Picturing America for Public Libraries

The Children’s Librarians at Middle Country Public Library conducted three workshops for children in grades K – 8th to experience America’s history through our nation’s art at hands-on creative workshops. In the program the pottery and baskets poster and the Louis Comfort Tiffany, Autumn Landscape posters were featured. The participants for each age level (K-2nd, 3-5th, and 6-8th) gathered in front of the featured posters with the librarian. The librarian guided a discussion of the art displayed on the posters and history relevant to each based on the information provided in Picturing America Teachers Resource Book. The children were asked to comment on what they saw and encouraged to actively participate in the conversation regarding each of the posters. Following the discussion of each of the art forms/related history the children were invited to visit stations where they created their own art pieces based on the art forms that they had been introduced to. The K-2nd grade children made clay pinch pots, raffia woven baskets, and painted squares of colored tissue paper onto laminated windows with watered down glue to create their own stained glass windows. The 3rd -8th grade children made clay coil pots, raffia baskets and created stained glass landscapes using colored tissue paper painted onto clear acetate with watered down glue.

Submitted By Tracy Delgado-LaStella