Art For Creative Kids – Abrakadoodle®

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 .

Abrakadoodle Co-founders Mary Rogers, MA.Ed and Rosemarie Hartnett, CFE presented a hands-on creativity workshop for more than 100 attendees at the Foundations thirteenth annual Beyond School Hours Conference held February 17-20 in Florida. During their session, Jumpstarting Creativity in Your Afterschool Programs, the Abrakadoodle duo guided teachers, administrators and others in creative exercises that enabled them to experience creativity the way kids do. They taught conferees eight techniques to get the creative wheels turning and engaged them in group, team and individual activities. Everyone enjoyed building structures, finding inventive solutions, making abstracts, designing sculptures and more! The group agreed that creativity felt good and was important!

Not only are children’s early years a time of learning, but they are also a time of exploration, developing imagination and a sense of self. A wonderful way to explore, create and express oneself is through the visual arts. Children love new experiences and to depict images and ideas based upon their experiences. Abrakadoodle is one of the only national creative art programs that provide instruction starting with children as young as 20 months old in classes that offer a wonderful first learning experience. Whether children are in a creative class, exploring literature, nature or any of a host of interactive activities, art is a tremendous tool for communicating. Examining a leaf can lead children to want to know about trees and to convey thoughts and feelings about nature.

The art (right) is a creative collage created by Rylee, age 1.5 of Rutherford, New Jersey, which incorporates shapes, leaves and color. This art was submitted as part of Abrakadoodle’s Kids’ Imagination Project (KIP), an ongoing campaign to promote children’s creativity through original postcard art creations.

From creative classes to artful experiences at home, children benefit from numerous, ongoing opportunities to express their imaginations as they discover the world around them.

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