With local schools closed due to coronavirus concerns, schoolwork has moved from the classroom to the computer screen, as students receive lessons and communicate with their teachers via the Internet.
For most subjects this is workable – but what about for art? And what about younger children who aren’t in school but still benefit from creative play and hands-on projects?
The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum has the answers, with a series of KidsArt and Early Childhood Education online videos that kids of all ages (and their parents) can access to provide fun and creative activities that can be done at home.
By visiting the museum’s website, www.MyrtleBeachArtMuseum.org, and using the Kids Art link, viewers can access these videos, which have been created for a variety of age ranges that correspond to the Art Museum’s regular KidsArt classes. A Mommy and Me video, geared to ages three to four (with parents helping), offers a short story reading followed by an art activity that mirrors elements in the story.
Another video, aimed at kids ages five to twelve, offers a view of one of the museum’s artworks followed by a discussion of the style and techniques the artwork represents; then a segue to an art project inspired by the museum artwork. These videos, created by Children’s Art Educator Devann Gardner, run approximately 15 minutes. Projects use art materials and household items readily available to local families.
While the first video references sweetgrass baskets, kids are shown how to create and weave together various colored strips of paper to tell their own narratives visually.
There’s also a Virtual Early Art Education video, created by the museum’s Education and Outreach Coordinator Tracey Roode, designed for three-to-four-year-olds that follows the format of the Creative Curriculum© by Teaching Strategies, which is used by the First Steps 4K classrooms.
In each video, which runs about six minutes, children are asked a question that’s designed to encourage curiosity and creative thinking. The first episode asks the question, “Is a bubble a ball?” Through graphics and cartoon-style action, with a voice-over by Roode, children explore the differences between the two objects. Then a hands-on project is demonstrated that expands on the concepts introduced previously.
“These programs encourage children to problem solve, to be creative and curious, using subjects that are relevant to young children,” Roode explains. She plans to add a new video each week as long as schools remain closed.
A Teen Art Program video, for ages 13 – 18, is currently in production; plans call for it to be released on Wednesday, April 1. Created by Gardner, the video will feature “kitsch art,” commonly described as ironic or “low-end” art, and will show the viewer how to make a similar artwork using unconventional but readily available materials.
“Art can be very therapeutic,” Gardner says. “It’s always a good exercise to get outside of your current reality and express feelings.”
Although the Art Museum is currently closed to the public, donations are welcomed and community members are urged to become members if they are not already. These contributions enable the museum to continue providing outreach services, even while they are unable to offer in-person classes and other events.