Creations from the Hands and Minds of Children: An Art Gala
UPDATE:Art work is due this Friday, February 15, 2010! for the Creations from the Hands and Minds of Children: An Art Gala!
Where: Levi E. Coe Library at 414 Main Street in Middlefield, CT.
When: February 20, 2010 from 5:00 -8:00pm.
Homeschool Art Gala Mission
To provide homeschooled children the opportunity
- to present their art work to the community;
- to learn to critique their own work by determining the worth of their art work within the given parameters; and
- to give back to the community through the donation of art work to benefit a local non-profit organization.
Who may participate
- We are looking for interested young artists to donate their art work to be sold for a small fee or those who wish to display art can pay a small fee. Our youngest participant has been 18 months and our oldest has been 17. Art work has been of every description and medium imaginable. We only ask that the art work be appropriate for a family venue.
What to do
- Each artist prices their work for $1, $2, $3, $4 or $5. If they are donating it, the piece will be on display in the upper level of the library for the public to purchase for the donation price. If being pre-bought & only to be displayed for viewing pleasure then it will be placed downstairs in the Children’s Room & must be pre-bought by a parent. Some artists are reluctant to part with their artwork so parents have opted to pre-buy artwork for a dollar or two per piece. Pre-bought work is designed for budding artist to display their prized creations while having their parents/guardians support the cause monetarily.
The money raised allows the Levi Coe Library to purchase additional materials for The Children’s Room & Young Adult Department of the library.
- Each piece of artwork needs an artist information card which has the child’s name (first & last), age, Title of the artwork, price & if it is pre-bought or not. The cards are available at the Levi E. Coe Library (available at time of drop-off) or from Regenia Allen or Candy Hayden (Mueller).
- The artwork can be of any medium which you can conceive. If your child can imagine it and make it happen then we can find a place to display it. We have had sculptures, etchings, drawings, paintings, cards, sculpey creations, quilts & other fiber arts, recycled art and so many more submitted in years past. We do ask you group small items together, ie a set of 2 or 3 mini light bulbs.
- Drawings, paintings, etc. need to be framed or suitable for hanging. Some people buy frames from the Dollar store & others opt to back with poster board or foam board. Since the organizers try to hang as much of the artwork as is possible, it is important is be in hangable condition when we receive it.
How to make this a successful event
- We need at least 300 pieces of art work to make this a successful event. Each participant is asked to donate/show at least 4 pieces and can donate/show up to 15 pieces. We are beginning to collect art pieces now and will be accepting donations until February 15th. You can call Regenia Allan at (860)349-1577 or drop off donations at the Levi E. Coe library during their business hours M-Th 10am-7pm & Sat. 10am-1pm.
Parental obligations
- Pre-Gala Meeting: We will have a meeting on Feb 19, 2010 @ 3pm to go over the expectations for the the night of the Gala & to familiarize everyone with the library and where everything will be found and to answer any questions.
- Mandatory refreshments: On the night of the Gala, we ask families with participating artists to bring 2 clear drinks (water, 7up, white grape juice) and a plate of finger foods.
How to sign up
If you are interested in signing up your child(ren), you can do so when you drop off your artwork at Levi E. Coe or you can email me with their name(s), age(s), parents name, email address & phone number. If you attend GreenSchool, you can also find Regenia or Candy and sign up, get artist information card & drop off art work for the Gala.
Organizer’s Contact information:
Regenia Allan (860)349-1577
Candy Hayden (Mueller) at themueller<at> mac.com.
Newcomer Tips:
- Created some practical art pieces. Since I did not know what to expect the first year and was very nervous that no one would buy their art pieces–or worse, I’d be stuck buying all their pieces, while this art gala is my attempt to clean out my house filled with art pieces in the first place…I decided to direct them towards so practical, usable, creative pieces, such as motivational bookmarks, very creative pencil holders, and fancy decorative jewelry. A number of my girls’ work were purchased by people we didn’t know. So, the intrigue and excited that my girls felt, knowing that “someone else” “really interested” in purchasing their work did!
- Display the art pieces “for sale”. Our oldest daughter, then 7 yo, created quite the ‘talk’ that evening, when we arrived and Papa tried to purchase his favorite piece she painted. Only to find out that it was already sold and he was the fourth person to ‘try’ and buy it. While it was a beautiful piece, it was one of her quickest paintings, but with the help of the organizers, because we found a gorgeous dollar store frame that fit it perfectly, it looked very professional.
- Price the art work based on time spent, ability, and saleability. We priced our daughter’s painting based on time for $3, but we didn’t take into account that it was very professionally displayed and truly worthy of being hung on someone’s wall. Do not underestimate your child/ren’s ability. I learned the hard way..because…next tip:
- Have your kids look forward to being designated as an “Artist” for the night. Since our daughter had her name tag prominently pinned, one of the four people wanting to purchase her painting, “commissioned” her to paint one for her, and offered to pay her more than $3 as long as she used the colors she requested. All her friends were so proud and excited for our daughter. Since I lost her contact information, and we agreed to have her pay only when my daughter completed the painting, I let this great opportunity slip. Rest assured, my daughter is going to make it again, and create similar appealing pieces this year.
- Expect an enchanted, elegant, fun, educational evening for the entire extended family and friends. While people dressed from jeans to black-ties since some of our daughters’ girl-friends were even getting their hair done, my girls decked out in their formal Eid gowns. My parents joined my entire family, and we had such a great time, that it was SO hard to drag them away early–since me and one of our daughter’s was nursing the end of a flu. The ambiance, entertainment, organization and lay-out of this evening has caused this night to never be erased from our memories. Since grandma, may God have mercy with her, won’t be joining us, we’re working hard to have my sister come all the way from NJ this month.
- Designate a fair “allowance” for each child to spend & set some rules. The night is a great math and economics lesson too. Kids walk around and weigh her needs and desires along with new-found or old homeschool buddies. Our rule was, don’t spend so quickly–take your time, and they were not allowed to purchase their own or their sisters’ work
- If you’re not sure if you want to participate–at least attend! This is the one most unusual experience in my 10 years of homeschooling, that I’ve ever witnessed homeschool kids and families, babies to grandparents, sipping drinks elegantly, kids walking confidently and proudly eager to satisfy their friends and guests, lessons in all subjects like art, math, and networking among all ages with no havoc or chaos. It’s truly a night to remember a time to mark on your calendar to attend!
Similar Posts:
- HELP Homeschool Student Expo updates
- Greenbird Story Book Challenge 2011 – Your children’s art in a charity Eid book!
- Heart of Haiti Project – Finding Pratical Art in the Most Unusal Objects
- American Girls Helps Start a Book Club for Girls
- Twitter Updates for 2010-01-22
Category: Entertainment
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait .. …
[Reply]