Category Archives: children’s art education

Charter School Creates Art Studio to House Abrakadoodle Art Program

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Abrakadoodle artists featured at the new art studio opening

Art is impactful and worthy of investment. This was a message that resonated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Allen Academy in Detroit, which on Monday, January 14th formally opened a spacious, newly renovated space that will be devoted to Abrakadoodle’s art program. According to Dawna Kelly, Director of Abrakadoodle-Wayne County, “We are honored by the Allen Academy’s commitment to the visual arts. They have been one of our customers (more like family members) for the past five years, and we have been providing our art program for students through grade six in a very small space with no water supply.” The new art studio features 24 workstations, two sinks and a space for a kiln to be purchased later this year.

During the formal dedication ceremony, Allen Academy school leader Monique Woodland Phillips was joined by several board members to include Barbara Barrett, Regional Vice President of the charter management group. Isaiah Pettway provided remarks regarding the importance of the fine arts, and Trena Braswell offered comments recognizing the student artwork on display at the event.

The Allen Academy is situated in a former Catholic school, and the art studio space was the former rectory. A priest who lived and worked at the rectory returned to share a heartfelt message about the importance of art education for our society. He talked about a recent visit to a nursing home in which seniors with various levels of impairment would still tap their feet when they heard music or smile at the sight of children’s artwork.

Holiday Decorating with Your Child’s Art

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Holiday art by Gemma - age 10

Kids love to make art, and the holiday season is a great time to encourage your children to take part in arty expression! Find a workspace for your child and provide lots of fun supplies like paper, markers, colored pencils, paint and other age-appropriate creative embellishments, such as glitter, stamp sets, pom-pom’s and more. To set an imaginative holiday tone, you might wish to play some seasonal favorite music or read a favorite holiday story to kick off the arty adventure.

Original art by Alicia – age 11

Your child’s art can be used in so many festive ways. Perhaps you might like to use a piece of art as a holiday greeting card template. Fridge art is a standard, or you can go high-tech by scanning the art and using it as a screensaver or a profile picture online. If you have the space, a corkboard set up may offer you a wonderful space to neatly arrange art throughout the year. Art makes great gifts, too! Encourage your kids to sign and date their work. We love kids art, so please feel free to share it with us on our Facebook page!

Bringing Feelings into Art: Impressionism

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Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” inspired the name for the new movement: Impressionism.

In the 1870’s and 1880’s, a group of Paris-based artists began exploring art that incorporated their senses and feelings. The art movement of Impressionism sprang forth, although much to the chagrin of art critics who did not embrace the departure from traditional art styles. In fact, the name of the style in part derives from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, Sunrise. Impressionist artists often captured their realistic scenes of modern life by painting outdoors, which is also know as en plein air or in the open air.

Impressionist painting characteristics include:

  • Small, thin, yet visible brush strokes
  • Open composition
  • Focus on depicting light in its changing qualities
  • Common, ordinary subject matter
  • Inclusion of movement as a vital part of human perception and experience
  • Unusual visual angles

Who were the artists at the center of the Impressionist movement in France? Frederic Bazille, Gustave Caillebotte, Mary Cassatt (American born, she lived in Paris and participated in four Impressionist exhibitions), Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Armand Guillaumin, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley.Original art by an Abrakadoodle student in New Jersey

Original art by an Abrakadoodle student in New Jersey

Try Impressionism at home! Encourage your child to take a sketchpad outside. Talk to your child about what she sees. Where is the sun in the sky? Are there clouds above? How blue is the sky? What in your child’s surroundings catches her eye? Provide paint, crayons or markers, so that your child can capture the scene. Ask your child to describe her feelings about what she is viewing, because these impressions may drive her to add color or highlight an element of the picture she has in mind. Have fun with the process of using feelings and enjoying the outdoors to inspire your child’s art!

 

 

Abrakadoodle Celebrates 10 Years in Creative Art Education

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Abrakadoodle celebrates creativity at its 10th annual conference!

Abrakadoodle art education directors from nationwide, as well as master licensees from Singapore and China, joined co-founder hosts Mary Rogers and Rosemarie Hartnett, as well as headquarters staff for a celebratory conference at the National Harbor located near Washington, DC. From its beginnings in 2002 with 11 students at the McLean Community Center in Northern Virginia, Abrakadoodle has created a monumental mosaic of creative art programs that has reached nearly 1,000,000 children worldwide!

Creativity was on display from start to finish at Abrakadoodle’s conference. Staff and attendees came costumed as an artist or a piece of artwork for the welcoming cruise along the scenic Potomac River. Pam Rautmann, who serves Southeastern Wisconsin, won the prize for best costume representing an artist. She was a shoe-in as Frida Kahlo! Which two artists were most represented at conference? Salvador Dali, the surrealist painter and Jackson Pollock an abstract expressionist known for his unique drip style of painting. The prize for best costume representing a piece of art went to Geraldine Smythe, director of Abrakadoodle-Austin, TX and her lead teacher Letty Bouchon, who fashioned colorful head-to-toe costumes based upon artist Natasha Wescoat’s famous jeweled trees.

All About Abrakadoodle: Check out a one-and-a-half minute short history of Abrakadoodle as told through pictures!

Several Abrakadoodle Artists of Distinction donated art for the celebratory conference

KUDOS!!

Special thanks to our Abrakadoodle Artists of Distinction for their generous donations, as well as our supportive conference sponsors: Warren Lewis of Akerman, Senterfitt, LLP, Washington, DC; Joe Bell, Bell & Frech, LLC, Brookeville, MD; Mary Moore, Constant Contact, Waltham, MA; Amit Pamecha, FranConnect, Reston, VA; Peter McCann, Ideal Images, Omaha, NE; Mark Mahoney, JackRabbit Technologies, Cornelius, NC; Dan Wolanski, Mag Knight, Inc, Snohomish, WA; Dan Johnson/Amy Klotz, Nasco, Fort Atkinson, and Chris Mada, S&S Worldwide, Colchester, CT.

Abrakadoodle welcomes veterans to its franchise team

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April & Isaac bring a love of art, children and education to their new Abrakadoodle location in Oklahoma City

Three years ago while serving in Iraq, April Rose read a cover story about the Abrakadoodle art education franchise in Black Enterprise magazine that fueled her desire to pursue an artful future following her deployment. Hunkered down in a bunker amid rocket fire, she and her future husband imagined their new lives as arty entrepreneurs. According to April, she and Isaac talked about their plans for establshing their Abrakadoodle franchise every night. They are now launching their dream with award-winning Abrakadoodle and will be engaging children with creativity-boosting art classes, camps, parties and face-painting through its mobile art programs.

“We are so excited about how our program is going to transform children’s lives in a positive way through the magic of creating art,” said April Rose Jackson, Education Director of Abrakadoodle-Oklahoma City. “We had to work togehter a lot, which gives us an advantage as we launch our Abrakadoodle enterprise,” Isaac noted of their Middle East deployment in U.S. Army logistics.

“The Jackson’s have been the picture of patience these past few years,” commented Rosemarie Hartnett, CFE, President & Co-Founder of Abrakadoodle, Inc. “We feel extremely fortunate to welcome these two enthusiastic, dedicated individuals to our Abrakadoodle franchise team. As industrious veterans who have served our country well, Isaac and April Rose bring not only an amazing work ethic but also a passion for art and education. This will be a great asset as they build their program at schools and sites throughout Oklahoma City.”

April and Isaac met in 2009 while serving in Iraq, and then married in a suprise destination wedding Isaac planned in the Cayman Islands in January 2010. With a degree in graphic design from Jackson State, April also brings a passion for scrapbooking (she has her own blog: The Purple Scrapbook) and comes from a long line of creative family members. Additionally, April’s mother was a grade school teacher for over 15 years before her death in 2000. Isaac has a degree in finance and plans to complement April’s skills by handling the accounting, product inventory and financial aspects of the business. Isaac’s mom is a school teacher in the Oklahoma Public School system, affording both he and April a special knowledge of the education industry. They both refer to the military as “family” and feel well-equipped to work within Abrakadoodle’s franchise family.

 

 

 

Artist Focused on Color with Great Impact: A Black History Month Retrospective

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"Sky Light," created by Alma Thomas in 1973

Her artwork (“Sky Light”) graces the Obama’s private residence in the White House. She was the first student to graduate with a B.S. in Fine Arts from Howard University. She was the first African American to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum, and critics raved! A teacher and community arts developer, this lady impacted lives in a positive way. She shows us that the creative journey is limitless.

Alma Thomas, photograph courtesy of the Associated Press

Alma Woodsey Thomas is a truly distinctive artist featured in Abrakadoodle’s creative art program for children. Born September 22, 1891, Alma showed her interest in the arts at a young age, making puppets and sculpture creations. She was a lifelong learner and educator and what you might call a late bloomer, evolving into an Expressionist painter.

Alma’s family moved her from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 1906 due to the racial turmoil in Georgia, as well as the well-respected (though then segregated) public school system available in the nation’s capitol. Alma graduated from high school and then studied kindergarten education and became a teacher. Some years passed and in 1921, she entered Howard University and became the first graduate with a B.S. in Fine Arts in 1924. Alma went on to teach at the junior high level and started a community arts program that encouraged student appreciation of fine art. In 1934, Alma earned her Masters in Art Education from Columbia University, and she also studied painting for nearly a decade at American University. She traveled to art centers in Western Europe and after retiring in 1960, she dedicated herself to painting in the kitchen of her childhood home in D.C. She was 69 years young! Alma’s passion for education and her happy, colorful artwork inspire us all, and Abrakadoodle salutes her contribution to creativity and the arts!

According to a 2009 article, White House Art: Colors from a World of Black and White, from the New York Times, “Her art was accessible. Her abstraction was never really abstract; you could always see the nature in it: flowers, wind. Her paintings were modern but part of some older tradition too, as close to quilts as to Matisse. In a racially charged era, her art wasn’t political, or at least not overtly so. Instead of talking anger, she talked color: ‘Through color I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man’s inhumanity to man.’

Alma Thomas was the first African American woman to have a solor exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and that same year, her work was also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

“Creativity art is for all time and is therefore independent of time. It is of all ages, of every land, and if by this we mean the creative spirit in man which produces a picture or a statue is common to the whole civilized world, independent of age, race and nationality; the statement may stand unchallenged.” ~ Alma Thomas, 1970

A FUN Way to Expand Your Child’s World Vision

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Kids love to learn new ways to create art, inspired by cultural traditions, artists and art forms from the far reaches of the planet we share! That alone might serve as rationale for signing up for an arts program that brings the world into your child’s grasp. You can expand your child’s world vision in a FUN way, while providing tangible benefits!

Haida Mask

#1 – Multicultural art education contributes to an understanding of the social and cultural landscape that all individuals inhabit. Children learn about world cultures in the most fun way – hands on – as they discover artists and explore art forms and styles from countries near and far. They discover an historical perspective through art with such lessons as creating Haida Masks. Art connects children no matter what race, culture, education or socio-economic status.

Story Teller Dolls

#2 – By developing a sense of self through artistic creations, students take a step toward understanding and accepting differences in others.

#3 – Multicultural arts inspire children’s imaginations. The unique nature of art representative of world cultures is stimulating to children. When they are taking part in classes that encourage them to take new concepts and use their own imaginations to apply them, they engage in self-expression, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Children learn how to take ideas and innovate!

#4 – Confidence and self-esteem soars! Providing children with access to the arts enriches their lives by empowering them with a healthy means for communicating feelings and ideas; broadening how they see the world, as well as developing new skills, vocabulary and history unique to the visual arts. Multicultural art builds confidence in kids!

#5 – Said simply, multicultural art is fun!

Portugese Tile

In Abrakadoodle’s multicultural programs, students discover such world renowned artists as Fernando Botero of Colombia, Xu Bin of China, Esther Mahlangu of South Africa and Frida Kahlo of Mexico, to name just several.

Beyond the traditional art forms of painting, drawing, sculpture and collage, children in Abrakadoodle classes also explore such multicultural art forms as Polish paper-cutting, Portugese tiles, traditional Native American dolls, Malaysian kite crafting, Japanese kimonos, fabric art from Nigeria and many more. These imaginative, artful experiences can give your child an inspiring and delightful world view!

Great Firsts for Tots

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We’re hearing a lot about sporting activities for the youngest children. Our specialty is art, and we have lots of experience with young kids, having developed art programs that have reached more than 250,000 children. Art is a great first for toddlers! In Abrakadoodle’s Twoosy Doodlers program, children ages 20-36 months explore art and creativity in a safe and nurturing environment. They use their hands and senses in new ways. At the same time their parents learn about the skills their children are developing and what is developmentally appropriate.

Abrakadoodle’s special parent/child class is often the first educational program for our Twoosys. Young children learn about color, texture, art tools and more while developing fine motor skills and cognitive abilities. They experiment with new and innovative materials. Importantly, parents/caregivers learn what they can do to help nurture creativity and early childhood development!

While some early childhood programs may be controversial, Abrakadoodle was designed and developed by educators with a clear focus on helping children develop important skills. CEO Mary Rogers holds a Masters in Education and is concerned about school readiness. “We see an alarming number of students who enter school without well developed fine motor skills needed for writing, drawing and academic areas. This is a big change from just twenty years ago. While children may be skilled in using a mouse or game controller, they are just not getting enough experience with scissors, pencils, crayons and paste. We give young children those experiences while helping them to also express their individual creativity.”

According to Zero to Three, “research and clinical experience also demonstrate that health and development are directly influenced by the quality of care and experiences a child has with his parents and other adults.” Participating in an educational program that helps develop skills for both parent and child is a winner!

Art is just a perfect first for tiny tots.

Art Education

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Process Art is the best approach to art for kids

When art for kids entails experimentation and imagination, then children can derive the greatest possible benefit and enjoyment. There is actually a name for this type of experience: process art. The idea behind process art is that a child’s finished product is not nearly as important as the self-satisfaction and discovery involved in creating it. Creativity is a cornerstone of process art, as children work with a variety of art materials and learn from trying out their ideas.

Process art is essential to children’s art education. Children begin to delve into real time problem solving, and they see cause and effect as they experiment with visual expression. They can get comfortable with their own ideas, which results in their very own outcomes. They can also find great joy and take pride in their own creations.

In the process of playing with paints, children might mix orange and green resulting in a muddy shade that may or may not be what was intended. This active discovery is a wonderful, hands-on way to learn. While a heavy hand with the paint brush may overwhelm a design, children will become increasingly adept at applying art technique that suits their vision.

Process art truly engages children’s creativity as they explore design, shapes, color, balance, form, techniques, depth perception and so much more. They learn that there are many solutions to challenges they face and that uniqueness is good. Very importantly, children who practice process art know that there is no right or wrong way to create art and that they can always create something fresh and new. Process art helps children develop confidence, imagination, and an appreciation for the visual arts born of personal experience.

Rev up your child’s creativity at home by offering art experiences that enable your child to explore and to create freely. Remember not focus on the end product but instead on the process: “How did you do that?” “What happened when you mixed those colors?” “Tell me about this creation?” “Did it turn out like you expected – why or why not?”

Art Education

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Is My Child Creative?

An important element of children’s art education is creativity. Award-winning author and art expert MaryAnn Kohl offers a special watch list for parents.

Observation, the ability to really see, is a valuable part of the visual arts and the art of parenting. How does your child respond to and interact with creative art materials, toys, games and objects in his/her environment? Keep an eye out for the following signs of a creative child and know that you can always build upon these desirable skills by fostering originality and providing your child with creative open-ended activities, such as art classes!

You know your child is developing important creative abilities if your child is …

  • Filled with a spirit of wonder and magic
  • Open to inner feelings and emotions
  • Curious, exploratory and adventurous
  • Imaginative with the power to form mental images of what is not actually present
  • Intuitive in terms of problem solving without logic
  • Independent in his or her thinking – able to find answers on his/her own and question authority
  • Able to immerse in meaningful activities
  • Motivated to create in new ways instead of accepting things the way they are or have always been
  • Drawn to create new, original patterns, which is characteristic of divergent thinking
  • Playful when it comes to ideas and innovating with concepts

    Creativity is coming center stage and is recognized as an incredibly valuable tool, in addition to a source of personal satisfaction and happiness. To compete in a global economy, children need to be equipped with both the ability to demonstrate creativity, along with a solid educational background. Art classes and activities can help children tap their imaginations and build confidence, too.

    Stay tuned for more posts regarding creativity and process art.

    Thanks to MaryAnn Kohl (http://www.brightring.com/) for sharing her artful insights!