|
|
One of the most gratifying parts of
MAMA's art programs have been the many friendships and associations that have developed
over the last ten years. In addition to getting to know many truly wonderful people we
have also benefited enormously from hearing from you and responding to your suggestions,
comments and volunteer efforts. As the Traveling Art Program (TAP) grows and the Saturday
Morning Children's Art Class expands, it is more important than ever to stay in touch.
Through nurturing this give and take communication we all benefit. Thus "Art is
Fun" has been revived.
Created for the children, the parents, the educators, the
members of the Museum and for MAMA's donors and supporters, "Art is Fun" is a
way to let you know all the exciting things going on as TAP travels around northern
California presenting assemblies and as the children in the art classes explore an amazing
variety of artistic expressions. Take a look at the summer program schedule and imagine
what beautiful creations will be present come September at our annual children's art show.
I hope that you will look forward to receiving "Art is
Fun." And please take a minute to let us hear from you, too. You may send e-mail to artisfun@mama.org.
We don't ever want to lose the ability to stay in touch. See you this summer!
Zoe Alowan |
 |
| "From a Kid's Point of View" artists |
| Creativity Abounds at Summer Art Classes Creativity
abounds as MAMA's Summer Saturday Morning Children's Art Class Program takes off. Artist
Della Heywood started thesummer session off with an unusual technique of combining india
ink and colored pastels. Coming up are three months of
dynamic art experiences which will culminate in MAMA's seventh annual children's art show
called "From a Kid's Point of View." Some of last year's art show crew are
pictured above with the Museum's Children's Art Director, Zoe Alowan.
This summer, July will be devoted to an intensive exploration of
the Yuba River. Children will be painting scenes from the Yuba as well as depicting masks
of the animals of the river.
Children's art work will be saved |
throughout the summer
for the show on September 19th. Commemorative program books will also be
assembled. Parents who wish to help work on the show are welcome to sign up with Zoe at
432-3080 and at Parent Volunteer Day on June 27. We're looking forward to a great show
with contributions of the children's creativity and parent's enthusiastic support!
Ink and Pastel Gesture Drawing Katrina
Hajimihali age 11 |
|
Martian Princess grants interview at Seven Hills School
|
|
DINOSAUR TAP TOUR VISITS SACRAMENTO
START PROGRAM
|
MAMA'S TRAVELING ART
PROGRAM ON THE MOVE |
S.T.A.R.T. kindergarten student
proudly displays her dinosaur painting
| It is summertime and it is HOT.
|
| Museum
of Ancient and Modern Art volunteers are setting up a life sized 27 foot Triceratops
dinosaur in the multipurpose room. at Fruitridge School in Sacramento. The youngsters are
already captivated and firing questions from the sidelines as they prepare to enter the
dinosaur exhibit looming now in their midst. |
| Dinosaur enthusiast
Tim Elston presents a captivating figure as he shares valuable data with them, crushes
pine cones dino-stomach style and shares a video of computer animated dinosaurs that he
created in conjunction with The Oregon Museum of Technology. |
| Anderson Smith
demonstrates the process of fossilization and shares the timeline with them and MAMA
storyteller Marie Ellerby delights the large gathering of young children with an
interactive story called "When Dinosaurs Invented Flowers." Dancer, Yanesh,
works with children in the second phase of the tour, as they dramatize the dinosaur story
with a large diplodocus puppet and a cast of dancing angiosperms (the first fruit bearing
flowers). |
| At other creativity
stations, some children are practicing exacavation in mini bone beds, others are writing
stories, making dinosaurs out of clay or painting pictures of their enormous prehistoric
friends from ancient times. Everybody, volunteers, and students alike are all having an
enormously good time! |
| Yes, it is truly
HOT but everyone is so intent upon creating and discovering that no one seems to mind the
high temperature, in fact, it lends a kind of prehistoric swamp like atmosphere to MAMA's
Traveling Art Program event. |
|
The Martians Have
Landed at Seven Hills School!
Seven Hills Middle School science students were treated to MAMA's space
science and meteorites traveling art program, "The Martians Have Landed!" In
front of beautifully painted panels depicting our solar system, students were introduced
to an exciting science program. Charles and Ray Eames' "The Power of Ten" video
was presented as well as a spectacular variety of meteorites (including a sample of the
highly prized SNC (pronounced "snick") material from neighboring Mars) all from
the museum's collection. Presenter Anderson Smith captivated the student's attention as he
created a "comet" right before their eyes and presented a slide show of
spectacular photos taken with the Hubble Telescope from deep space.
Science fiction writer, Janna Hart, offered a different perspective
when she presented a mysterious visitor, Princess Zabalucca, a young alien from Mars.
Princess Zabalucca consented to an interview with Zoe Alowan as Ms. Hart translated her
speech. Delighting her audience, the alien princess proceeded to perform a dance to the
unusual strains of "Venus Rising". Following the presentation the students
worked in dance, creative writing and sculpture as well as drawing as they offered their
enthusiastic creative responses to the science and art assembly.
The Medieval Art of Illumination
Students at Clear Creek School made perfectly regal models for
their classmates to draw as they donned robes and crowns during MAMA's The Medieval Art of
Illumination TAP tour in May. The sixth through eighth graders assumed poses from the
historical story "Berta the Broadfooted", the story of King Charlemagne's mother
and father. This famous King is important to the history of medieval art because he
standardized writing during that time making the knowledge of writing and reading
available to many more people.
Below is a photo of the children posing in friezes. Also
shown are a few examples of the children's "gesture drawings" completed in
exactly ninety seconds. Their drawings depict Berta's departure from her beloved parents.
|
Jason B., grade 8, Clear Creek School
Chris R., grade 8, Clear Creek School |
|
| Upcoming Events |
Meet Saturday Morning Children's Art |
| |
Class Parent George Marks
 George
Marks has been involved in early childhood education for many years. As a teacher at the
Marin County Waldorf School in the Bay Area he has been especially focused on an education
style that marries the arts with the intellect. Two years ago George and his wife Susan
and their daughter Laurel moved to Nevada County to participate in The Yuba River Charter
School. Through friends they were introduced to the Museum of Ancient and Modern Art's
Saturday Morning Children's Art Classes.
"I think it is a wonderful resource for the children of Nevada
County" comments George. "It is a dream to have access to so many artists and
their techniques. If this was in the Bay Area there would be 200 people going! Each class
would cost $25 and there wouldn't be a place to park. This is just wonderful. It's a true
family environment!" George pointed out also that the art class style "fits
right into the temperament of children which is constantly changing and exploring. It
balances the overly stressed intellectual side of society by nurturing their artistic
aspect.
"We discovered this incredible resource
in l996 when it was still located in Penn Valley...When the art
classes program moved to the Nevada County Library, we began to
go every week. Our daughter treasures the things she makes at
these classes and, of course, so do we."
|
Iven Lourie Presents Slide Show and Talk
on Atlantis and The Ancient Minoans
Thursday Evening Discovery Series
 Fresco of Minoan Princess 1650
BC |
Is Atlantis lost deep in the mid-Atlantic Ocean or the
Bermuda Triangle? Or has it actually been found in the Mediterranean Sea? Using a slide
show, photographs and drawings, author and editor Iven Lourie will introduce the theory of
archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos and a growing group of scientists that the
culture described by Plato was actually the |
island empire of the ancient Minoans. Decide for
yourself whether the eruption of a volcano on Thera (Santorini) around 1450 B.C. was the
cataclysm that destroyed fabled Atlantis. When yousee examples of the breathtaking art and
advanced technology of the Minoans, you may agree that Atlantis has resurfaced.
Mark your calender for July 23rd, Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the
Community Room of the Madelyn Helling Library for an unforgetable encounter with newly
excavated discoveries from the island of Santorini in the Agean Sea. |
|
Talking About Mummies, Myth and Magic
"Thank you very much for taking your time to
teach us about the Ancient Egyptians. I really enjoyed the dancing and the sculpturing. My
favorite thing out of both of those was the dancing because I could really imagine what I
was doing. Thank you very much." -
Becca R., Pleasant Valley School, 6th
grade
"It was a pleasure having you at our school.
My favorite part was when I was King Tut. That was really fun. I enjoyed all the things
about Egypt. Thank you for coming.
Jared P., Pleasant Valley School 6th
grade. |
Everyone falls
in love with Chris Harbour's silk painting "This Is How You Look To Me." So, we
decided to make it available to people as either a Giclee print on fine art paper, framed
or unframed, or as a T-shirt.
( from original silk painting )
Framed $39.95 Unframed $15.00
T-Shirt $19.00
Call 530 432-3080 to place an order.
|
"This Is How You Look To Me" By MAMA Children's
Art Academy Student Chris Harbour, age 14 |
|
