cutie pie

Flying Time! Flying Fish!

Somehow we find ourselves nearing the middle of July! We have about 150 kids enrolled in camp at the Y! Everyone, ages 4-15, comes to art class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Here are some highights... Last was OCEAN WEEK and we made stuffed sea creature mobils with paper.

This video is unfortunately sideways.... and i can't fugure out how to flip it, but worth a look anyway:


There has been so much art enthusiasm this summer! There is a group of 6 kids that keep working on their projects thru snack everday and then stay to help with the younger kids. The other night as I was heading home a few kids came up to me in the hallway and asked if they could have some stuff to do drawing in the hallway while they waited for their parents.....


We also made some Ocean Collages, using many different kinds of materials:




There has been so much art enthusiasm this summer! There is a group of 6 kids that keep working on their projects thru snack everday and then stay to help with the younger kids. The other night as I was heading home a few kids came up to me in the hallway and asked if they could have some stuff to do drawing in the hallway while they waited for their parents.....

ART SHOW

We spent today decorating and hanging work for our art show!
Many of the kids have been working on a big paper chain, which we hung up today.

Lindsey said, "I'll make a real chain. With these paper clips...."



First linking them together, and then linking the whole chain into loops.



I am continuously wowed by the complete and total brilliance of children.



and oh yeah... we're pretty pumpped about the show!

TUESDAY APRIL 27th, 5-7pm

WEST BROAD STREET YMCA

1110 May Street Savannah GA

Working From Our Friends Poems

We've been working on illustrations to go along with poems by the Spitfire Poetry Group and we will be making a little book that you can take home at our show next week!

Clinton Powell, who runs the poetry class sent me a list of the poem's titles and we spend yesterday afternoon illustrating!



This one, in response to "The Beach," really sparked my interest. Mardina came over to show it to me and explained, "these are the 'kokonuts' falling from the tree because it's koko beach. and this (yellow figure) is a woman. And these (blue figures) are her children. and this (milticolored figure) is her other kid that didn't grow up yet."

I asked if that kid had been born yet? She said, "No but he gets to be at the beach because he is in his momma's belly and thats where she is."




For whatever reason, Amon was having a bad day and I decided to sit and work with him. Like many kids, he will really focus and become involved in what he is doing if there is an adult nearby who expresses interest and talks to him about what he is making.

At the beginning, Amon informed me that he "didn't know about anything that you can draw. especially if there is a poem about it." Hmmm.

"What about your family? I bet you know about them."

" A little. I know a little."

I asked how many people were in his family. and he looked confused. So I said, "how about how many people live in your house?"

"We got five. First my Momma. She the biggest. She goes first."
He very carefully worked on this tiny drawing of his mother... paying special attention to her hair. "Momma got nice big hair, that goes up and then down."

"And then I write 'me' over my face you you know who the artist is in this family... not my baby sister."

Back From BALTIMORE// Loop It Up Book is READY!!

We had a great trip to Baltimore for the American Craft Council Show!
Saw Many wonderful things and met some great people!

Most excitingly, while talking to the incredible Shannon of Sweet Pepita a beautiful children's clothing line ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetpepita ) I learned about a
Photography After School Program in Baltimore called Youth Light. It turned out that the program was having a show at a local reaturant... so we went to check things out!

Youth Light is a photography after school program which gives city kids a chance to take a closer look at the world that they are living through taking pictures of their daily lives and surroundings. ( http://www.youthlightproject.org/about.htm )
At the show, we got to see some incredible pictures, taken and developed by the kids. It is the sort of work that you can tell just by looking for a minute is changing the way our eyes meet the world. I bought a picture that was taken by one of the students, who is now running the dark room! I will certainly post it later!
We also got to meet Marshall Clarke, an independant photographer who founded and runs the program. I'm so excited to show our kids the picture and tell them about this project! I am hoping that there might be some way for us to work together one of these days.

Here are some pages from the new Loop It Up BOOK!!







The Book is almost 100 pages long! it tells the story of how we started Loop It Up, outlines curriculum and offers tips and enthusiasm for starting your own art afterschool program. The first edition is on the way! You may order your copy for $25 + $5 shipping fee by emailing looplinktangle@gmail.com

MUCH EXCITEMENT!

Our sweet little art show is still up at the Sentient Bean... drop by this week if you can!
The opening was wonderful! A group of kids came over, we looped at the art work, had(a lot of) milk and cookies, and hung up more artwork. The local papers have covered this event very nicely!

WTOC: http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11937257

SAVANNAH DAILY NEWS:
http://savdailynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=23&ArticleID=29705

SAVANNAH NOW:
http://savannahnow.com/share/blog-post/jan-skutch/2010-02-02/westside-kids-art-display

SCAD PAPER:
http://www.scaddistrict.com/?p=6617


MAYOR OTIS JOHNSON came to visit us at the Y a few weeks ago too!







"making stuff is important, no matter how big you are. Do you like to make things even though you the mayor??" - Jaylen, age 7

OUR SECOND ART SHOW!!!!

Our second Art Show open tomorrow at the SENTIENT BEAN coffee shop! Come by for the Festivities 5-7pm.

So much good stuff is on display and there will be VALENTINES for SALE... so you're off the hookey hook this year!

come join the fun, support an enthused little crowd and a very good cause.