THE ARBOLEDA FESTIVAL, ON NOVEMBER 12TH IN THE DESIGN DISTRICT BENEFITS KIDSART PROGRAM

KIDSART that’s not just for the kids

Published on 09 September 2011 by Anne Tschida in All Communities, Miami

Artist Bhakti Baxter led children in making sculptures of kids.

What a pleasure to see the sampling of art that just opened on the second floor of the downtown LegalArt building (a Knight Arts Challenge grantee) in Miami. There is an impressive, pastel-colored, spray-painted canvas covering one wall; on another, a large, multicolored, epoxy-covered sculpture. In the middle of the room, a bunch of wonderful little sculptures, made from all sorts of materials that look like, well, yes, a bunch of little kids.

All of the above were made by children as part of a summer camp program sponsored by Artoconecto, which paired the kids with local artists to come up with these collaborative works — in the case of the pieces above, with Douglas Hoekzema, Sinisa Kukec and Bhakti Baxter, respectively.

Artist Sinisa Kukec guides kids into the world of art. Photo by Benjamin Thacker

It’s a pretty cool collaboration all around, as the program and this resulting exhibit, called “KIDSART Bridges: Tolerance and Understanding,” also involved children from across the Atlantic in Croatia. So in another corner, hung above a bit of floor covered in hay (which perfumed the room with a great rural essence), are some really lovely paintings crafted from the kids of this formerly war-torn Yugoslav republic. (In an interesting cross-pollination, one camp artistic “counselor” in Miami, Kukec, is a Croatian native). A current LegalArt resident, Pachi Giustinian guided her group of children in a workshop through some experimentation with abstract painting, which, in the end were pieced together in a semicircle on another part of the floor — almost like they were coated place-mats, fit together on a huge table. Giustinian and Baxter also had works of their own placed near the collaborative pieces; maybe as a “guide” as to the origins of the inspiration.

The burgeoning artists and their camp leaders arrive at LegalArt.

The fifth artist who participated in the workshop camp, Leda Almar, decided to get the children to explore the often difficult task of figurative drawing. The result is the revealing series of children’s portraits.

Upstairs on this opening night, the studios of the first year of residents at LegalArt were also opened up, giving the public a glimpse of what has been created during this inaugural incubator program. The live/work spaces are handsome and the work appropriately varied, from the in-house residents Viking Funeral (Carlos Ascurra and Juan Gonzalez), Jiae Hwang, Manny Prieres, Giustinian and the ™ Sisters. They will be departing by the end of the year, when a new group, now being considered, will take over in February 2012.

“KIDSART Bridges: Tolerance and Understanding” at LegalArt, 1035 N. Miami Ave., Ste. 220, Miami; www.legalart.org.

Courtesy of Anne Tschida and Knight Arts

OUR LAST CAMP IN GVOZD, CROATIA. THANKS TO ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE AT SUNCOKRET AND TO OUR GREAT KIDS!

BREAKING THE BARRIERS OF INTOLERANCE BY NIKOLA FALLER

Nikola and his friend and assistant Nina traveled from Hungary--they got lost in one of the most complicated and intricate crossroads that divides Eastern Europe-they ended up in Slovenia! The next day, they set out back on the road determined to make it to Gvozd. They did! and brought with them the most inspiring spirits and contagious energy. As soon as they pulled over into Suncokret, kids, artists, and volunteers immediately engaged--downloading stacks of fresh hay from his van, tools, baskets filled with artwork. The kids were in awe and realized how much you can do with hay, besides feeding it to the cows. " I use organic and natural materials in my work, because I believe that preservation of the planet is also part of my artistic journey. Today we will use branches from a nut tree, they are strong but at the same time they are flexible, and this will be symbolic for the kids--we must be strong in life but also flexible." By Nikola Faller. More photos and stuff-click on the sunflowers or right here!

Miami Week #4...Pachi Giustinian: Understanding as a Common Goal-Paint as 'Object'

Featuring LEGALART Artist-In-Residence, Pachi Giustinian!

Tolerance and Understanding In Our World.

Thank you Pachi Giustinian!!! Thank you Legal Art!

Artist Pachi Giustinian did an amazing job with her workshop at Legal Art this past Saturday... the children worked together to better understand the common goal... to paint as “object”. Giustinian’s workshop was truly a non representational abstract approach. And the children did an amazing job working on individual pieces , knowing that they would come together at a latter date.

Leandra, Lucas, Trenard, Lara, Skye, and Kamilla better understanding a finished painting as an object, by Pachi Giustinian....coninue by clicking on the KIDSART blog!

Miami Week #3: The kids explore the clandestine world of spray painting (aka GRAFFITI)....

KIDSART 2011

Tolerance and Understanding In Our World.

UNDERSTANDING PLATONIC PATTERNS

Stencils, Patterns and Painting.

A Work Shop By Douglas Hoekzema

Saturday, August 13TH, 2011

Our third Miami camp this summer was taught by painter, sculptor, and designer Douglas Hoekzema. It was an exciting adventure in better understanding “Platonic Patterns” through the act of repeatedly painting shapes, using hand made stencils the kids cut out themselves!!! Mr. Hoekzema methodically explained the seemingly simple task of stencil making with construction paper! a lot more complicated that it looks!!! Snow flakes came up a few times... and then it dawned on us... many of the kids and adults in the room have never even seen snowflakes before... and so, the Kids quickly rose to the occasion! Flowers, crystals... zebra stripes... rows of houses... the list ran on and on!

More photos on the KIDSART blog!