Posts Tagged ‘art’

Your little readers (or almost readers) love flipping through the drawings on the page almost as much as sounding out the words — sometimes even more. Now, get some one-on-one time with those incredible sketches.

“Ordinary into Extraordinary,” an exhibit at the Brooklyn Central Library, features original picture book illustrations by local artist Melanie Hope Greenberg. Her seven children’s books portray the usual and unusual everyday moments of urban NYC life, from a child watching a dog walker in Brooklyn Heights to a Coney Island performance troupe of mermaids. Kids will love these colorful creations that help tell a story that takes place in their own environment.

When: Mon-Sat. through June 13; All ages; Free.
Where: Brooklyn Central Library, Youth Wing, 10 Grand Army Plaza, 718-230-2100, brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

Roaming the halls of your favorite museum with baby in tow sounds like a leisurely way to spend an afternoon — until his faint whimper turns into a wail, the security guard gives you the stare down and you have to hightail it to the nearest exit.

Luckily the Whitney Museum’s Family Programs launched the new Stroller Tours, educational art events for parents with babies up to 18 months. Led by Teaching Fellows (Ph.D. candidates in art history), the tours take place on occasional Fridays before the museum opens to the public, so you can enjoy important works without worry. Next Friday (March 27) focuses on artist Jenny Holzer’s use of nontraditional media and public settings, followed by a once-a-month lineup. Best of all, crying babies are welcome — the other parents will understand.

Now that’s contemporary.

When: Select Fridays, 12-1pm; parents and babies ages 0-18 months; $25 (registration required).
Where: 945 Madison Ave. at 75th St., 212-570-3600, whitney.org.

Once in awhile, life imitates art — this time, it’s in the form of a children’s book.

“Faith Ringgold: A Sampler,” a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, features the prophetic artwork of the Harlem-born artist and award-winning author. Illustrations from her 1993 book Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House foreshadow a young African American family in the White House (the story includes a brief history lesson that comes to life through 12 talking paintings of women like Rosa Parks and Zora Neale Hurston). The adventure is told through the eyes of the young Melody, who concludes the story by deciding that she wants to be President.

Another prediction, indeed.

When: Through 5/3; Free with museum admission ($7.50).
Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave. (at St. Marks Ave.), 718-735-4400, brooklynkids.org.

Yoga, art, music and movement — with so many classes on a kid’s roster, it’s hard to pick one to stick with through the season.

Give it a trial run: This week, the Educational Alliance’s Downtown Parenting Center is offering three free classes of children’s activities to demo its upcoming spring schedule. Today features yoga for mommy and baby to bond (newborn to crawlers), tomorrow is toddler yoga complete with animal poses and songs (crawlers to 30 months), and Friday closes out the week with a messy art project (ages 15 to 36 months).

It’s an easy decision.

When: Wed.-Fri. 3/11-3/13, 11:45am; Free (email Carol_Osher@edalliance.org to register).
Where: 197 East Broadway, 5th floor (at Jefferson St.), 212-780-2300, edalliance.org.

After turning the boxes from the flat screen TV into a totem poll, your kids love the idea of turning waste into works of art.

Turn the over to the professionals: Junk or No Junk, an 8-week course beginning later this month, explores the possibilities of recycled art and makes common household mishmash into masterpieces. The class is taught by Brooklyn-based artist (and mom) Claudia Pearson, whose first children’s book, Tribal Alphabet, is available at haunts like AMNH and Kid-O. Pearson’s other classes for older kids include alphabet illustrations, story creation and ancestry — all held at Still Hip in Clinton Hill.

When: Tuesdays 3/24-5/12, 3:45-4:30pm; Ages 3-6; $160.
Where: Still Hip, 283 Grand Ave., Brooklyn, 718-398-0008, stillhipbrooklyn.com.

In the hustle and bustle of hectic city life, it’s easy to forget that beauty is all around you — like on the UWS.

For a break from the mayhem, stop by GINA Gallery of International Naive Art, which specializes in bright, happy paintings from around the world. Artists from the likes of Guatemala, Croatia, Israel and Italy create innocent and optimistic scenes of everyday life (picnics, festivals, walks in the woods) in joyful hues that kids will appreciate. The current exhibition, “Love is in the Air” features a cross-section of original works from around the globe.

This simple bliss will probably inspire you to redecorate the nursery — or just enjoy a few moments of peace in front of a colorful canvas.

Open Wed.-Sat. 10am-8pm, Sun. 12-6pm. 454 Columbus Ave., 212-877-0097, ginagallerynyc.com.

A picture is worth a thousand words — unless you can’t get a decent shot.

Pass along your prints to Tribeca artist Noelle Carbone, who can capture a little one’s expression and emotions in her carefully crafted commissioned portraits. Specializing in oil paintings of children, she will work from a photograph to create an original rendering in her unique and vibrant style (prices start around $250).

You’ll be left speechless.

Visit noellecarbone.com.

Your little Frida Kahlo-in-training would paint all day if she could — you wouldn’t mind either, if you had enough projects to keep her occupied.

Let her refine her palette at The Painted Cloud, a new kids’ art space in Williamsburg ideal for the under-5 set. After-school classes, weekend workshops and drop-in times for all ages (led by two teachers with impressive creds) focus on building basic techniques and developing new skills that result in a unique piece of art to take home. The current lineup includes toddler arts and crafts, where child and parent work together in painting, printmaking, collage and paper crafts.

Paint away.

168 Marcy Ave., Brooklyn, thepaintedcloud.blogspot.com.

The whimsical mural you painted in the nursery sure is pretty, but you’re certainly not the first. Fairies, princes and precious animals have made for great children’s decor since the 1870s.

Take a walk down memory lane at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s new exhibition, “Wall Stories: Children’s Wallpaper and Books.” The exhibit explores the world where wallpaper and children’s books meet. Papers, primers and pop-up books starring Peter Rabbit, Cinderella, Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Pan demonstrate how literature and popular culture have impacted design. Plus kids will love the show’s hands-on elements, including a reading room and short film screenings.

Maybe it’s time to redo the den.

When: Through 4/5/09, Mon.-Fri. 10am-5pm, Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 12-6pm; $15/Adults, Kids under 12 free.
Where: 2 East 91st St. at Fifth Ave., 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org.

Once in awhile, you see something in a gallery that’s actually affordable — and of course, it’s already been bought.

But sometimes you get a second chance. Keith Gamache’s collages based on images form children’s dot-to-dot books sold out quickly, but the Brooklyn-based artist (and dad) didn’t stop there. His new collection, POPtot, is a line of high-quality, ink-jet prints made from high-resolution scans of his original collages. Contemporary takes on kiddie images like giraffes, ice cream and clowns offer enough artistic cred to hang on your walls.

Going, going…gone.

Available at keithgamache.com.