As an art kid, I spent hours and hours drawing, making and creating. To this day, I love art. Throughout elementary, high school and college, I took as many art classes as possible. Yet, while I was passionate about drawing, there was always a bit of frustration that accompanied the experience. I discovered that instruction in art education is essential to empowering children to communicate visually.
Don’t miss my segment on WGN! I will be featured on the WGN Midday News Tuesday, October 2nd. WGN will highlight my new book, Being Visual, which talks about the importance of art education for all ages.
Yesterday, as I watched our local Independence Day parade and delighted in the colorful fireworks, I thought about some of the attributes that have helped shape our nation. Before and after we became the United States of America, we were blessed with remarkable men and women of vision, fierce determination and persistence. Long before there […]
Last week, we told you about Young Rembrandts’ national partnership with Michaels Stores! This exciting new venture was promoted and celebrated at last Saturday’s nationwide Michaels Open House day. As you can see, the event was a great success and people from all over the country signed their children up for Young Rembrandts classes at […]
I have been a long time fan of Michaels stores. Over the years, I have spent a lot of time searching their store aisles for art and craft materials for my kids and myself. And I am now delighted to say – the folks at Michaels are fans of Young Rembrandts!
If you’ve ever read the classic children’s story book “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, you might be surprised to find out that Margaret never intended the story to be about rabbits at all. She had people in mind when she wrote it, but it was the creative interpretation of the book’s illustrator, Clement Hurd […]
With the state of the current economy, what’s it going to take to keep our future generation in the game? Current employers aren’t seeking out industry knowledge or a high GPA as much as they used to. In the 21st century, the importance lies with being an independent multi-tasker who can think on her feet, deal with change, and devise multiple solutions to a problem that hasn’t yet happened.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to our 9th grade English class. You’re discussing Great Expectations. The teacher is reading excerpts that correlate with the notes she has on the board. Your assignment is to copy the notes, read the excerpts for homework and study the notes for a quiz the following day. Have we lost you yet?
“Art is not freedom from discipline, but disciplined freedom.” -Father Edward Catich
Too often the visual arts are considered a place for unstructured activity and exploration, freedom from discipline or constraint. There is a notion that any structure or expectation in the visual arts will stifle creativity. And yet we would not hold the same standard for any other form of the arts.
As your child moves through her scholastic experience, chances are her favorite class will vary from year to year depending on changing interests. However, depending on her learning style, certain aspects of each class may always appeal to her. If you have a kinesthetic learner, gym class may jump start his engine each day. Your visual learner will favor any class that uses lots of pictures, videos and objects. Your auditory learner will like reading and algebra because she’s comfortable with words and logical processes to reach her answer.
