Enjoy Art is Education Events all Month Long!

Let’s go fly a kite…Yes March is a perfect month for flying a kite or making a decorative one! That, and many other art projects, and art-related storytimes will be available at all Alameda County Libraries throughout the month. Every year, in March, the library teams up with the Alameda County Arts Commission  and the Alameda County Office of Education to provide art events to library patrons.  The program is called, “Art is Education”.

This year’s theme is “Inspiring Creative Communities”. You can participate in many fun activities. All you need to do is pick up a book or flyer which lists the events at each library, or go online at http://www.aclibrary.org and check our event calendar. Choose the events you are interested in, and attend. There are programs for adults and seniors, teens, tweens , kids and families.

This is your chance to indulge (or find) the artist within you!  Join us!

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“Tell Us Your Story” with Wordless Picture Books

If you’ve set foot in any of the Alameda County Libraries this month you know that March is Art is Education Month . This year’s theme is “Tell Us Your Story.”

Have fun with this idea by checking out Wordless Picture Books!

The best kind have intriguing illustrations that allow readers to tell tales in their own words, as they see images unfold. We’ve had a lot of fun at our house with wordless picture books, as each time stories change and evolve depending on the “teller” of the story. I tell a story one way to my toddler, and her father will interpret the same images in a totally different way.

If you have a child who is in preschool or younger this activity fosters observation as well as, narrative skills, and talking, which is a valuable pre-reading ability.

Below is a sampling of books that I’ve come across while working here at Fremont Main Children’s Room:

Beaver is Lost by Elisha Cooper
4 words is all you need to tell a story of beaver finding his way home. Cooper’s watercolor and pencil drawings will fill in the blanks.

Bluebird by Bob Staake
Drawn in a manner similar to cartoon storyboards, this exploration on friendship may be more accessible to school age kids.

Daisy Gets Lost by Chris Raschka
Another cheater on the list, as there are 4 words, 5 if you count the dog barking. Raschka’s follow up to A Ball for Daisy is a sweet tale of being lost and found.

The Giant Seed by Arthur Geisert
To be honest the only reason this caught my eye is because my kid loves blowing seeds off dandelion puffs. This book will probably be more interesting to older children who can make astute observations on how a tiny pig community bands together for survival.

Last Night by Hyewon Yum
Reminiscient of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, a little girl gets sent to bed early and embarks on evening adventures with her stuffed bear.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
My favorite version of Aesop’s fable! This book actually does have a few words, most of which are animal sounds. So I’m letting it slide. Pinkney won a Caldecott Award for his rich illustrations. Check it out and see why!

Red Hat by Lita Judge
Another book with words in the form of animal sounds, but story tellers will laugh at the rag tag group of baby animals and a child’s solution to their hijinks.

Time Flies by Eric Rohman
A Caldecott Honor Award winner. A modern day bird journeys through time and visits ancient dinosaurs.

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
Simply and beautifully told through the eyes of a young girl as she chooses to help a runaway slave.

And there are so many more! Do you have any favorites I missed? List them in the comments below!

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Fremont Main Library Presents Staff Art Exhibit

This exhibit is in celebration of the Art IS Education theme “Tell Your Story.” Art is located above the picture books in the Children’s Area, on walls and pillars in the central portion of the first floor, in the large display case in the hall on the left after entering the library, in the small display case at the end of the “Island” in the middle of the circulation area, in a display case at the top of the stairs on the second floor, and in the exhibit area of the Maurice Marks Center for Local and California History. It will be up throughout the month of March.

 

This art event is part of a series of 150 free Art IS Education events for youth and families presented by Alameda County Library in partnership with the Alameda County Arts Commission and the Alameda County Office of Education to celebrate arts education and creativity. Art IS Education is a project of the Alameda County Office of Education in partnership with the Alameda County Arts Commission.

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March is Art is Education Month: “Tell us Your Story”—Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo

Artist Frida Kahlo is famous for doing self-portraits—she told the story of her life in oil paintings. Born in Coyoacan, Mexico in 1907, Kahlo endured much pain in her life—she contracted polio at the age of 6, and in 1925, was in an accident where the bus she was riding ran into a trolley car. The injuries from that accident lasted a lifetime, and were reflected in her work. Kahlo started painting while recovering, and gave up the study of medicine: “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.” She painted her first self-portrait in 1926, and went on to do 55 very personal self-portraits. Some say painting helped her deal with the tragedy and pain in her personal life (she was married to muralist Diego Rivera twice), as a form of therapy.

Frida Kahlo died in 1954 at the age of 47, but will live forever in her paintings.

For further reading:

Frida Kahlo (2003), by John Morrison

DVD:

Frida Kahlo (c2006)

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March is Art IS Education Month!

In honor of the Art IS Education month, all the Alameda County Library branches are offering more than 100 free art events for youths of all ages and their family to explore their creativity and to learn how art can bring positive changes to ourselves, our community and our world.  At Centerville Library, we have planned a busy month full of fun activities and here is the listing of them:

	Tuesdays, March 5, 12, 19, 26, during open Hours Thursday, March 7, 16, 23, during open hours Seasons Kirigami Art Project Kids and teens of all ages are invited to participate in making scenes of the seasons with kirigami paper cutting art. From flowers and butterflies to pine trees and snowflakes, there are countless patterns you can create. All materials are provided, so just bring your creativity and imagination and stop by anytime during library open hours. The project will be put on display in the Children’s Area after completion.
	Thursday, March 7, 3:30-5:30 P.M. Mandala Paper Quilt Workshop This fun workshop for families will be led by Teaching Artist Lilli Lanier. This project uses basic traditional kirigami paper cutting techniques to create colorful, layered, mandala paper quilt squares. All ages welcome, and all materials will be provided.
	Tuesdays, March 5, 12, 19, 26, 2:00-2:30 P.M. Bollywood Babies Join instructor Sunita Raj in this fun Bollywood dance learning program for children 18 to 48 months old and their parent. Space is limited, so a ticket is required to attend. Free tickets will be handed out 30 minutes prior to the program.
	Thursday, March 28, 4:00-4:30 P.M. Read-To-Me Storytime Special Session In this special story time session, children aged 2 to 6 years old will enjoy art-themed stories and receive a coloring or activity sheet. No registration is required..

For more information, please call (510) 795-2629 or email Chien-Chun Chang at cchang@aclibrary.org.
Centerville Library is located at 3801 Nicolet Ave.,Fremont, CA 94536 MAP

For a complete listing of all the events at Alameda County Libraries, please click HERE

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Art IS Education Art Project at Centerville Library

Our Art IS Education project is finally completed and on display for our patrons to enjoy!  Stop by to look at all the amazing artwork our creative children made!

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March is Art IS Education Month

Happy Art IS Education month!  To celebrate youth arts learning, all the branches of Alameda County Library are presenting a total of more than 50 art events for kids, teens and families.  At Centerville Library, we have two art-making programs, one for kids and one for teens.

Both programs will take place on Tuesdays, March 6, 13, 20 from 2-6 pm.  Stop by anytime during these hours, no registrations are required.

Hand-in-Hand Paper People

This program is for kids of all ages. Participants will have fun decorating a paper cut-out person with crayons and recycled materials and attaching a message about one thing that’s important to creating a better future. All the paper people will be connected hand-in-hand to make a long, free-turning chain for display in the library. The community is invited to bring drawings and photos about the theme “Creating a Better Future Together” to add to the artwork.

Paper Quilt Collage

This program is for teens. Participants will use recycled materials and art supplies to design a personalized paper quilt square. The quilt squares should reflect the theme of “Creating a Better Future Together”. The quilt squares will be joined together to make a community quilt that will beon display in the Teen area of the library.

For a complete list of Art IS Education events at Alameda County Library, please click HERE.

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Highlights of 2011 at Centerville Library

Another year has gone by.  I’d like to share a video of the major events at our library in 2011.  It was another busy year with many fun and/or educational family activities.  The happy faces in this video make me feel rewarded and look forward to the coming year.  Enjoy the video and have a wonderful 2012!

*Video quality can be adjusted to HD but the playback may lag on some computers.

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Check Out the Tree Collage at Centerville Library!

As part of the Art IS Education 2011 program, Centerville Library’s kids and teens were busy having fun creating their collage trees in March. This 20 x 4 ft. art project is now completed and on display in the Children’s Area in celebration of this year’s theme—“Creating Solutions for the World We Share.” Excellent job done! Come check it out, it’s beautiful!

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Working, working…

Completed!

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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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