Happy Birthday, Frida Kahlo!

"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint."
~Frida Kahlo

"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best."
~Frida Kahlo

Happy Birthday, Frida!
July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954

My favorite picture book is Frida by Jonah Winter.

From my previous post on INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids:

Six years ago for part of an Art Volunteer In the Classroom presentation, I chose to read Jonah Winter’s Frida to both a Kindergarten and fourth-grade class and was surprised by the results. In both classes, the students intently listened to every word. They scooted and maneuvered to get a better look at the illustrations. And, the active discussion after I read the book was full of insightful comments and observations. They developed a firm grasp of who Frida Kahlo was as an artist.

All the experts recommend that the main focus of Art Enrichment presentations should be on the conversations about art; i.e. how it makes you feel, what was the artist trying to express in his or her work, can you relate to the painting. Winter's picture book did everything necessary to get the kids experiencing the work of Frida Kahlo. All that was left to do was fill in a few biographical facts. That day, I experienced the magic of lyrical, polished writing and lively, unique illustrations in harmony that creates an inspiring and memorable picture book.

Though an art project wasn't necessary, the students drew their portraits with images of their dreams and passions floating around in the backgrounds.

Art Education Quote

"I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH WILL REWARD ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AS WE REWARD ACHIEVEMENT IN BUSINESS OR STATECRAFT. I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH WILL STEADILY RAISE THE STANDARDS OF ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT AND WHICH WILL STEADILY ENLARGE CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO AN AMERICA WHICH COMMANDS RESPECT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD NOT ONLY FOR ITS STRENGTH BUT FOR ITS CIVILIZATION AS WELL."

       President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
             -At Amherst College, October 26, 1963

Art Education Quote

An arts education helps build academic skills & increase academic performance, while also providing alternative opportunities to reward the skills of children who learn differently. ~Gavin Newsom

Picasso Quote

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun."
Pablo Picasso

Here's the quote in its entirety : "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun."

Great intro to begin a discussion about artists and Picasso.

Pablo Picasso
"Blue Dove and Yellow Sun" or "The World Without  Weapons"
"Le Combat Pour La Paix"

LITHOGRAPH DRAWN BY PICASSO FOR THE POSTER ADVERTISING THE WORLD CONGRESS FOR GENERAL DISARMAMENT AM) PEACE HELD IN MOSCOW FROM JUL1 9 TO 11. 1962. ON THIS OCCASION, 8,000 COPIES WERE PRINTED WITH TEXT IN GERMAN, ARABIC, SPANISH, FRENCH. ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN. PICASSO DID THE LITHOGRAPH, MEASURING 59 X 76 CM., ON MARCH 10, 1962.

Link to nice sampling of Picasso's work:
Picasso Art Page

Picture Books for Art Appreciation Classes

Here's the piece I wrote for my March post for Interesting Nonfiction for Kids -- I.N.K.
I'm reposting it here because the picture books I mention are perfect for an Art Volunteer in the Classroom (AVIC) presentation.
Enjoy!

March is Youth Art Month. Couldn’t let this month go by without mentioning some of my favorite art books for kids.
Youth Art Month is an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs. Youth Art Month was created in 1961 by ACMI, a non-profit association of art and craft materials manufacturers, in cooperation with the NAEA.  In 1984, ACMI created CFAE to administer the national Youth Art Month program and encourage funding for the program.

Six years ago for part of an Art Volunteer In the Classroom presentation, I chose to read Jonah Winter’s Frida to both a Kindergarten and fourth-grade class and was surprised by the results. In both classes, the students intently listened to every word. They scooted and maneuvered to get a better look at the illustrations. And, the active discussion after I read the book was full of insightful comments and observations. They developed a firm grasp of who Frida Kahlo was as an artist.

All the experts recommend that the main focus of Art Enrichment presentations should be on the conversations about art; i.e. how it makes you feel, what was the artist trying to express in his or her work, can you relate to the painting. Winter's picture book did everything necessary to get the kids experiencing the work of Frida Kahlo. All that was left to do was fill in a few biographical facts. That day, I experienced the magic of lyrical, polished writing and lively, unique illustrations in harmony that creates an inspiring and memorable picture book.

Though an art project wasn't necessary, the students drew their portraits with images of their dreams and passions floating around in the backgrounds.

Some recent books that I have found that are perfect reads for Art Appreciation presentations:

The Vermeer Interviews Conversations with Seven Works of Art
By Bob Raczka
Millbrook Press 2009

Love this latest book by Bob Raczka. Bob’s books always look at art in an unique perspective; this time from the painting’s point of view. I learned so much by the way the text was written. Who knew there was so much to discover in a Vermeer painting?

In Her Hands : the Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage
By Alan Schroeder (author), JaeMe Bereal (Illustrator)
Lee and Low Books  October 2009

In this window into Savage’s early experiences as a child and artist, children connect with the passion and story behind her work. Wonderful to see a new picture book biography about a sculptor and the Harlem Renaissance.




Just finished reading The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova and it might be my new favorite book. If you like painting with a late 1880's back story mixed with a few love stories and a mystery, put it on your must-read pile.  

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