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.

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 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:

(more…)

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

Shakespeare wrote, “All that glitters is not gold.” What this means is that you have to be careful about judging things that LOOK really good on the outside, because chances are that they might not be so great when you look on the inside. Inner value, in other words, is just as important as surface value.

Think about a favorite bracelet or ring you own. Is it special because it’s beautiful, or because a special person gave it to you as a gift? Perhaps it’s both. This makes our jewelry extra-special for us, in terms of its beauty and sentimental value.

Jewelry has played an important role throughout history. Different cultures attach very different meanings to the pieces of jewelry they create. Let’s look at some examples of this:

JEWELRY THAT TAKES GOOD CARE OF YOU
The ancient Egyptians believed that the images of gods and goddesses they wore when they were buried kept them from harm throughout eternity. This type of jewelry (pictured above) is a “pectoral,” worn over a man or woman’s chest. It is made of faience, which the Egyptians produced by mixing powdered quartz with other minerals. Faience objects turned bright blue green when fired. The goddess represented is Isis, a powerful protector of the dead. This pectoral was pierced with tiny holes jewelry so that it could be sewn to the mummy’s bandages.

Image Credit:
Egypt, Third Intermediate period
Winged Isis Pectoral, around 1075 – 712 BCE
Egyptian faience
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund
Photography by Erik Gould

ROYAL JEWELRY FROM THE SEA
Can you guess what was used to make the long necklace of this Native American Sachem, or chief? Give up? The answer is clam and mussel shells. Shells were also used to make his crown. The person in this portrait is thought to be Robin Cassacinamon, ruler of the Pequot nation almost four centuries ago.

Image Credit:
Artist unknown
Native American Sachem, late 17th century
Oil on canvas
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop
Photography by Erik Gould

JEWELRY THAT SAYS: “I’M IMPORTANT!”
Would you guess that this fancy necklace was made to be worn by a man? High government officials in Tibet once wore such beautiful jewelry as a mark of their importance. The light blue stones are turquoise and the red ones are rubies, a gem of great value. The “monster” face in the center of the necklace was meant to protect its wearer from evil.

Image Credit:
Tibetan
Collar (neckwear)
Brass (alloy), gilding, turquoise, ruby, mother of pearl, stone
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Bequest of Martha B. Lisle
Photography by Erik Gould

BLING KING
The creator of this strawberry pendant is Kenneth Jay Lane, one of today’s most famous costume jewelry designers. Visit the RISD Museum to see the current exhibit of Lane’s jewelry.

Image Credit:
Kenneth Jay Lane
Strawberry Pendant Necklace
Gold-plated base metal with enamel and rhinestones
Courtesy of Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Photography by Erik Gould

NOW YOU’RE THE DESIGNER
Now it’s time to try your hand at designing a piece of jewelry. Click here to print a necklace template. With markers, crayons, paint or collage materials, add details to the jewelry shown here or use your own imagination.

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

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

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

What kinds of music did people make long ago and all around the world?
One way to find the answer to that question is to look at visual art that refers to music.

Here are 4 images of paintings and sculptures located at the RISD Museum of Art (see A, B, C, and D below). Answer the following questions, then look at the bottom of page and see how many you got right.

1. Can you find the relationship to music in each one?

2. Not bad! Okay, let’s see if you can identify the following:

• String instrument
• Brass instrument
• Percussion instrument
• Wind instrument

3. Now let’s put art and music together. How do each of the instruments in these artworks sound? To hear music samples, click on the images or the text link below.

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Note: The images of artwork from The RISD Museum collection will remain on the  Kidoinfo website for only 3 months as requested by the Museum.  Although the images have been removed, kids may still enjoy doing some of  the following projects.
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A

(Click to hear instrument)

Indian, Siva Nataraja (King of Dancers)
around 1400, bronze
46 1/2 x 37 1/2 in.
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Museum Appropriation Fund
Photography by Erik Gould

B

(Click to hear instrument)

Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, The Angel of Fame
1750, fresco mounted on canvas
130 1/4 x 78 in.
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Museum Appropriation Fund

C

(Click to hear instrument - Malagueña played by the Providence Mandolin Orchestra)

William Morris Hunt, Portrait of Ellen M. Brown
oil on canvas
42 1/2 x 30 3/8 in.
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Bequest of Mrs. Ellen M. Berry
Photography by Erik Gould

D
(Click to hear bagpipe)
(Click to hear bassoon)

Meissen, The Monkey Band
around 1749, porcelain, enamel, and gilding
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Bequest of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich
Photography by Erik Gould

Answers
1. Identifying instruments in the art

• A shows the Hindu god Shiva holding double-drum or damaru; there are also bells on the bracelets around Shiva’s ankles.
• B shows a trumpet.
• C shows a mandolin.
• D shows a conductor, singers, and musicians playing the flute, piano, bagpipes, bassoon, and trumpet.

2. Identify the types of instruments in the artwork

• String instrument - C
• Brass instrument - B, D
• Percussion instrument - A
• Wind instrument - D

ARTplay is a monthly column 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.

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

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

What do all the above things have in common? Think for a minute…

Got it? If not, look for a minute at the title of this article… That’s right, they are all good luck charms, also called “amulets.” Jaguar tooth might have fooled you, but if you lived in the Amazon rainforest, chances are you might wear a jaguar tooth around your neck for extra protection.
Different types of amulets can be found in most cultures and throughout history. The ancient Egyptians believed very strongly in the power of amulets that would protect the wearer in the afterlife. These objects were worn in life and also in death. Archaeologists have found them in tombs, sometimes tucked into the bandages wound around mummies.

Magic Bugs and Fish
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Note: The images of artwork from The RISD Museum collection will remain on the  Kidoinfo website for only 3 months as requested by the Museum.  Although the images have been removed, kids may still enjoy doing some of  the following projects.
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Take a look at pictures of some ancient Egyptian amulets made more than 2000 years ago! Why do you think they would have been considered lucky objects?

Egyptian, New Kingdom (around 1200 BCE)
Scarab (beetle)
Gold and enamel
1. 25″ x .875″
Gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth

The “dung beetle” or scarab had the habit of laying its eggs inside a ball of manure. Egyptian people, seeing the baby beetles emerge from manure, may have thought the insect was born magically. It became a symbol of rebirth.

Egyptian, New Kingdom (around 1391 – 1335 BCE)
Fish Amulet
Faience
1 9/16″ x 13/16″
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

The fish was also a symbol of rebirth and long life in ancient Egypt. A hole in the dorsal fin of this little blue fish tells us it was once a pendant on a necklace.

Egyptian , Ptolemaic Period (around 250 BCE)
Coffin of Nesmin
Wood, gesso, gilding
70 ½” x 17″
Museum appropriation and Mary B. Jackson Fund

A priest named Nesmin was laid to rest in this wooden coffin. The artists who painted the coffin wanted to make sure that Nesmin would have some powerful protection in the afterlife. Can you find an amulet just above his face?

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For extra protection against goblins and ghouls on Halloween!

Make an Egyptian Amulet
Using Sculpey clay (available at most crafts stores) to form an amulet of your choice. Use one or more colored clays. If you are going to wear your amulet as a necklace, make a little clay loop at the top for cord or ribbon. Have an adult bake your amulet in the oven following the instructions on the Sculpey wrapper. After your amulet comes out of the oven and cools, you can apply some details with permanent markers or acrylic paint.

ARTplay is a monthly column 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.

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

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum
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Note: The images of artwork from The RISD Museum collection will remain on the Kidoinfo website for only 3 months as requested by the Museum. Although the images have been removed, kids may still enjoy doing some of the following projects.
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Could you describe your favorite place purely in terms of the objects - great or small - you’ve seen there? Joaquin Torres-Garcia, Uruguayan by birth but a world traveler for most of his life, created such city word-pictures. New York City was “enormous surfaces with a thousand rectangular openings… elevators… trains, underground subways, numbers, 56, 56, 56, passing rapidly on the post…” The artist used to ask his friends to read this description, as fast as they could, to get a sense of the bustling life of the city. See if you can do this as well.

The French port city of Dunkerk was “harbor, dock, cranes… compass… telescope, helm wheel… rope ladder… heavy, static ships.” Think about the movement of ships in comparison to that of trains and subways. Would you read this city word-picture quickly or slowly?

Now you try it!
On a piece of paper, write the name of the city where you live or choose a place that you have visited. Make a “word picture” like Torres-Garcia to describe it. Parents can help write down the words for the younger kids. Try to write down six to ten words that describe the city.

…………………………………….. …………………………………….. ……………………………………..
(City)

…………………………………….. …………………………………….. ……………………………………..

Torres-Garcia lived at a time when many people traveled from one continent to another - say New York to France - by ship. In his painting 1943 America, we see a steamship that the artist has envisioned as brightly colored interlocking shapes, almost like a jigsaw puzzle. Can you tell from this painting that Torres-Garcia also designed wooden toys?

What would this painting look like with different colors and a few extra details? Click to upload an outline drawing of the painting, and color it with pencils, cray pas, or markers. Add extra details, if you like. Something you may find swimming in the ocean? Flying overhead?

Credits for Artwork:

Joaquin Torres-Garcia
Uruguayan, 1874-1949
1943 America, 1943
Oil on board, 23.625 ” x 27.75 ”
The Nancy Sayles Day Collection of Modern Latin American Art
Photograph by Erik Gould

Aztec, Monkey
around 1325-1521
Volcanic stone, 14 ” x 10 1/2 ”
Mary B. Jackson Fund
Photograph by Erik Gould.

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.

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

By Marianne Ruggiero
Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum

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Note: The images of artwork from The RISD Museum collection will remain on the Kidoinfo website for only 3 months as requested by the Museum. Although the images have been removed, kids may still enjoy doing some of the following projects.
—–

Have you ever created a “portrait,” or picture of someone that you know? What type of art materials did you use? Crayons, clay, maybe even a digital camera? In the days before cameras, which can produce an instant portrait, artists often made paintings of people. These painted portraits could take days, even months, to complete. People often had to pose for long periods of time. The completed portrait was usually given a place of honor in the home of the “sitter” (person who posed for the portrait), just as you might put a framed photograph of yourself or a family member in a special place in your own home.

How can you tell that these portraits were painted long ago? Compare the portraits and decide how they are alike. How are they different? Just like today, people who posed for portraits centuries ago dressed in their best clothes. Kids’ clothes, back then, were miniature versions of those worn by their parents. Think of yourself wearing the clothes worn by the children in the paintings. Would it be hard to play dressed like this?

Look at the family portrait. The Dad is pointing to a statue of his father. The statue carries the words “He lived and died without reproach.” This means that the Dad’s father was a very good man who never did anything wrong. The Dad tells his children to follow in the steps of their grandfather. Are the kids listening well to his words?

Now take a look at the portrait of the man in blue. Describe his expression. Is he happy, sad, worried? Or is it hard to tell? We don’t know the identity of this man, but it’s thought that he may have lived in New York, and perhaps had served in the American Revolutionary War. At that time African Americans made up 20 percent of the country’s population. Half of the African American population was free – like the man in the portrait – very few had the right to vote.

Say “Cheese!”

Have you noticed that people in old portraits, whether paintings or photographs, look very serious? They are very rarely shown smiling. Why do you think this is so? (Hint: think of how long it takes to paint a portrait…)

Now you are the artist!

Self-portraits are the pictures artists make of themselves. Set up a mirror on a table and first study your face very carefully. Using a lead pencil, draw a picture of yourself and then color it in with crayons or colored pencils. Include details – a favorite toy, book, or sports item – that describe you and your interests.

Frame your portrait. Choose a frame to download:
Ornate-Frame | Flower-Frame | Star-Frame

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.

Credits for illustrations:
Cornelis de Vos
Flemish, around 1584-1667
Portrait of a Young Girl, around 1633-5
Oil on canvas, 47 1/2 ” x 32″
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Gift of Manton B. Metcalf
Photography by Erik Gould

Jacques-Luc Barbier-Walbonne
French, 1769-1860
A Portrait of the Comte de Choulot de Chabaud la Tour and his Family, 1806
Oil on canvas, 87″ x 68 1/2 ”
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund
Photography by Erik Gould

Thought to be by James Martin
American, active 1798-1810
Portrait of a Gentleman, around 1820
Pastel on paper, 21 1/2 ” x 16 3/4 ”
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Georgianna Sayles Aldrich 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

ARTplay is a new monthly column written by Marianne Ruggiero, Coordinator of Family Programs at The RISD Museum.

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. Then make sure to visit the museum and explore the art in person. On Free-for-All Saturdays (the last Saturday of every month), kids can continue their exploration through a variety of hands-on workshops, performances, videos, and special gallery quests throughout the day.

The RISD Museum of Art: 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI. Telephone: (401) 454-6674