We are midstride in the Art IS Education programming this March. Check out the variety of programs and activities this month incorporating the Art is Everywhere! Theme.
These programs are based on three activities that anyone can do from anywhere. They encourage us to use our creativity to engage with our world in new ways. You can find them playfully illustrated on the paint-at-home watercolor sheet, as guided audio experiences on the Listen Inn library phoneline, and topic guides for deep dive explorations into the library's collections, and experience them in upcoming virtual events. For those curious to know about the concepts informing these activities, Violet Juno from the Alameda County Arts Commission has shared their expertise with us here:
Make a Frame with Your Hands
The first activity is look around for what is interesting to you by making a frame with your hands. This frame is an easy yet powerful artist’s tool that allows us focus on the world around us with new eyes. It helps us to slow down, see something we hadn’t noticed before, savor the joy of discovery, and feel the power of deciding what does and does not go in the frame.
Explore Object Art
The second activity is to collect and arrange objects to tell a story. For example, you might have run across a stack of rocks or a driftwood structure in nature or a picture on social media of items (from a backpack) arranged in a grid. These simple arrangements are satisfying to look at while also telling a story about the person who made it and their environment. It’s possible to do this wherever we might be! Try arranging the things on a table into a grid or collecting items from nature to making a picture—perhaps a shape or object. Whatever you like! Trying this for ourselves allows us to feel the spark of making something new out of whatever is around us.
Hunt a Poem
The third activity is to create a poem by mixing and matching words around us. Let your eyes roam around your space to find two objects. What words could you use to describe these objects? Now what happens if you mix up them up? What funny or strange combinations could you create? What could happen next—what adventure could these objects go on? How does the poem end? Anything is possible in a poem! You get to decide what happens. Poetry helps us take a playful perspective on our world.
The Art is Everywhere activities are an invitation to reconnect with the wonder of trying something new and experience the delight of taking a moment to look around to see that art is indeed everywhere! Maybe try #SpinePoetry which is a poem using the titles found on the spine or narrow edge of the books. Grab a few books and see which title feels like a beginning, a middle and a end. Read them in order, and Voila! You have a poem!
Share Your Art!
We’d love to hear about your creation process and catch of glimpse of what you worked on. Share here in the comments or in our social media spaces on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Art is Everywhere Activities and Programs
- Pick up a free paint-at-home watercolor sheet at AC Library locations.
- Join in fun, online community events for all ages.
- Call the Listen Inn phoneline to hear guided Art IS Everywhere activities.
- Use the Resource List to learn about theme-related books and links.
Add a comment to: Exploring Art Is Everywhere! Concepts with the Alameda County Arts Commission