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At the Art Table: Pop Art!

by manz

The next time you’re at the Downtown Library, pop into the Youth Department and check out the new art project at the art table. This month you’ll have the chance to create some POP ART!

Pop art is the art of every day things. This art form works off things in pop culture and mass media. We’ve got crayons, paper and samples to get you started in your own artistic endeavors. And for some books as inspiration, check out these youth titles about pop art.

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At the Art Table: Self Portraits!

by manz

The next time you’re at the Downtown Library, pop into the Youth Department and check out the new art project at the art table.

This time around you’ll be working with paper and pencil to create a self portrait, suitable for framing. Sit at the art table and glance in the mirror at yourself. What are your brightest features? What are the features you want to focus on? Will you make a simple line drawing? Will your art be black and white or full of color? Will you just draw your face? Let's find out!

To see some famous self portraits or get tips on creating your own, check out these children’s books and adult books.

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Shapes In Art

by manz

The next time you’re at the Downtown Library stop by the art table in the Youth Department and work with shapes! We have a variety of wooden shapes that children will enjoy making into different designs. We have some templates out for you to get ideas from.

If you’re inspired to read some picture books about shapes, check these out. And for more shapes in art books check out: Museum Shapes, I Spy Shapes In Art, and Shapes.

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At the Art Table: Veterans Day Cards!

by manz

Next time you’re at the Downtown branch, stop by the art table in the Youth Department and create a Veterans Day card! We've got the supplies needed to make a SUPER STAR card for a Veteran. All cards collected in time will be delivered to the Ann Arbor VA hospital in time for Veterans Day on November 11.

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At the Art Table: Fun With Texture

by manz

The next time you’re at the Downtown branch, check out the new art project at the art table in the Youth Department! Sometimes 2D art can have the feel of something soft, fuzzy, smooth, or bumpy, simply by using paint and a canvas. Budding artists will enjoy using bumpy boards and crayons to create their own masterpiece.

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Take Part in Art – Texture

by StoryLaura

Smooth, bumpy, gritty, soft – it’s all superficial! Texture can play a great part in art, from paintings by Vincent Van Gogh to sculptures by David Smith, to the surface of new and old buildings on our very own campus. Join us at the Downtown Youth Department Art Table to make rubbings with crayons and drawings on mini-chalkboards. Feel the texture!
The Ann Arbor Art Center offers wonderful pottery classes where you can get messy and dive your hands into cool clay. You can also check out the Chinese Woodblock Prints at UMMA. For one of the best reminders of the importance of texture, just walk up to your favorite tree and run your hands over the bark. Natural art!

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Take Part in Art - Art Squared in A2

by StoryLaura

Filling a dozen squares with colors and circles, Wasilly Kandinsky, created a rich and whimsical painting entitled Squares with Concentric Circles in 1913. Piet Mondrian was inspired to work with squares and rectangles filled with bright primary colors in his abstract paintings in the 1920’s.

You can make your own squares, filled with color and design, at the Downtown Youth Department Art Table, or create patterns with our colorful magnetic squares.

Imagine an A2 scavenger hunt for squares in art and architecture, from the paper work wall sculpture, entitled Winter Solstice by Sabra Richards, in the stairwell of the Downtown Library, to the Cook Law Quad, or Tony Rosenthal’s cube, Endover, near the Student Union. Of course a visit to the University Of Michigan Museum of Art will inspire you to search for various shapes within sculpture, painting and more.

So many squares, so little time!

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Take Part in Art -- The Art of Words

by MariaK

Did you think you had to write a novel to make art with words? Think again! From calligraphy to graffiti, people all over the world have figured out ways to make art from letters and words. You can come down to the youth art table to have fun making art from words with us, or you can join in at home:

Kids:
Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad – A young boy finds shelter from the chaos of war in the act of creating calligraphy.
My First book of Chinese Calligraphy
Calligraphy for Kids
Here are some ideas for word art activities for kids.

Teens:
Stencil Graffiti by Tristan Manco will give you tips to create your own hip stencil graffiti.
The Graffiti Verite DVD series explores the culture, history and techniques of graffiti art.

We have plenty of books for grown-ups, too!

To hone your technique, try:
Chinese Calligraphy Made Easy by Rebecca Yue.
Zen Brushwork by Tanchu Terayama.
All About Techniques in Calligraphy
To learn more about the history of calligraphy in the Islamic world, read:
Islamic Calligraphy by Shiela Blair.

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Take Part in Art -- Marvelous Masks

by MariaK

From masquerade balls to dramatic performances, from exuberant carnivals to solemn ceremonies, people all over the world love wearing masks. Why are masks so popular? Maybe because wearing a mask lets us transform ourselves into anything we can imagine!

If you love masks, you can come to the art table in the downtown youth department to make some with us. Or you can join in at home:

Read!
Niño’s Mask – A young boy is told that he is too young to wear a mask in his village carnival. Won’t everyone be surprised when he makes a mask and becomes el perro – the dog – all by himself!
Behind the Mask – Kimin wonders what to wear for Halloween. When he discovers a mysterious mask among his grandfather’s things, he learns more about his own past.
The Art of African Masks – Discover how different cultures make and use masks in Africa.

Do!
Masks – Make masks from all over the world!
About.com has tons of ideas for making masks from egg cartons, plastic jugs, paper plates and all sorts of other stuff!
At PBS you can learn more about African masks, or you can make your own!

Try a mask today – they work for superheroes and luchadores, so you know they've gotta be good.

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Take Part in Art -- Art that Tells a Story

by MariaK

People have been using pictures to tell stories since…well, forever! Cave paintings, illuminated manuscripts, and the Bayeux Tapestry are all ancestors of modern picture books and graphic novels. To explore the relationship between art and storytelling, you could always come visit the Youth Art Table downtown, or enjoy our abundant and awesome resources at home.

Some excellent artists – modern and historical – have focused on using art to tell stories. To learn more about these artists try reading:
Brueghel: A Gift for Telling Stories – about the life of Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel.
En mi Familia and Family Pictures by Mexican-American artist Carmen Lomas Garza.
Pretty much anything about Norman Rockwell.

To explore how artists tell stories using pictures, try these books.
Telling Stories in Art by Joy Richardson provides examples readers can use to create their own story in art!
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud describes how graphic novelists use pictures to tell their stories, and Drawing Words and Writing Pictures by Jessica Abel guides readers in creating their own graphic novels!
Read a wordless picture book to see how amazing a story without words can be.

If you have children ages 4-7, you can also attend one of the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s Storytime in the Museum programs starting January 8. University of Michigan students read stories related to the art on display at the museum to bring art to life!

Finally, to see how art can tell different stories to different people try Twice Told -- a collection of short stories based on paintings. The twist? Each painting inspires two stories by different authors. See how different stories based on the same picture can be! What story would you tell?