Picturing America for Public Libraries

I LOVE ART! Ages: 3 ½ - 5 years The children were introduced to the art of painting. This was perhaps their first view of paintings this big - not just small pictures in books. This helped them relate more to the idea of art and making a real painting. Inspired by the posters, the children were very excited and enthusiastic when it was time for them to paint their own artwork. The Veteran in a New Field, 1865 (9a) The Boating Party, 1893/1894 (14a) BEAUTIFUL BIRDS We shared bird stories and looked at the beautiful bird paintings (in books and the poster) of John James Audubon. The children created their own watercolor painting. Ages: 4 – 6 years American Flamingo, 1838 (6a) ART SMART: HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL LANDSCAPE PAINTING Students painted a landscape scene in the style of the 19th century artist Thomas Cole. Grades 3 – 6 View from Mount Holyoke (The Oxbow), 1836 (5a) ART SMART: American Folk Art – Crazy Quilts Children were introduced to the history of crazy quilting in America and why it is a time-honored art form. The students learned basic sewing skills as they puzzled together their art piece. Each participant had an individual quilt to take home that could be added on to for generations to come. Grades K – 6 Quilts: 19th through 20th Centuries (10b)

I LOVE ART! Preschoolers learned about pottery through the poster, stories and a playdoh creation. Ages 3 ½ - 5 Pottery and Baskets: c. 1100 – c. 1960 (1a) ART SMART: Tiffany Stained Glass Windows Based on the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the students created their own Tiffany inspired stained glass piece. The class used techniques that were inspired by Tiffany without the use of glass shards or soldering. Grades 3-6 Autumn Landscape – The River of Life, 1923 – 1924 (13b) NATIVE AMERICAN CRAFT Students listened to Native American legends. We discussed the posters and pictures in some non-fiction books about Native American festivals and ceremonies. The children created a turtle rattle. Grades K – 2 Pottery and Baskets: c.1100 – c.1960 (1a) Cover Illustration for The Last of the Mohicans, 1919 (5b) Catlin Painting the Portrait of Mah-to-toh-pa – Mandan, 1861/1869 (6b) “Sans Arc Lakota” Ledger Book, 1880 – 1881 (8b) ART SMART: Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright We celebrated an American artistic legend as we created buildings and environments in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Each participant constructed their own architectural masterpiece out of natural materials. Grades K – 6 Falling Water, 1935 – 1939 (16b) I LOVE ART Children create their own masterpieces as they explore color through painting. Ages 3 ½ - 5 The Veteran in a New Field, 1865 (9a) Portrait of a Boy, 1890 (12A) The Boating Party, 1893/1894 (14a) * I Love Art is our preschool art program for ages 3 1/2 - 5 and Art Smart is for grades K-6. Both classes are ongoing and we just tied them into the initiative. I Love Art, Beautiful Birds, and the Native American program were in-house programs led by librarians and the Art Smart classes are led by an outside programmer, Ms. Cheryl Frey Richards. Ms. Richards is an artist with a museum educator background.

Submitted by Andrea Kielbasa