Picturing America for Public Libraries

Our initial use was at an evening open house program for all ages, with some posters displayed in our meeting room (with music and refreshments provided) and the remainder displayed throughout the branch. We also had a drop-in program for children where we asked them to identify one of the works of art from a very small portion displayed on a flyer (e.g., the flamingo’s nose in John James Audubon’s American Flamingo, a small American flag in Childe Hassam’s Allies Day, May 1917, etc.). The Picturing America collection inspired us to offer three different “Exploring Art Activities” programs for elementary aged children in October 08, with two different art forms presented at each.
We will continue to display many of the posters, especially this summer with our summer reading program theme of “Be Creative @ Your Library.” We plan to cover a famous painting with small sticky papers, with children removing one paper when they complete their reading requirement for the summer reading program. There will be a contest for guessing the name of the painting/artist.

Submitted by Sophia VanSchaick