By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

Artists nowadays choose to work with many different manmade materials. Why do many opt for Styrofoam, of all things? Hold a cup in your hand, and you’ll see it’s light as air. Leave the cup on your kitchen counter and you might see your kids, later in the day, decorating it, looking for additional cups to make a tower, or playing “telephone.” Grownups create with Styrofoam as well, a lightweight, inexpensive material. A case in point is the current show at The RISD Museum: “Styrofoam: From Industrial Invention to Artistic Transformation.” The show brings together unusually compelling art works by major contemporary artists all made of, you guessed it, Styrofoam. The fact that the works exhibit such a variety of interesting forms and textures is tribute to the fact that Styrofoam can be easily reworked. Some of the artists whose work is on view simply create with found pieces of Styrofoam. Tony Feher, for example, just happened upon the Styrofoam “bricks” that make up his witty Blue Tower.

Styrofoam, as we all know, doesn’t biodegrade like paper or plastic, so using cast-off pieces of it to create art, or simply making art objects of lasting value with it may be one of its appealing qualities to many artists. Kids love to create with Styrofoam as well, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to discover and make imaginative art with this material at The RISD Museum’s June 28 Free-For-All Saturday program, STYROWORLD. At 1 pm, Rhode Island’s own Big Nazo puppet creatures will animate the day’s program with their outlandish costumes and zany antics on the Museum’s front lawn.

Location: RISD Museum, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI. (directions)
Time: 11AM-4PM.
Cost: Free
Information: contact Marianne Ruggiero at 401-454-6674 or follow the link above.

Illustration: Tony Feher, Blue Tower, 1997, Collection of Eileen and Michael Cohen, NY courtesy of D’Amelio Terras, NY and Pace Wildenstein, NY

5 Traverse Gallery presents a lovely family-friendly show of forty one bird paintings and drawings by father, Bill Shattuck, and son, Ben Shattuck. This tiny gallery located right off Wickenden Street (near Utrecht Art Supply store) is the perfect size and place to explore art with children. Make it a fun and educational outing for you and your kids—learn the names of the birds and see how a charcoal drawing of a Hooded Merganser can be very different from an oil on panel version by another artist.

Nearby snack joints located on Wickenden Street: Coffee Exchange and Blue Elephant.

Details:
The show runs until June 14, 2008.  
5 Traverse - 5 Traverse Street, Providence, RI 02906
Phone: 401-225-8784
Hours: 12pm - 5pm, Wednesday through Saturday.

This book is definitely on my wish list. Thanks to New York-based designer Todd Oldham and Ammo Books for putting together this definitive collection of the late artist Charley Harper’s 60-year-long career. Harper is best known for his graphic, geometric depictions of wildlife—and an inspiration to me.

Since this large format book, Charley Harper – An Illustrated Life is a bit steep for my budget ($200), I will be happy to own a copy of his new board book, Charley Harper ABC’s or the classic beauty, Birds and Words (first published in 1974).

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

In the Asian art galleries of The RISD Museum, there stands a fearsome guardian. Part roaring lion, part winged bird, it is poised to attack any foe that enters its domain. The fantastic stone animal, created in China about fourteen centuries ago, is called a “chimera” (kie-MEER-ah). It was probably one of many statues whose ferocious demeanor served to keep evil beings, whether in spirit or living form, away from imperial tombs.

The chimera is just one of the many hybrid creatures created by different cultures throughout time. Others might come to mind, whether first seen in art galleries, on the pages of a story by Lewis Carroll, or on the screen of your kids’ Nintendo. Griffins, according to legend, have the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. The gentle unicorn could pass for a horse if you disregard the long horn that protrudes from its forehead . . . and, oh yes, there is the matter of that goat-like beard as well (also an attribute of the chimera).

Cultures often share the same traditional mythical beasts but don’t agree on their behavior. Is a dragon, possessed of reptilian body and avian wings, good or evil? We Westerners seem to relish the dragon’s malevolent qualities as it breathes fire at helpless maidens or valiant knights. In China, the dragon is every bit as mighty as its Western counterpart, but generally uses its might for right: to bring rain to parched earth, or to symbolize the strength and goodness of the emperor.

In whatever form or incarnation, children seem to love these hybrid beasts, the more fantastic the better. Here’s a fun project to do with your kids that lets them create their own “Mixed-Up Creatures.” It was adapted by Fran Gorman, Program Assistant in the Museum Education Department and former art teacher at Jamestown Elementary School.

MIXED-UP CREATURE BOOK

Materials
• 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper (white or colored, regular weight)
• Heavier paper (construction works well)
• Scissors
• Small piece of cardboard as measuring tool
• Ruler or straight edge
• Heavy yarn, string, or ribbon
• Crayons or other drawing materials

How to Make Book
• Fold the regular-weight paper the tall way (8 sheets makes a nice book).
• Use the heavier paper for the front and back covers. Cut to the size of the book pages (4.25” W x 11” H).
• Punch three holes on the folded edge of each sheet of paper, including covers.
• Thread the heavy string in the holes and tie in the three holes.
• Inside: Draw a straight line with the ruler ¼-inch away from the punched holes. The line is from top to bottom.
• Use the small cardboard to measure each page into four equal sections.
• Draw a line and cut straight across with scissors. Repeat with each page.

How to Create Creatures
• Draw the head of an animal in the top section.
• Draw the center of a different animal’s body in the next section down.
• Draw the legs (not the feet or paws) of yet a different animal in the next section down.
• Draw the feet, hoofs, paws, or claws of a different animal (or even a person!) in the lowest section.
• Decorate the cover of the book with designs or stamps.

Have fun flipping the pages of the book back and forth to create all kinds of mixed-up creatures!

East Meets West

Meet a cast of “mixed-up creatures” and have fun making art at The RISD Museum’s Free-For-All Saturday on May 31, 2008, from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., in the RISD Auditorium, Boston’s Chinese Folk Art Workshop amazes with traditional dance, drumming, and acrobatics. Free-For-All Saturday at the museum means admission, refreshments, and all activities are free!
Location: The RISD Museum - 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI

The lion dance (pictured above), created in China over one thousand years ago, will be presented by Boston’s acclaimed Chinese Folk Art Workshop as part of “East Meets West.”

For Kids: Can You Draw This?
The Chinese seem to have a fondness for complicated beasts. Take the fenghuang or “Chinese phoenix”: with the face of a rooster, neck of a snake, breast of a goose, back of a tortoise, legs of a deer, and tail of a fish, it is just about the most mixed-up of all creatures. Think you can draw such a creature? Download and print the template here, and bring your drawing to The RISD Museum. You’ll receive a free pass to the museum for yourself and your family to use another day!

—————————————————————————————-
CREDITS:
Chimera
Chinese, 6th century
Stone; 20 ** x 17 ** x 16 **
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Museum Works of Art Fund
Photography by Erik Gould

All additional inquires or requests should be directed to: Melody Ennis, Coordinator of Photographic Services, The RISD Museum, 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903. 401 454-6535. E-mail inquires to: mennis@risd.edu
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ARTplay is a monthly column written by Marianne Ruggiero for The RISD Museum in which various themes and activities introduce kids and parents to the museum’s collection both online and off. Each month Kidoinfo will help spark your children’s interest in art - they can learn about different works at the museum and download a related activity to create offline. Be sure to visit the museum and explore the art in person. On Free-for-All Saturdays (the last Saturday of every month), kids may continue their exploration through a variety of hands-on workshops, performances, videos, and special gallery quests throughout the day.

A quick list of my favorite finds on the web this week.

• I love the design sensibility of Janet Morales and Stu Eli, the husband and wife team behind the website, three potato four, an online shop devoted to housewares, accessories, and vintage finds. And thanks to Design Sponge, you can get a sneak peek into their home.

• Find clever ideas for storing your kids’ artwork at cookiemag.com.

• The Whip Up blog is all about handcrafting and recently reviewed the fab new book, Making Stuff for Kids.

• This week I learned about Lindsey Carr on the Rag and Bone blog. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland and creates wonderful paper-craft puppet theaters in the wee hours of the night. You can buy one of her DIY paper theaters on her etsy site.

• If you like making your own birthday cakes, you can pre-order Matthew Mead’s new book, Cakes for Kids. Check out his new website for design inspiration.

Here is what I found recently while surfing the web…

• I read the Rag and Bone blog regularly—this week Jason introduced me to Jim Deneven and now I want to make beautiful patterns in the sand like this.
• MakeZine found this cool one-shot panorama camera, 360 gizmos, fun for kids (and adults) at the NYC Toy Fair.
• Find clever ways to display your kid’s collections in the last issue of Cookie.
• Read Parent Hacks on how you can still take your baby out in the snow without regular snow boots: Makeshift Ziploc bag “snow boots” for babies.
• Learn how to make your own finger-paint.
• The New York Times recently published a couple of interesting articles:
- How design conscious parents deal or don’t deal once kids join share their space—Parent Shock: Children Are Not Décor—Click on the comments to hear a variety of reader opinions.
- With the growing success of in vitro fertilization, the rate of triplets and higher-order multiples has steadily increased, doctors are now looking at Lowering Odds of Multiple Births.
• Nonchalantmom has moved down the street in Wakefield and is designing the fall nonchalant kid’s collection. Also thank you to Carina for introducing me to the lovely world of bloesem kids!

Neighborhood: East Side of Providence
Kidoinfo Interviewer: Katy Killilea

Kidoinfo: Where were you born?
CSB: Boston.

Kidoinfo: How long have you been in Rhode Island?
CSB: I’ve been in Rhode Island since eighth grade (scary), except for being an undergrad in upstate NY, and doing grad school in NYC.

Kidoinfo: What is your current state of mind?

CSB: Slightly spazzy. I’m trying to focus on NOT multitasking; just doing one thing at a time and seeing it through to completion.

Kidoinfo: Who’s in your family?

CSB: My hilarious husband, Eric, and our cheeky kids, Alice and Leo.

Kidoinfo: What trait do you most admire about your family?
CSB: We laugh and laugh and laugh.

Kidoinfo: What is your favorite thing to do?
CSB: Travel (but ask me the last time I went anywhere exciting!).

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I took my kids to see Tape Art Artaquarium at the recently opened 5 Traverse Gallery in Fox Point. This unusual exhibit is the work of Michael Townsend, James Mercer, and Jay Zehngebot from the Trummerkind art collective (some may know them as “the mall artists”). For four weeks, they are residing in this funky little gallery off Wickenden Street and creating Tape Art. Using low-adhesive drawing tape, they create temporary, large-scale murals designed to interact with both the viewer and the environment. One of the artists showed my kids how to draw with tape—which is both easy to shape and easy to remove if you change your mind. We were at the gallery for about an hour before the opening so everyone was a bit busy setting up for the event–including bringing in buckets of stones to create the aquarium floor–but they invited us to come back another day when there would be more time to watch them work on the mural and for the kids to draw with tape.

My kids and I were so inspired to make our own art that we stopped at Utrecht around the corner on Wickenden Street and bought a couple rolls of blue (Scotch Brand) removable painters Tape (3/4-inch x 60 yards on sale for $2.99 a role, regularly $3.99) and headed home to decorate our walls. Although my boy’s bedroom is a converted attic with sloping walls in one corner, there’s an alcove under the eaves (we call it “the clubhouse” and it is where the boys currently sleep). The walls were plain and unadorned–a blank canvas waiting to be transformed.
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Artisans from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts come together once a year in December to sell their work. Although the location has changed over the years, this show brings together an eclectic collection of fabulous things to buy - ceramics, wood, jewelry, glass, books, photography, painting, printmaking, collage, and more. In this cooperative craft event, the artists handle all aspects of the show, including the jurying, marketing, and selling. The artists can choose what work they wish to sell - a bonus for the buyer who may find seconds and one-of-kinds along with usual favorites.

The show runs for seven days in the historic Pawtucket Armory, it’s open to the public, and admission is FREE. And if you can get your stroller up the front steps, there is plenty of room inside to move it around. This year you can enjoy great live music while you shop. Since the artists share the sales responsibility, you may not meet all the artists on any given day (except on Opening Night), but there are always plenty of artists to mingle with and to answer any questions you may have.

When I am not crafting myself, I love to shop the local fairs. And shopping local for holiday gifts supports our community and may even save gas, time, and money. Show your support for handmade crafts by local area artists by visiting the Foundry Show this year. With so many artists to choose from, there is sure to be something for everyone on your gift list or your own wish list.

Here is a list of some of my favorites at this year’s show:
Enjoy discovering your own.

Red Chair Studio
Offers a unique handmade collection of luminously dyed and printed silk scarves and wraps, lavender sachets, collaged blossom pins, and other vibrant wearables and unusual gifts.
owner + designer: Christine Herron
web: www.redchairstudio.com

Rag & Bone Bindery
They will be selling their traditional paper page albums as well as slip-in sleeve photo binders, journals, accordion books, and their bestselling digital photo albums. Baby’s First Book will be available - each ribbon-bound book contains 24 whimsical fill-in pages such as “How Mom and Dad met,” “How we picked your name,” “The Big Day,” plus many more.
owner + designers: Jason Thompson & Ilira Steinman
Web: www.ragandbonebindery.com

Dahlia Kanner Studio
Contemporary jewelry crafted in eighteen-karat gold, platinum, and sterling silver.
artist: Dahlia Kanner
web: www.dahliakannerstudio.com

Bryce Studio
Original works of art in oil, watercolor, and mixed-media. Check out Bryce’s collection of hand-painted wooden blocks.
artist: Mike Bryce
web: www.mikebryceart.com

Beehive Kitchenware
Elegantly crafted metal accessories for the kitchen and home. Lovely line of birds motifs to check out include birthday candleholders, holiday ornaments, and fridge magnets.
artists: Sandra Bonazoli & Jim Dowd
web: www.beehivekitchenware.com

Mindy Cherry
Colorful wraps, blankets, and scarves in wool and fleece.
artist: Mindy Cherry
Web: www.mindycherry.com

Foundry Show:
Pawtucket Armory Building - 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket, RI

Opening Night: Thursday, December 6, from 5 to 9pm
Music by the Topcats
Show Hours:
Fridays, December 7 & 14, from 12 noon to 8pm
(Music from 5 to 8 pm)
Saturdays, December 8 & 15, from 10am to 6pm
(Music from 3 to 6 pm)
Sundays, December 9 & 16, from 10am to 6pm (TBA)

Music Schedule:
December 6: Topcats
December 7: Taren Yelle Band
December 8 & 14: Ten Years To Late
December 9 & 16: Corinne Wahlberg & other RISA artists
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Made by Hand is an ongoing series where I highlight different artists and their work from Rhode Island and beyond. I will introduce you to a world of handcrafted works for both kids and adults - from toys, books, jewelry, art, food and more.

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

Here is the second part of this months Artplay series.

An Interview with Red Hawk
Cliff Matias is the Director of Red Hawk Native American Arts Council and member of the Cheyenne nation. Red Hawk is based in New York City.

ARTplay: Where does the name of your group come from?
Cliff: From a beautiful bird of prey native to North America. Birds of prey are special to Native Americans. We honor them.

ARTplay: Why did you found Red Hawk?
Cliff: To help educate the general public about Native American culture and to provide Native American artists with ways to earn income.

ARTplay: What is the most special concert you have given?
Cliff: All of our concerts are special, but performing for ex-president Bill Clinton and for the Prime Minister of South Korea were two very special occasions.

ARTplay: How about the upcoming concert at RISD?
Cliff: We are excited about coming to Rhode Island. It will be the first time our group has performed there all year.

ARTplay is a monthly column written by Marianne Ruggiero from The RISD Museum in which various themes and activities will introduce kids and parents to the museum’s collection both online and off. Each month Kidoinfo will help spark your children’s interest in art - they can learn about different works at the museum and download a related activity to create offline. Be sure to visit the museum and explore the art in person. On Free-for-All Saturdays (the last Saturday of every month), kids may continue their exploration through a variety of hands-on workshops, performances, videos, and special gallery quests throughout the day. The RISD Museum - 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI