Making Art Together

Exploring Project Cycles through Materials Play

December 21st, 2018

In the Art Studio, we like to think about project cycles or how one experience can lead into the next. For one of the Materials Play programs this fall (a quarterly program series focused on the interests of toddlers and their caregivers), I considered how we could involve participants in the life-cycle of a painted paper display. READ MORE

Collage Collaborations

October 10th, 2018

In celebration of the exhibition A Marriage of Artistry: Leo and Diane Dillon, we explored collaboration through collage in the Art Studio. We were inspired by the collaboration not only between Leo and Diane Dillon to create their artwork, but also the intricate frames that their son, Lee, made for some of the works featured in the exhibition. READ MORE

Oil Pastel Scratch Pads

September 10th, 2018

Thanks to the generous support of the Highland Street Foundation, we have looked forward to participating in Free Fun Friday for the past five years. This year, we had over 1400 guests visit! With the high volume of visitors and excitement on a busy day, we wanted to facilitate a project that was special and yet manageable, and after a lot of experimentation and testing, we decided that oil pastel scratch pads would provide a great balance of both. With our team’s invaluable help, we were able to provide ready-made scratch pads as well as all the tools and materials for them to make their own custom designs. READ MORE

A Fond Farewell to Collecting Plastic Found Materials

June 27th, 2018

Here in the Art Studio, we have always been supporters of re-using materials in a variety of ways. From construction projects to character development, our materials have included plastics such as cups, bread tabs, caps, and contact lens cases. Many of these plastic materials from everyday household items have been carefully washed, sorted, and stored for future uses in art projects. After many years of reusing plastic materials in the Art Studio, we have decided to make changes to our material choices for several environmental, practical, and programming reasons.

December 19th, 2017

It?s that time of year for a change-out of the art within our Toddler Area! To usher in the fall, toddlers created an artwork using red, orange, and yellow yarns during a Materials Play program. It was a collaborative, sticky, sensory experience that solidified into a sculpture that now hangs within the Toddler Area. The artwork was a large-scale version of the works toddlers and their caregivers made during the program. READ MORE