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Sunday, February 14, 2010

March is Youth Art Month!

Keep an eye out here for Youth Art Month activities!

Right now there are several events that are free to families.

March 6th is the first Saturday in the month and that means it is Hands On Houston at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft!  This month's activities are as follows:
HCCC will host a celebration of the metal arts in conjunction with its current exhibitions, Iron: Forged, Tempered, Quenched, featuring American blacksmithed objects, and eXtreme Tea, featuring exquisite tea implements. Families and visitors of all ages will enjoy participating in a metal-embossing activity, watching live demonstrations by Houston Area Blacksmiths’ Association and other artists, and viewing the exhibitions. Complimentary tea will be served by Té House of Tea.
Té House of Tea is a tranquil, elegant tea house located in the Montrose/River Oaks area of Houston. Té serves a variety of high-quality teas, with a focus on small farms and fair trade plantations. For more information, visit www.tehouseoftea.com.
Clockwise from top left: Victoria Lansford, Darling, lotus have some tea...(detail), 2009. Tea infuser, strainer, and drip stand. Sterling silver, fine silver, 22K/sterling bi-metal; Russian filigree, Eastern repoussé, chasing, chain making, and fabrication. Photo by Victoria Lansford. Blacksmithing demonstrations by Houston Area Blacksmiths’ Association. Image courtesy HCCC. Zack Noble, Dr. Suess Bloom (detail), 2005. Forged steel. Photo by Tom Mills Photography.

Time: March 6, 2010 from 11am to 3pm
Location: Houston Center For Contemporary Craft
Street: 4848 Main
City/Town: Houston, TX 77002
Website or Map: http://www.crafthouston.org/
Phone: 713-529-4848
Event Type: familyevent
Organized By: Houston Center for Contemporary Craft



Sunday March 5th is Target Free First Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston:
Discover art through a variety of fun activities. Explore and make art, hear a story, watch a performance or Family Flick, and more! Each month offers a new opportunity to enjoy and learn about art.
Admission is free! No preregistration is necessary, and you may drop in and stay as long as you wish.
Recommended Ages: 4+

Time: March 7, 2010 from 1pm to 5pm
Location: Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Street: 1001 Bissonnet Street
City/Town: Houston, TX 77002
Website or Map: http://www.mfah.org
Phone: 713-639-7300
Event Type: familyevent
Organized By: Museum of Fine Arts Houston


Keep an eye on this blog for more information.  There are some really special events being lined up and I don't want you to miss them!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Mosaics, Mosaics and More Mosaics

For our first unit upon our return to school we have been studying mosaics.  Over the past five weeks we have looked at mosaic work by artist San Francisco Laurel True.  Her work is featured in a video on  iTunes U on SPARK: Bay City Arts from KQED.

We went on to look at mosaic work by the great architect, Antonio Gaudi.  He lived and worked in Barcelona.  One of the most famous landmarks of Barcelona is Park Guell.  There are many extraordinary mosaics in the park including the Dragon Fountain.

We took a virtual tour of his life's passion and most famous landmark of Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia.  We zoomed in and out with the help of a CD that I got when I went to Barcelona as Fund for Teachers Fellow in 2002.

Students have made circular mosaics using paper on paper plates.





Finally, we are finishing up work on mosaics of our initials.  The students chose one of their initials, the first letter of either their first or last name and created their mosaic with small paper "tesserae".  You'll be able to see their work soon on the front bulletin board.

Take a trip to the Art Car Museum here in Houston for a look at some very unusual mosaics by art car artist and school teacher, Alan Bartell.  His car, Versatile, is on view there.
The image above is a detail of Versatile at the Art Car Museum.  Believe me it is much more spectacular in person.

The Art Car Museum is a wonderful place.  You can stop by on a week end and take in several art cars and other art by Houston artists.

Closer to home, you can see mosaic work by Jeff McKissack at the Orange Show.  The Orange Show is closed for the winter, but will reopen in March.  They were one of the sponsors of the Eastwood Academy mosaic mural titled "No Olvides Tus Raices" at 6635 Harrisburg.

On the internet you may want to take a look at some local mosaics at MOCAH, the Museum of Cultural Arts, Houston and follow it up with a driving tour to see some of their projects.

Keep your eyes out and you'll see that mosaics are all around us!