student art and read more about this inspiring project at Abrakadoodle-Austin’s Facebook Fan Page.

Abrakadoodle-NW Florida is a proud partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, delivering visual arts classes, camps and programs to benefit the children and teen members of the Club. “At the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, we work every day to change lives. Abrakadoodle helps not only by opening kids’ eyes to different forms of art and learning, but also by helping our members gain self confidence through their own creativity,” said Crawford W. “Bear” Henley, President & CPO of BGCEC.

A group of teen artists participating in Abrakadoodle art classes at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast produced a mural based upon the work of artist Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian painter credited for painting the first modern abstract works. Guided by Abrakadoodle teacher Sherri Owens, their mural was entered into the Southeast Regional Boys & Girls Clubs of America Fine Arts Competition, and they won! “The teens were so pumped when they found out we were painting a mural on the wall,” Ms. Owens exclaimed. “We are extremely proud of their hard work and dedication. They deserve a big pat on the back for their accomplishment!” The Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s year-round fine arts program encourages artistic expression through classes, special events and fine arts exhibits.

“Abrakadoodle is so proud to be able to provide the art for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast,” commented Erin Bakker, Director of Abrakadoodle-NW Florida. “Our hats go off to these talented artists for a job well done!”

The Abrakadoodle artists are now entered into the national competition. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America will display winning artwork in four age divisions and 10 media at the National Fine Arts Exhibit, which showcases the best of the fine art program. This year more than 1100 clubs participated, providing Club members with an opportunity to see their artwork professionally displayed. The program concludes with the National Fine Arts Exhibit, which premieres at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Conference. The 10rth Annual Conference is scheduled May 12-14, 2010 at the Marriott NY Marquis in New York City

Stay tuned to Abrakadoodle for results from the National Competition!

When HBO Family began production on a sequel to their award-winning documentary “A Family is a Family is a Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration,” they reached out to Abrakadoodle for creative support. HBO’s latest documentary, “HBO Families, Love & Divorce” will focus on the subjects of love, divorce and stepfamilies. Along with thoughtful interviews with young children, HBO is planning on featuring original songs, poems, as well as children’s artwork and advice.

According to Christine Turner, HBO Associate Producer, “We are very excited about collaborating with Abrakadoodle on this project. Children’s artwork will be an important component in this documentary and we know your kids will have a lot to offer.”

Several Abrakadoodle students were selected for on-camera interviews with HBO, and students at participating locations nationwide took part in specially designed art lessons during which they created art and written messages. Focused on family, these art creations were sent to HBO for possible inclusion in the documentary.

Previous HBO Family specials include the award-winning Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales, The Music in Me, and Classical Baby. These specials have featured kids talking from the heart about subjects like dreams, music, poetry and love. With this new children’s program, HBO Family’s goal is to provide an inspiring tool for other kids who are going through parental separation, divorce, and the creation of new families.

Stay tuned to Abrakadoodle for more information about this upcoming HBO documentary!

Abrakadoodle’s artist-in-residence Leonor Brazao brings the richness of her heritage and life experiences in Portugal and Brazil to our global art education program. Abrakadoodle’s multi-cultural art education programs exceed national standards for visual arts education and offer students the opportunity to learn from the styles and techniques of a vast array of classic and contemporary artists. An internationally-recognized artist, Leonor also brings experience as a lead teacher for Abrakadoodle, as well as global work experience as an art director. Leonor has recently been twice recognized for her creative talents.

Her art is included in the first-ever 2010 International Fine Art Collection! 2010 Fine Art is connected to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and will showcase the very best of African visual art as well as works from around the world inspired by the first FIFA World Cup™ on African soil.

Another one of Leonor’s original creations is featured in a new book, “Planet Earth Planet Art,” which highlights the creative works and writings of 95 artists from around the world. Proceeds of this book benefit Friends of the Earth International. We salute our colorful, wise and wonderful Artist-in-Residence! To learn more about Leonor, visit her website .