We are so excited to kick off our Spring Art Show with a fun, family-friendly opening reception! Please join us in celebrating the creativity and hard work of our Little Artists and the talents of our Big Artists, who will be exhibiting their art side by side.
You can do all of these things at the same time by joining us at compARTE’s Charity Art Show benefiting Little Artist BIG ARTIST. The show’s exhibiting artists have graciously donated a piece of art to be raffled, with proceeds going to Chula League.
Please join us for a family-friendly opening reception to kick off the Little Artist BIG ARTIST Spring Art Show. Fifth- and sixth-grade Little Artists from four East Austin schools and their Big Artist mentors will be exhibiting screenprints, linocut prints, upcycled clothing, bags, collages, jewelry, furniture, drawings, and handmade vegan soap. We’ll also have live music from the Maplewood Ukulele Choir, the Allison Dragon Choir, and the Blackshear Violin Orchestra. The reception is free, and Spanish translation will be provided. Come see what Austin’s next generation of artists is up to!
FOOD • DRINK • MUSIC • ART
WHEN:
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 28, 6:00pm–8:00pm
Exhibition: April 28–May 15, 2016, Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm
WHERE:
Imagine Art @ ReNEW East Arts Complex | 2830 Real St. Austin, TX 78722 | across from the MLK Cap Metro Rail Station and on bus routes #20 & #465 .
Facebook Event: Little Artist BIG ARTIST Art Show Opening Reception
More details in the press release at the bottom of the page.
If you’ve made your Amplify donation, thank you for being amazing! We’re feeling the love! If you haven’t made a gift yet, may we nudge you along?
In 2008, Chula League’s Little Artist BIG ARTIST program had only one participating school, five Little Artists and five Big Artists. This year, we have four schools, 29 kids and 23 Big Artists! We want to raise $1,500 to add a school and bring FREE art lessons and mentoring to even more East Austin kids next year. You can help make that happen by donating through Chula League’s Amplify Austin page (http://bit.ly/ampchula) .
** WE’VE BEEN CHALLENGED!
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We just got word that an anonymous donor has pledged to match every donation dollar-for-dollar if we reach our goal of $1,500! So your Amplify donation has double the power to provide mentoring to even more Little Artists. Help us (http://bit.ly/ampchula) meet the challenge!
** KICK IT OFF TOGETHER
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Austin loves a party and so do we! Please join us and 40 other nonprofits for Tuesday’s big Amplify Assembly. We’ll be celebrating the start of Austin’s most exciting 24 hours of giving at Austin Public. All the party details are on the Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/1562699317389894/). See you tomorrow!
Visit our table at Tuesday’s big Amplify party and get a chance to win a free Little Artist BIG ARTIST t-shirt! Can’t make it in person? Tune into Austin Public Access Channel 10 for a live show 6–8pm or live stream (https://www.austinpublicaccess.org/watch/streaming10) from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
We’re asking our Big Artists five quick questions to find out how they feel about mentoring Little Artists.
Next up: Angie Diaz of by Angie Boutique.
How long have you been a Big Artist?
This year is my first time participating as a Big Artist.
What is your favorite thing about the program?
My favorite thing about the program is that it allows artists with non-traditional mediums like myself (sewing) to show a child that art comes in many different forms.
What is it about teaching and mentoring that makes you happy?
I love spending time with my Little Artist, getting to know her, and seeing her excitement when we finish a project.
When you were a kid, did you have a mentor or someone who gave you a push toward art?
As a kid I did not have a mentor, but I think that if I’d had a chance I would have loved it!
Where can people find your work?
Etsy: www.byangieboutique.etsy.com
Facebook: @byangieboutique
Instagram: @byangieboutique
What pops into your head when you think of lasers? Technology? James Bond movie villains? How about art?
For Big Artist Katie Cowden, lasers are just part of a day’s work. Katie uses a laser-cutting machine to cut out her designs from materials such as plywood. Then she turns those cut-out pieces into art or jewelry.
Katie’s Little Artists, Lauren and Emma, are using the same process to create “altar box” assemblages with their own cut-out designs. Sadly, they don’t get to use the laser-cutter just yet.
The day Katie arrived at Maplewood Elementary with her big Mary Poppins bag full of art supplies — and the cut-outs Lauren and Emma had drawn in a previous session — was a great day for everyone.
“They were so excited when I pulled out their pieces and they saw the physical manifestation of their work,” Katie says with a big smile.
She’s also teaching painting skills, such as blending, layering and wet-brush techniques. From her bag she sometimes pulls out tools the girls hadn’t thought about using: a nail brush, for example, or masking tape. (The girls thought that was cheating.) For Lauren’s sunset design, Katie asked them to look closely at a photo she brought. They noticed how the colors were layered and streaky, and the lines uneven.
But Little Artist BIG ARTIST is about more than art lessons — It’s also about entrepreneurship. Katie is also teaching Emma and Lauren how to think about their audience and what people might want to buy.
They talked about color theory and how people are drawn to bright colors and things that are cute and happy. They brainstormed about what might appeal to Austinites. That led Lauren to choose a bat theme. Emma is going with a theme we see here often: Dia de los Muertos, something she knew a lot about from her family traditions.
“Each of them brought something different from their cultural backgrounds,” Katie says.
The girls are learning how to take their backgrounds, their interests and their imaginations and do something that could turn into a career. Katie loves helping them find the confidence to say, “I can do it, too.”
She needed that confidence herself when she quit her job three years ago and decided to make a living as an artist. It came from her mother, she says.
“My mom was a teacher and an artist, so she never discouraged me,” Katie says. “She never said, ‘You can’t do that.’ I like to be that voice for the Little Artists.”
With a laser and a desire to make a difference, It’s a safe bet she is.
Katie Cowden
Years as a Big Artist: 2
School: Maplewood Elementary
Favorite thing: “When kids don’t believe they can paint as intricately as they can, and then they do!”
Where to find her work: Katie’s pieces are sold in local businesses such as salons, vintage stores, and galleries. She also does custom and wholesale work. Check out her Etsy store, Killer Queen Jewelry.
See how Katie uses lasers to make art in this cool video.
We’re asking our Big Artists five quick questions to find out how they feel about mentoring Little Artists.
First up: Ceramicist Jennifer Hill
How long have you been a Big Artist?
This is my first year as a Big Artist.
What is your favorite thing about the program?
I love that I get to work one-on-one with my Little Artist. This has helped us to make a great connection, not only artistically but through our conversations.
What is it about teaching and mentoring that makes you happy?
Through this experience, kids become aware that a life in art can be the norm, rather than the exception.
When you were a kid, did you have a mentor or someone who gave you a push toward art?
Yes. We had a good friend of the family who was a graphic artist and musician. She gave me a calligraphy set and how-to book when I expressed an interest. And knowing that she was actually an artist for a living planted a serious seed.
Where can people find your work?
Website: jenniferhillceramics.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/JenniferHillClay
Galleries: Clayways on Burnet Road; the Asher Gallery at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
We’ll be at a few E.A.S.T events this weekend – join us!
First up, we have Little E.A.S.T, an event at Blackshear Elementary that features student artwork from our Little Artist BIG ARTIST program and other student artwork from around East Austin. The 2015 event is November 21, 2015 from 10 AM – 3 PM. It features not only student artwork, but also a S.W.A.N drum circle, a garden mural, Shakespeare performances, improve with the Blackshear Drama Club, and storytelling. More info here.
Furthermore, a number of our upcoming Cherrywood Art Fair artists are participating in E.A.S.T. They include: BDJ Craft Works, Bright Beam Good, Carly Weaver, Eya Claire, Graffiti Wester, Hotline Ink, Victrola Design, and Fisk and Fern. You can find their gallery locations at Big Medium’s E.A.S.T website.
Join us Sun. 9/28 at Indie Meme children’s film KAPHAL screening. Portion of each ticket benefits Little Artist BIG ARTIST.