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

Littlewoods reopened today after a month-long renovation.

By Karen Lambe
Early Childhood Developer

The woods are alive with the sound of children! And they have been since Littlewoods, the beloved woodland environment created especially for the Museum’s youngest visitors, first opened in 1997. Designed to inspire active exploration and interaction with adults and other children, Littlewoods has welcomed thousands of young children and their caregivers and has hosted many magical learning moments over the last ten years.

In the Baby Nest, six-month-old Liam sits at the bottom of a wedge-shaped mat, watching as his mother rolls a colorful, squeezable ball into his outstretched hands. “Look at that!” I observe, “He tracked with his eyes and caught the ball. Good example of developing hand-eye coordination.” Mother beams and baby giggles as he picks up the ball.

Meanwhile, one-year-old Jennie pushes a sturdy wooden cart, stopping periodically to pick up a soft rubber rock or skunk puppet that needs transporting to the Cozy Cave. “Aren’t those carts a great help for the toddler who is working on new walking skills?” I ask. “Yes, they’re just the right size to support her, and Jennie loves that she can carry things around in them,” remarks her grandma.

Nearby, a couple of four-year-olds stage an elaborate feast for the stuffed bears. “You get the bowls ready for the fish soup. I’ll catch some fish and bring the bears over to sit at the table,” suggests Chris to Tommy. “I better climb the ladder into the tree and collect some acorns to put into the soup,” says Tommy. The boys are busy with their dramatic play, working together to create a story that springs from their imaginations, their interactions, and an environment that supports and encourages open-ended play.

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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!

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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.

FirstWorks is back this season with creative arts programming for kids and adults. They kicked off the 2008 season with Handmade Puppet Dreams — a zany puppet film festival in two parts curated by Heather Henson, daughter of Muppets creator Jim Henson. These puppet films have been created by independent artists specifically for the camera. The first part for adults was shown a few weeks ago at RISD’s Memorial Hall. Tomorrow bring the kids (big and small) to see part two at the Providence Children’s Museum.

Some of you may remember the fabulous, fun, and free FirstWorksKids festival that’s been held in downtown Providence every June for the last fours years. It’s an entire day filled with music, dance, and theater from around the world, along with hands-on activities for kids. Last year Dan Zanes really rocked the house with his bandmates and then led the parade of families, performers, and Big Nazo puppets from RISD to Waterplace Park.

This year the FirstWorks team has decided to shake things up even more. Starting in 2008, instead of a day-long festival, FirstWorks will plan creative family events throughout the year. Although my family will miss the annual festival, we look forward to unusual and engaging performances like tomorrow’s event at a variety of venues at different times of the year. I applaud the FirstWorks’ mission to connect arts to audiences (both children and adults) with amazing experiences with performance. And I believe that by restructuring the kids’ programming, FirstWorks may broaden their reach — influencing the lives of many more children in our community. In June I will have details about the upcoming fall FirstWorksProv festival which will include more family events this year.

Details for Handmade Puppet Dreams:
FirstWorks presents Handmade Puppet Dreams for Kids: A series of 9 shorts, ranging in length from 5 seconds to 14 minutes. Total program will run 45 minutes.
When: Friday, May 16, at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Two 45-minute showings.)
Where: Providence Children’s Museum - 100 Water Street, Providence, RI (map)
Cost: Admission to the museum is free from 5-8 p.m.
(MetLife Family Fridays - sponsored by the MetLife Foundation.)

A sample of some of the films:

Hold Me Now By Damien Eckhardt-Jacobi and Vincent Bova
The debut single off The Polyphonic Spree’s album is an inspirational song for troubled times. Glove and Boots won a challenge for independent filmmakers to create a video that would ultimately represent the song.

Graveyard Jamboree with Mysterious Mose By Seamus Walsh & Mark Caballero
Inspired by an old record by Harry Reser and his Radio All-Star Novelty Orchestra. Three techniques were used in this film including, live action puppetry, silhouette animation and stop motion animation.

Trixie and The Tree Trunks By Quintron & Miss Pussycat
After receiving a secret message from a talking “Happy Tree,” Trixie and Marsha, two woodland animals, embark on a quest to start a band. Adventure unfolds in this puppet mini-series as Trixie and Marsha adopt glow-in-the-dark stray cats and search for a drummer.

Photo Courtesy of FirstWorks

By Jaci Arnone

My family recently discovered one of Rhode Island’s hidden gems: the Museum of Natural History and Cormack Planetarium. Situated in Roger Williams Park, this museum is the only of its kind in Rhode Island and proved to be a fun adventure for the entire family.

The Museum features a wide range of exhibits highlighting a variety of cultures from Native Americans to the craftspeople of the South Pacific. In addition, a Victorian-styled exhibition hall features treasures from the turn of the century, when collecting natural history items became an international fascination. (The exhibit includes a working observation hive, complete with live bees!)

The highlight for my older sons was Mission Moon: past, present, future (on display through September 29, 2008), featuring 3D imagery acquired by the Apollo and Surveyor programs and a moon rock collected by the crew of Apollo 17. There are several space-related, hands-on activities for kids of all ages, with museum staff available to answer questions.

Upon arrival, I would recommend picking up a ‘Scavenger Hunt’ worksheet, which lists basic trivia questions for each exhibit. This encouraged my kids to pay attention to details, and the best part was claiming their prize for turning in a completed worksheet!

My kids were tuckered out before the start of the Planetarium show (2:00 each weekend day and during school vacations), so we passed for this visit. However, the grounds of the museum served as a perfect picnic spot to enjoy lunch before heading home. We can’t wait to visit again!

Details:
Museum of Natural History & Planetarium
Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI
401-785-9457 ext.221
Museum admission: $2 ($1 for children 2-7 years old)
Planetarium admission: $3 ($2 for children 4-7 years old). This includes entrance to the Museum and galleries. Children under 4 not permitted in the planetarium.
The first Saturday of every month is free to Providence (not East or North Providence) residents only (proof of residency required).

Photo Credit: Jaci Arnone

By Cathy Saunders
Director of Education

Three years ago, Providence Children’s Museum was selected as one of nine sites across the country to join the National Partnership for After School Science (NPASS), a pilot project funded by the National Science Foundation to improve training for after-school providers. We’ve had a blast working with nine after-school programs to build rubber-band-powered cars, explore dry ice, wire a toy house with lights that turn on and off, and more. As the Museum’s director of education, I’ve learned a tremendous amount that has implications not only for after-school programming but for school and museum programs and parents as well.

Our approach to this project is that you don’t have to be a scientist or a teacher to teach science; you just have to be curious, excited, and willing to give kids some materials to work with. I don’t always feel confident in my knowledge of scientific principles, but I am sure of my ability to facilitate science learning. I provide opportunities for “tinkering,” problem-solving, experimenting, question-asking, and working with others. I know we’ll learn more than we knew before, even if I can’t always predict what it will be.

“What did you notice?” has become our most frequent question. Observing details is a learned skill, one you can encourage by asking open-ended questions that prompt children to use their five senses. To answer these questions, children use descriptive language that forms a foundation for their science vocabulary. Their observations are evidence they can use to design tests to answer their own questions.

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Drive time from Providence, RI: @1 hour 45 minutes (@ 90 miles) (directions)

Details:
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - 869 Route 6A, Brewster, MA 02631
Open February through December
Admission: Adults - $8 (Seniors - $7), Ages 3-12 - $3.50, Under 3 - free. Free for members.
508-896-3867

Indoors: Kids can see everything from woolly mammoth tusks and whale baleen to a real beehive and learn about fish weirs and coastal changes. In the bird viewing room, kids watch birds outside a large picture window (with or without the binoculars) or see the osprey nest via video cam. Lots of hands-on activities keep children of all ages engaged—from a sandbox to crayon rubbings to studying shells under microscopes. Spend some time in the library or head downstairs to visit the aquarium. It was quiet the day we were there and we were lucky enough to get a personal guide who told us about the sea life. We learned fun facts like all turtles have thirteen scoots (the patterns on the top of their shells), no matter what their size, and the blood from horseshoe crabs is used in many of today’s pharmaceuticals.
Outdoors: Choose from several great nature walks – around a salt mash, through a wildflower and butterfly garden, or through a wooded path down to the beach. There are lots of picnic tables out front for having lunch or pausing for a snack.

Things we brought along for our hike:
• Magnifying glass to look at bugs and other treasures (My boys each have their own — $1.49 each from Ocean State Job Lot)
• Rhodia graph pad to record discoveries (fits perfectly into a six-year old’s pants pocket)
• Bottle of water
• Snacks (unfortunately I left ours in the car)
• Bird book
• A great walking stick (we actually didn’t bring one but found several to choose from along the way)

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

April brings showers, flowers, and birds back into our gardens. Bring a piece of nature inside your home by creating a sun catcher in the shape of a bird in flight. Here’s an easy sun catcher project you can make with your kids. It was developed by Zehra Ahmed, a RISD Architecture student originally from Karachi, Pakistan. Sun catchers, first developed by Native Americans in the Southwest, are often made of glass or other types of reflective materials. Zehra’s sun catcher, based on an English porcelain syrup jug in the Museum’s decorative-arts collection, uses transparent cellophane wrap and other materials that you may already have in your home.

This lovely jug (above) created to hold syrup is from the Coalport China Company’s “Japanese Grove” pattern. It features a scene inspired by Japanese art of bamboo and flying birds resembling swallows against a gilded background. This and other beautiful examples of American and European ceramics featuring birds and flowers may be found on The RISD Museum’s 6th-floor bridge to Pendleton House as part of an ongoing exhibition titled The birds & the bees & the flowers & the trees.

Make a Bird Sun Catcher

Materials:
• Bird template (Download PDF)
• Scissors
• Exacto Knife (optional - for adult use only)
• Colored cardboard (your choice of color)
• Colored cellophane wrap (available at Michael’s Craft Store)
• Glue stick
• Paper punch
• Ribbon

How To:
1. Print two copies of the bird template and carefully cut them out. Adults should help children cut out the inner areas of bird wings and body.
2. Trace the templates onto the colored cardboard and cut them out. Adults should help children cut out the inner areas of bird wings and body. (An exacto knife works well for the inner area.)
3. Lay pieces of cellophane wrap over the bird frames. Use two colors if you like, one for the wings and the other for the body. Cut pieces of cellophane to fit over the inside spaces of the bird frames, but not to extend beyond the outside edge.
4. Put the two cardboard frames together so that you know which sides to glue; then put glue (not too much) all along the inner sides of the bird frames.
5. Lay cut cellophane wrap over the glue and seal the frame shut. Hold in place for a couple of minutes to make sure glue sets.
6. Punch a hole through the two glued frames in the area that corresponds to the place marked “X” on the print-out.
7. Put a colorful string or thin ribbon through the hole and tie a knot at the other end.
8. Your bird sun catcher is completed. Hang in front of a sunny window in your home so that it catches the light.

Celebrate the Earth with Us!
On April 26, from 11 am – 4 pm at The RISD Museum, kids and families pay tribute to Earth Day by making sun catchers, peace flags, finding nature-related art on a special gallery quest, and enjoying a live concert by the Community MusicWorks Players. (Two performances in the museum at 12 pm and 1pm). Free-For-All Saturday at the museum means admission, refreshments, and all activities are free!
Location: The RISD Museum - 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI

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CREDITS:
Photo: Zehra Ahmed (RISD 2009) teaches children a project at a RISD Museum Free-For-All Saturday workshop. Photograph by Carole deGroat.
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Coalport China Company
England, Coalport, 1780-present
Syrup Pitcher (“Japanese Grove” pattern), ca. 1880
Porcelain, cobalt and gilt decoration
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2004.27.1

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By Karen Lambe,
Early Childhood Educator

It’s so common, so much a part of our world, that we often take it for granted. From the early days of our baby’s life, when we gently tap in time to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the bottom of her feet to the Raffi CD that gets played over and over, music permeates our world. How wonderful that it does!

When children grow up hearing music, singing songs, and moving to the beat, it helps develop their language, physical coordination, and social skills. What can parents do to support musical learning?

Sing! With baby on the changing table, sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” Point to baby’s parts and end with a big clap. Sway and dance with baby in your arms to a waltz or a salsa. Clap in rhythm to “Happy Birthday to You.”

As your child gets older, share classic nursery rhyme songs. Sing “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” and make up some movements to go with it. This is the way we: Jump up and down . . . Sway to and fro . . . Give a big hug . . . All fall down!

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By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

If artworks could speak, what would they say? Would statues tell you about the day their features took shape from a block of stone or lump of clay? Maybe the little girl in the portrait you like so much would invite you to step into the painting and play a game with her. Artwork often tells a story. Sometimes the artist has a specific story in his or her mind when creating the work. People also imagine their own stories as they look at paintings or sculptures.

WORDS & PICTURES
What stories are suggested by the artworks below? Look at each one, and write a short tale to go with each:

IF DRAGONS COULD SPEAK…
What would they say? Match each dragon pictured below with what you think it might be saying.

A. “That woman’s strength is nothing. With one lick of my fiery breath, she will drop the crystal, and power will be mine!”

B. “Some people think I’ve opened my mouth to laugh. My hope was to breathe fire, but the artist forgot to include that detail. I was placed in a tomb, more than 1000 years ago, with an important person. My special powers kept him from harm in the after-life.”

C. “My golden yellow color means that I was made to be worn by a member of the royal family, probably a queen or a princess.”

MUSIC MAKERS
Here is the painter Joshua Reynold’s “A Caricature Group.” What could these music-makers and listeners be saying?

“Once Upon a Time…”
If you like to find stories in art, come to Free-For-All Saturday at The RISD Museum on March 29. Make a book, create a dancing puppet, or go on a story-filled quest. At 3:00 p.m., come to The RISD Auditorium for a magical dance performance created especially for this day by Festival Ballet in Providence.
The RISD Museum - 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI

ARTplay is a monthly column written by Marianne Ruggiero from 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.

Illustrations for “If Dragons Could Speak” and answer to matching game:

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