Art Appreciation Workshop

Last night I got inspired. I can never sit still.

I have so many projects so I am never bored

and I like variety. I've never been able to

focus on any one thing. That's why I am a mom.

We wear many many hats. Variety as they

say is the spice of life.

When I home schooled my children I fell deeply

in love with art appreciation. Art became a

center of our curriculum where we payed a lot

of attention to detail- a very necessary and

vitally important life skill.

We learned all about artists, their works, their

life and the different art periods. I taught my

children to draw using "Draw Write Now" and

"Drawing with Children" by Mona Brookes,

founder of Monart Art. I put many of my

art ideas up on my website "Experienced

Mum".

Last night when I said I got inspired it was over

these books. I got them out and started to read

them. I read another one also by Mona Brookes

called Drawing for Older Children and Teens.

So making a list today at chemo (and also looking

at Mona Brookes books then I took

a nap as the medicine always makes me

drowsy) about all the necessary facets of a

one hour curriculum of art appreciation,

I presented my idea to the cancer social

worker that I would host an Art Appreciation

Workshop for the other cancer patients at the

cancer center.

She said to gather my ideas and bring them

in to show her.

I told her I was thinking if I hosted free work-

shops while I was sick I could build up a portfolio,

references and hone my curriculum --

So, that when I was well I could offer the workshops

for cost to children in the surrounding communities.

And bingo! After lots of practice for free I would

feel confident with this new business.

I made my list of places where to offer the workshop:

The Cancer Center of Lowell

The Library

The Paul Center

The Senior Center

Whittier Rehab

The Nursing Homes in Lowell

The Homeless Shelters in Lowell

Chelmsford Art Society

Home School Groups in the Area

Women's Breast Cancer Center in Lowell

Then I honed out the outline of my curriculum

thinking about how healing doing art can

be as well as studying it. Beauty gives

us a spiritual lift: in art, education, books, music and

nature.

Ugliness brings us down. Beauty lifts

us up to God. I teach my children to chose

beautiful books, art, movies and music.

I always turned away from cartoons as I find

them to be bad and ugly art.

Think how ugly cuss words are but how beautiful

nature is; what a difference.

A heart filled with beauty makes a beautiful

person.

ART APPRECIATION WORKSHOP

My brainstorm

Art Appreciation Books

-by Lucy Micklethwaite

-by Lickwick Publishing

-Others

Child Size Masterpieces

Art Cards

Websites for Free Art Cards

Art Appreciation Set

-show picture, ask questions,

look for detail

Art Stories

-the quilt one

-Brother Joseph's Workshop

-Lydia with Monet

-Arizona art stories

- Others

Art Books

-About different types of Art

Art Galleries, Societies and Museums

in the Area

-Lowell Art Society

-Textile Museum

-Colleen Sgroi, Billerica

-Western Avenue Studios

-199 Art Gallery

-Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

-Whistler Art Gallery and Museum

-Chelmsford Art Society

Art Events

-Lowell Flok Festival

-Open Studios, Lowell

For a Children's Art Appreciation Workshop

-Read an Art Story

-Do an Art Card Activity

-Do an Artists Memory or other Game

-Look at Art Books

-End with a Snack