Reflecting back, 2019 was special, bringing awards and new partners. This year also holds exciting events. We are celebrating Art House’s twentieth birthday in a number of ways that honor the past and look to the future. The exhibition, Artists of Art House: ArtTeaches at 78th Street Studios (August 15 through October 18) was a collection of works made by artists who teach—or […]
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My mind fills with ideas, linked together like a string of summer festivals running through the city. These different topics are related by the vibrant energy that art generates. What is common to all festivals? It is the magic of being in the moment that the visual and performing arts invite. This is also how children approach making. During a […]
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March: Art from our partner schools has started arriving. This moment in time invites the opportunity to reflect on the processes through which this work comes into being. The artists teaching in our programs make all the envisioning and scheduling come to fruition. They do so with great skill, patience, planning, and the ability to be flexible in changing circumstances. […]
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For several months, Art House had a high school project hanging on our largest wall. Living with these works over an extended period led to comparing them to some of the others that had been part of the 2018 Urban Bright Exhibition. Eight paintings focused on nature, technology, and augmenting human capacity. The students used various acrylic painting techniques and […]
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This past year, I have been privileged to assist workshops with special needs children. I helped show participants how clay can be formed; I passed out glaze cups and brushes and demonstrated different ways glaze can be applied. Interacting with these children put into sharp focus how the world, as experienced, is different for everyone. Because many of us manage […]
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In mid-March I attended a Say Yes to Education information session that explained its comprehensive, wrap-around support strategy to break down barriers to children’s academic success all the way to a post-secondary degree. Nadia Del Valle, the national program director, cited the fact that the various agencies necessary to realize this goal had repeatedly attended planning meetings as discreet, isolated […]
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There is nothing like the buzz generated by the exploration, discovery, and learning that spontaneously occurs when children and adults come to Art House to participate in workshops or arts-in-education programs. The expansive energizing effect that these sessions offer is infectious, joyful, and particularly confirming for those of us who work to provide these opportunities. Viewing art, sharing ideas and […]
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The War of Art is the abbreviated title of a book by Steven Pressfield in which he discusses Resistance: resistance to the creative process and any cause that calls us. It is a toxic force that is experienced as fear. Fear precipitates flight. An underlying connection to this theory is the dismissive attitude that continues to persist towards the deep […]
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A few years ago, I did an art project that involved interviewing Max Hayes High School students. I made this connection through the art and shop teachers. Individually and as a group, I asked them to talk about what they liked and disliked about the city, what their ambitions were. The art room environment made them feel comfortable and open. […]
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The last few months have been busy! Denison fourth-graders constructed large fish, based on what they had learned about Lake Erie’s aquatic population and personal experiences of Cleveland. During our second Annual ABC (Artists+Bowls+Chili) Chili Cook-Off the studio was packed with people enjoying chili samplers. Nine contenders competed against last year’s winner: “Goya and the Gringo.” “Just Andy” rose to […]
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