annual art contest

Did You  know  about  the  annual  art  contest by  the members of  congress  for  high school students?  Are  you  a  high school artist?   Is  your  high school  student an  artist?

Congressman Mike  Honda  has  made it  easy  to enter this  year  by  leaving a drop box for  entries  at  the Fremont Main  Library.

From  his  website:

“An Artistic Discovery” is the annual art contest conducted by Members of Congress for high school students across the country. This competition provides Members and the public an opportunity to encourage and recognize the rich artistic talents of young American high school students.

Our district is home to so many talented young artists. This year’s winner will have the opportunity to display their artwork at the United States Capitol for a yearlong national exhibition and be recognized at a reception to be held on May 29, 2013.

Read   more here and find more drop off places. The guidelines are here and the release form is here.

Deadline for submissions is April 26, 2013 at 4:00 pm.

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Art Camp coming soon!

If you have a child between the ages of 10-13, we’re hosting a 4-day art camp! Each class will be different, and we will pass out tickets to the first 40 kids that arrive for the program on the day of each program. Camp is on four consecutive Tuesdays, beginning July 24th. Classes run from 3-4 pm, so we will pass out the free tickets at 2:45 pm at the Children’s Desk on each of the four Tuesdays. Classes consist of a short lecture on an art style/form and then the kids will work on an art project styled after the lecture. Each child will get to take home his/her artwork. The age limit will be strictly enforced due to the number of students in each class (limit to 40).

The Details:

Tuesdays, July 24th & 31st, August 7th & 14th. 3-4 pm (tickets passed out at 2:45 pm)

40 students per class, ages 10-13 only (kids must be within the age range at the time of class).

Please email Mary Ayers  (mcayers@aclibrary.org) or call the children’s desk at (510) 745-1421 for more information.

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MANGA for Tweens!

If you haven’t heard yet, we have a really fun Manga program for kids ages 10-12!  Manga are Japanese comic books that are characterized by very distinctive and highly stylized illustrations.  If you enjoy comic books and graphic novels and are interested in improving your drawing skills, come join us!  Karen Luk, a professional illustrator and comic artist, will be teaching you the secrets of drawing Manga faces, expressions and characters.  Karen’s work was on display just a few short months ago at the Cartoon Art Museum.  I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of her art and I’m definitely looking forward to this program at my library branch.  Here are the upcoming dates and locations.

Niles Library - Tuesday, May 15^th @ 3:15 p.m.

San Lorenzo Library - Wednesday, May 16^th @ 3:30 p.m.

Centerville Library – Thursday, May 17^th @ 3:30 p.m.

Fremont Main Library – Tuesday, May 22^nd @ 4 p.m.

Irvington Library – Wednesday, May 23^rd @ 3:15 p.m.

Call your library branch for registration information.

Check out Karen Luk in action below:

 

If you are unable to come to one of our manga programs you might want to take a look at the manga drawing books the library has here.

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Discover & Go – Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco

On a recent trip to San Francisco I took advantage of the Free Passes to Bay Area Museums available at the Alameda County Library.  I was planning on going to the city in the evening for a concert, but then thought “Hey, why not make a whole day of it!” I’ve encouraged library patrons to use the museum passes. So, in planning my city activities for the day I decided it would be a great time to try out the Discover & Go museum tickets myself. I went on to the Alameda County Library website (aclibrary.org) to see which museums I could get tickets for on this particular day. It turns out that the Cartoon Art Museum (one of my favorite museums in the city) was available. So I clicked on my museum of choice and printed out my single page ticket. Then off to the city I went! It was really that easy.

The Cartoon Art Museum is located at 655 Mission Street and is just around the corner from San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and Yerba Buena Gardens. It is also not too far from Union Square and Powell St., where you can hop on one of the famous San Francisco Cable Cars. If you are in the area I suggest you check out the Cartoon Art Museum. This museum is definitely a little gem if you are a fan of editorial cartoons, newspaper comics, comic books, and graphic novels or anime. Take a look at their website and facebook pages to get an idea of what to expect. Current exhibits include: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 70 years of Archie comics, Last Stop: Troubletown, and a very poignant look at how cartoonists remembered the events of September 11^th on the tenth anniversary. There are many other comics to view as well, including some from the early 1900s. So if you are interested in the history and evolution of cartoon art be sure to check this museum out.

If you would like to get tickets to the Cartoon Art Museum or any other Bay Area Museum participating in our Discover and Go program go to aclibrary.org. Use the pull down tab labeled Services and click on Museum Passes. Next, click on the Discover & Go ticket icon on the left. Then you will need to log in with your last name and library card number. From there you can browse museum ticket availability by venue or date. There are so many wonderful choices!

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Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

Chasing Vermeer is a mystery book for grades 4th-8th. It has been described as The Da Vinci code for kids. The book starts off with a mysterious letter sent to three seemingly random people. The letter asks the receivers to help solve an old crime involving a famous painting called A Lady Writing A Letter by Johannes Vermeer.

The book follows sixth graders Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay. They are classmates and friends at the University School in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The two sixth graders are a little different from the other kids at school. They are both very smart and enjoy puzzles and mental challenges. They are brought together through a series of strange coincidences involving an old book and several quirky characters. They combine their brain power and problem solving skills to figure out the mystery of a missing painting by one of the world’s most famous artists.

Chasing Vermeer is a fun read full of puzzles and mystery. The readers become part of the mystery through the author’s and illustrator’s use of secret codes and hidden messages. Blue Balliett introduces readers to pentominoes (a mathematical tool of geometry) as a clue to solve the mystery. Brett Helquist (who is also the illustrator of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events) includes a hidden message in his illustrations throughout the book. If you like mysteries that involve imaginative thinking and solving puzzles this may be a good book for you!

 There are two sequels to check out as well:

          

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Art display

If you have a chance, stop by the Children’s area at the Fremont Library to see the art display that’s currently up. On display are paintings created by students at the Kalamandir Art School here in Fremont. The pieces are quite lovely and very colorful. The display is up in the children’s computer room and will be up throughout March.

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Attention!! all “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” fans ……

If you are one of the fans of this popular series, after reading all these books and watching the movie, what else can you do?

Publisher of the Wimpy Kid, Abrams’s Amulet Books, is sponsoring a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Comics Contest.  Readers up to 16 years old may enter by mailing in an original cartoon. One lucky winner will receive $500; a signed library of Wimpy Kid books; and $1,000 for the school or public library of his or her choice. The winner will be announced by author Jeff Kinney at the American Library Association annual conference  in New Orleans on June 25.

I hope after reading all this funny series you are inspired to create your own.   Furthermore, March is the national Arts Education Month.  Art is Education is an annual showcase of arts learning in Alameda County schools.  In participating Art Is Education, we host many art programs in the library too.  For detail information, click here.

So pick up your coloring gears and let your creativity soar.  Good luck on the Wimpy Kid’s comic contest and most importantly HAVE FUN!

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Tree Collage at Centerville Library

   Create a Tree Collage update…

 As part of our Art is Education program we are creating a collage art project made from recycled materials at the Centerville Library. 

Check out the progress so far on our Create a Tree Collage.  It is looking good! We still have quite a bit of work to do.  So if you like to recycle, have an artistic flair, or just want to be part of a collaborative art project drop by Centerville Library and have some fun! 

This collage project is open to everyone and all materials are provided.

Program is open for public participation during these hours:
Tuesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 1-3 PM, 5:30-7:30 PM
Thursdays, March 3, 17, 11 AM-2:30 PM, 5-6 PM
Thursday, March 10, 11 AM-2:30 PM

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What’s happening at Centerville Library in March

Lots are happening at Centerville Library in March! Besides two on-going reading programs–Read-With-Me and Read-To-Me, and the monthly Kids Book Club and Mandarin Parenting Class, we are also offering three special programs to make this month a very eventful one.

*Click on the picture on the left to see the program flyer.

	Create a Tree Collage Day: March 1 – 17 Time: Click on the picture on the left for public participation hours. As part of the Art IS Education, an annual showcase of youth arts learning in Alameda County, kids, teens and their family are invited to stop by Centerville Library to create tree collages with old magazines, candy wrappers, shopping bags and other recycled materials. After it’s completed, the 3′ X 15′ project will be on display in the Children’s Area to honor this year’s theme–”Creating Soluntions for the World We Share”.
	Library Bucks Day: March 1 – April 26, 2 P.M. Time: Library Open hours. The popular Library Bucks are back! Kids read library books to earn Library Bucks. The more your read, the more Library Bucks you earn! The more Library Bucks you earn, the better chances to win your dream prizes at the Kids Auction! The auction is scheduled at 3:00 P.M. on April 26, 2011. Small items will be for sale after the auction. A balloon artist will also be onsite making balloon figures for you to purchase. All sales are Library Bucks only. Pick up a reading log and start reading, there’s no time to wait! *To watch a video of last year’s auction, click HERE.
	Duct Tape Crafts for Teens Day: Tuesday, March 15. Time: 6:30-8 PM. Join us for the fun of making a colorful wallet entirely out of ordinary duct tape! Supplies and materials are provided. Seats are limited, a free ticket is required to attend. Tickets are available beginning at 6:00 pm at the Information Desk.

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Taking Care of Our Earth

Come join us at Niles and Irvington Libraries this March as we celebrate taking care of our earth.  We’ll be reading some books like The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and doing a fun craft.  We’ll be making collages from old magazines, so bring some of  your old magazines to cut up and make some great pictures!  Our program at Niles is March 1 at 3 PM and at Irvington on March 9 at 3 PM.  The program is especially for children 4-10 years old.  See you there!

 

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