Shoeboxes and Ventriloquism, an odd combination

Just a quick note to those of you planning to fill a shoebox . . .

The Operation Christmas Child boxes arrived at the church this week. You are more than welcome to use your own shoebox, but if you would like for me to drop off a box (which includes instructions, a bookmark, and a letter that you can fill out for the recipient) then just pop me an e-mail and we can make arrangements to get it to you.

Sherylgoedecke @ yahoo.com

Hmmm... I can't think of a good transition from shoeboxes to ventriloquism, so I'm just going to jump topics awkwardly here.

Ready, set, JUMP

If you are looking for a fun event this weekend, feel free to join us for a free ventriloquist performance at New Hope Christian Fellowship. Brent Vernon (& Sam) will be here at 5:29 :o) on Sunday October 30th. The doors open at 5PM and refreshments will be served after the performance. www.facebook.com/BrentVernonOnFB

Hope to see you there!

Sheryl

Hokusai Extension Activities

These activities are not required for class, but I hope they will spark your curiosity and imagination.

Create:

Hokusai is famous for his colorful prints. To create your own fall themed stamp to use with your tempera paint, visit Happy Scribbles. Their instructions are simple and you probably have all of the supplies in your home

Watch:

The Smithsonian Channel has produced several videos about Hokusai including this one which shows exactly how wood-block printing was historically done. Did you know that SPIT was involved? I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Read:

Deborah Kogan Ray has written an excellent children's biography of Hokusai entitled "Hokusai: The Man Who Painted A Mountain." There are a couple of copies available through the Greater Manchester library system, so take a look!

Consider:

Remember when we discussed the names of God and we talked about the Lion and Lamb? I held out on some of the story because I wanted to give families time to discuss this a bit at home.

The name "Lion of Judah" isn't just about ferociousness, and "Lamb of God" isn't just about gentleness. The animals are the literal translations, and have symbolic meaning to our own ears, but there is more to the story. In Revelation 5:6 we learn that Jesus left as the sacrificial Lamb of God, but will return as the conquering Lion of Judah.

• We know that we as humans aren't perfect. We sin and we cannot be in God's presence because of that sin. We also know that in the end the "Lion of Judah"will exact final judgement, because he rules over all things.
• It is Jesus' sacrifice as the "Lamb of God" through his death on the cross that makes it possible for us to live eternally with him, because he has taken away the sins of the world and has overcome death.

I know...Deep stuff for the beginning of the year in an art class. If you are interested, you can read more about it here, and I am always available if you have any questions.

Planning Ahead:

Next month's outreach project is to create artwork for Operation Christmas Child.

Your children are more than welcome to bring in items to send, but this is not in any way mandatory. If you are interested in participating you can get more information on how to pack your shoebox through Samaritan's Purse.

Have fun!

October - Hokusai

Our first artist of the year is Katsushika Hokusai.

(For pronunciation help go to Forvo, which offers several different recordings)

Katsushika Hokusai

(pronounced Kat-soo-shee-ka Hok-sigh)

Japan

1760-1849

To prepare your student for class, please print out "Manual of Ink - Bamboo, Wu Chen" (1350, National Palace Museum, Taipei) below, and place it where your child will see it often.

Click here for a printable version.

Picture study can be a very natural part of your day. Personally, I use an inexpensive frame and place it beside the childrens' bathroom mirror where they can look at it while brushing their teeth. This may seem a bit irreverent, but really, where else will they have time to simply gaze at an image several times every day. Other options include saving the image to your computer's screen saver, slipping it inside the front cover of the child's favorite school binder, hanging it on the refrigerator with magnets, or placing it on the dining room table where the entire family can see and discuss the artwork.

This month we are going to learn about asian brush technique. You do not need to bring every item listed in our supply list. To complete the project each child will only need:

• One 12x18 sheet of white construction paper
• One piece of scrap paper (for practice, anything will do)
• Several paper towels
• Round watercolor paintbrush (size 6-9)
• Fine paintbrush (size 2)
• A container to hold ink (I like to use small babyfood jars, but a tuna-fish can would also work well. Please do not bring a cup - they tip far too easily)
• Black tempera paint
• Glue stick
• Pencil
• (optional - smock or old tee-shirt)

The artwork that we create in class this month will be photographed and that image will be used to make gift tags which we will attach to crayons. The crayons will then be given out as gifts to children who visit the local food bank.

Parents, please remember that this is not a drop off group. Please come prepared to enjoy working alongside your children.

See you at 6:30 on October 11th!

What age are SKETCH students?

I have been getting quite a few e-mails with similar questions, so I posted a FAQ page.

The biggest question seems to be about age, so I'll do my best to explain how it works. Sketch is designed to be a program that families can attend together. The moms chat, the kids get messy, the babies chew on crayons, and the dads drink coffee and talk sports.

My goal in organizing it this way was to give families a break - we are pulled in a thousand directions at once and it is nice to work on something together for a change. Any age can attend. Honestly. Toddlers are welcome and teens are too. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but because parents are right there beside their own kids, it has actually worked out quite successfully.

Lessons are presented in layers. Overview instruction is targeted toward the elementary students, but then additional instruction is offered 1:1 to the older and more experienced students as they work on their projects.

2011/2012 Registration

UPDATE - The 2011/2012 session of Sketch is now full. If you would like to notified of future openings please contact Sheryl at SherylGoedecke @ yahoo. com

We are looking forward to serving both you and our community as we explore the works of Hokusai, Degas, Remington, Matisse, O'Keeffe, Kahlo, and Wyeth.

The registration process is simple. Just right click on the images below and print the registration forms, then mail the form along with a check for $25 (per family, not per student) to New Hope Christian Fellowship. Registration is accepted on a 1st come, 1st served basis and remains open until our space is filled.

*NOTE* please send me an e-mail (sherylgoedecke @ yahoo.com) so that I will know to look for your check in the mail.

(If you are interested in joining mid-year, just e-mail me and I can let you know if space is available).

Please be aware that students are responsible for providing their own art supplies for class. Many of these are supplies that are very likely already in your home (crayons anyone?). Click here to view the full list for this year's class.

See you soon!

Registration delay

Gah!

I beg your forgiveness for the registration delay. I left for a long vacation with an updated calendar and registration form scheduled to post automatically ... but obviously I did something incorrectly as several of you have contacted me looking for information.

Thank you for your faithfulness to Sketch. I am home now and frantically working to recreate the missing posts. I will be back in contact as soon as possible.

Free Admission to local Art Museums

My family loves art museums, but the cost can be extraordinary. When you add in parking and lunch you often have yourself a very expensive day.

Determined to fix this problem, I looked around and came up with a list of local museums with free admission this summer. I hope this will help you to get out there and enjoy a museum or two with your family!

The full list is below, but I truly hope that you will

JOIN US

at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester on Saturday August 13th* for a FREE beach themed event specifically targeted to families. We will meet at 11:30AM for a guided gallery walk. Please let me know if you plan to attend so that I can inform the museum staff.

Free admission 2011:

July 1st - Museum of Fine Arts - Boston, MA*

July 8th - Worcester Art Museum - Worcester, MA

July 8th - Cape Cod Museum of Art - Dennis, MA

July 22nd - Norman Rockwell Museum - Stockbridge, MA*

August 5th - Institute of Contemporary Art - Boston, MA

Everyday - Hood Museum of Art - Hanover, NH

Select Sundays - Portsmouth Museum of Art - Portsmouth, NH

Everyday - Aidron Duckworth Museum - Meredith, NH

Everyday - Andres Institute of Art - Brookline, NH (outdoor sculpture walk)

Saturdays 10-12 - Currier Museum of Art - Manchester, NH

* I have noted with an asterisk the events that I am hoping to bring my family to. We would love it if you could join us, even if it is just for lunch at the museum cafe. Call or e-mail me and we can make plans.

A framework for next fall's Sketch program is already beginning to come together. I'll be in touch soon to let you know what you can expect.

Enjoy your summer!