studio beth: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

In 2008, I had the great honor to curate a show dedicated to the work of Peter Sis, an amazing artist and author. We exhibited the original artwork and artifacts from his book Tibet: Through the Red Box.
I woke up thinking about his book, Tree of Life, about Charles Darwin. All of Peters books are so wonderful, great inspiration as we enter into spring.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

art and education

This painting was made by a 4th grader I worked with, it was inspired by Milton Avery.
I love this from the National Art Education Association:

"Art Means Language
Art is a language of visual images that everyone must learn to read. In art classes, we make visual images, and we study images. Increasingly, these images affect our needs, our daily behavior, our hopes, our opinions, and our ultimate ideals. That is why the individual who cannot understand or read images is incompletely educated. Complete literacy includes the ability to understand, respond to, and talk about visual images. Therefore, to carry out its total mission, art education stimulates language-spoken and written-about visual images. As art teachers we work continuously on the development of critical skills. This is our way of encouraging linguistic skills. By teaching pupils to describe, analyze, and interpret visual images, we enhance their powers of verbal expression. That is no educational frill."

I think this is why I love working with kids.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

Thursday, February 17, 2011

poem

Art Sanctuary

by Nikki Giovanni

I would always choose to be the person running
rather than the mob chasing
I would prefer to be the person laughed at
rather than the teenagers laughing
I always admired the men and women who sat down
for their rights
And held in disdain the men and women who spat
on them
Everyone deserves Sanctuary a place to go where you are
safe
Art offers Sanctuary to everyone willing
to open their hearts as well as their eyes

"Art Sanctuary" by Nikki Giovanni, from Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea. ©

I love this poem. One of the many powers of art.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Right Brain Initiative

Monday, February 14, 2011

5th graders

36 students from Woodstock Elementary helped transform the Youth Exhibition Space ( day job) with recycled materials. Hundreds of tp tubes. I just saw a version of this project here. So awesome!