Fantastic to see retrospective exhibition of the stunning artist Faith Ringgold, at the De Young Museum.
Faith Ringgold
Inspired by the Story Quilts of Faith Ringgold
Keeping the FAITH through “Story Quilting”!
I am thrilled to be teaching MAKING ART INSPIRED BY GREAT ARTISTS at Grant and McKinley Elementary Schools in the Santa Monica Public School System through the CREST Enrichment program.
After a span of two years, teaching live and in-person is exciting and energizing. The students are enthusiastic, helpful and creative and IMAGINATIVE and the parents and staff supportive and engaged.
Everyone is working together to make in-person teaching a safe and rewarding experience. Despite the challenges and great energy required, what fun to see these young artists exercise their imaginations, play, learn and create!
Students responded positively to our “Story Quilt” project, inspired by the Great Artist, Faith Ringgold.
Put cloth in their hands, and away they go!
Joyous play and exploration of fabric, cloth scrap, felt (actually made of acrylic- durable!) and tacky glue!
Keeping the Faith…Making Art Inspired by Great Artist Faith Ringgold
I am thrilled to be teaching MAKING ART INSPIRED BY GREAT ARTISTS at Franklin and Roosevelt Schools in the Santa Monica Public School System through the CREST Enrichment program.
After a span of two years, teaching live and in-person is exciting and energizing. The students are enthusiastic, helpful and creative and IMAGINATIVE and the parents and staff supportive and engaged.
Everyone is working together to make in-person teaching a safe and rewarding experience. Despite the challenges and great energy required, what fun to see these young artists exercise their imaginations, play, learn and create!
Students responded positively to our “Story Quilt” project, inspired by the Great Artist, Faith Ringgold.
Put cloth in their hands, and away they go!
Students draw an idea for their fabric “story, then begin working on felt with cloth pieces that are glued into place.
Imaginative use of the materials is the intuitive order of the day.
The stories begin to emerge.
Joyous play and exploration of fabrics, cloth scrap and tactile textiles!
ZOOM In On Distance Learning 7
2021 it seems, may also prove to be a year like no other, finding us teaching online, in my case through Zoom, engaging in what is called, “distance learning”. Well, you can’t beat the commute and clean-up time, and I found there are indeed ways to connect significantly with students and colleagues, and even teach some things!
In March 2021, I led an scroll making program in honor of Women’s History Month focused on Celebrating Women Artists, at the Panorama City Branch Library, part of my artist residency in bookmaking there, through the wonderful Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
We looked at images and information about three great women artists, Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe, and Branch Manager Roman shared some of Faith Ringgold‘s books from the Library!
Participants were invited to cut out the provided images of the artists, their work, and the information about them, and add them to sheets of brightly colored tag board paper, which they had attached to wooden sticks, or dowels at either end, to create unique scrolls.
Each maker created a different composition with the materials provided in our fun and informative supplies packets.
One young maker added painting to the surface, then his father added images honoring women artists to complete the scroll!
Scrolls could be horizontal or vertical, and rolled up at either end and then unfurled.
Ribbon was provided for participants to keep their rolled scrolls in place if they wished to.
Here Panorama City Branch Library Branch Manager Roman gets into the act!
An honoring of Women’s History Month, Women Artists, specific women artists, the Library, and especially, of human creativity, imagination and ingenuity!
SO needed, especially during this past year and into the current one.
Gratitudes!
Felt, Fabric, Feathers, FUN: Celebrating Women Artists at the Will and Ariel Durant Branch Library
I was thrilled to lead an artmaking program at the Will and Ariel Durant Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library System to celebrate Women’s History Month, specifically Women Artists!
Inspired by the artist Faith Ringgold’s “Story Quilts”, participants including children, adults and families, used a glorious melange of soft materials (well, there were some buttons…) to create their own textile hangings, tapestries of sorts, learning about five very special women artists in the process.
Faith Ringgold of New York City, Yayoi Kusama of Japan, Liza Lou of Los Angeles, Frida Kahlo of Mexico, and Georgia O’Keeffe of New Mexico were presented and discussed, and participants incorporated images of the artists and their work into their projects. The creative juxtaposition of materials and images was thrilling…and inspiring.
Children’s Librarian Aida got into the act with Georgia O’Keeffe, one of her favorite artists.
Feathers are fun!
This maker ensconced herself at one end of the room and focussed intensively on the materials.
Devotion to detail…
A glorious melange of felt, feathers, canvas and cloth…
Adding buttons.
Laying out the components in an orderly fashion…
Creating borders framing the work.
This Mom brings her two daughters to the program every week and enjoys creating with them. Talented…
She created a butterfly!
He created the five elements!
Serious little makers having fun. Did this little princess create her castle in her piece?
Wearable art!
Joy.
Getting Lit: Making Matchbox Books at the Granada Hills Public Library
It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of my Artist Residency there: “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
In honor of Women’s History Month, I led a workshop on how to create mini “matchbox books”. Open to the whole community, participants included families, seniors, children, adults and youth. Participants used actual matchboxes as the container or “cover of their books, and folded accordion pages to place inside them. I had appropriately-sized images of the work of five amazing women artists, who the makers learned about, and used in and on their pieces.
Faith Ringgold of New York City, Yayoi Kusama of Japan, Liza Lou of Los Angeles, Frida Kahlo of Mexico, and Georgia O’Keeffe of New Mexico were featured, nd participants incorporated images of their work and the artists themselves into their projects, hopefully learning about them and being inspired in the process
Families work together.
Honored members of the Friends of the Library joined us.
Mother and daughter work side by side.
I couldn’t agree more!
Purple and pink…perennial favorites.
Kusama’s polka dots rule….
Kahlo graces the cover…
Our fearless, peerless teen librarian, Kristin Peers, joins the fun!
It is such an honor to serve this community as Artist in Residence, and get to know the families and individuals who frequent the Branch, as well as its awesome Staff.
Gratitudes!