Art in the Barn, Storytime and Hands-on Art Project for Preschoolers

Art in the Barn is a new drop-in workshop for preschoolers at Walt Whitman Birthplace. Taught by Lena Massari Sawyer, former Museum Educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Be there every week for various stories including the award-winning Caldecott books.  Learn about artists of the past and create your own artwork.

2/3 Black History Month – A look at Royal Art of Benin from Metropolitan Museum of Art, with a reading of the 2011 Caldecott winner: “Dave the Potter Artist, Poet, Slave” by Laban C. Hill and Bryan Collier.  Project: drawing and clay. 

2/10 Celebrate the Chinese New Year with Us!  Learn about Chinese scroll painting, paint will calligraphy brushes and read about your own personal Chinese zodiac in “The Legend of the Chinese Dragon” by M. Sellier, C. Louis, W. Fei. 

2/17 Come and explore Romare Bearden’s groundbreaking collage celebrating African American Urban life in “The Block”.  A multimedia art project will follow and Barney Saltzberg fun book “Beautiful OOPS” will be enjoyed.  

2/24 Travel with us to Africa and learn about African Masks!  Class will end with the book “Me… Jane” by Patrick McDonnell about Jane Goodall, the English Anthropologist and “Can you Spot the Leopard” by C Stelzig.  Bring your favorite stuff animal to class!

3/2 Women’s History Month: learn how to paint large flowers like Georgia O’ Keefe did.   “My Name is Georgia: A Portrait” by Jeanette Winter will be read. 

3/9 Explore the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.  We will be painting and reading “From Here to Infinity” by S. Suzuki and E. Weinstein. 

3/16 Come celebrate the color GREEN with us for Saint Patrick’s Day!  We will be reading the book “Green” by Laura V. Seeger and exploring Henri Rousseau’s very green Jungle paintings.  A magical surprise will follow. 

3/23 Experience the world of Alma Thomas Paintings.  Shapes, color and movement in art will be discussed.  “I Spy Shapes” in Art by Lucy Micklethwait will be explored.