October is Nat'l Arts and Humanities Month + First Art Club Meeting!

President Obama has declared October National Arts and Humanities Month! Mr. President has to say about fine arts:

"Artistic expression and memorable ideas can resonate with us, challenge us, and teach us important lessons about ourselves and each other. At their best, great works of literature, theater, dance, fine art, and music reflect something common in all of us. They open dialogues between cultures and raise poignant questions about our world. They are also vital components of our children's education and our national growth -- not only teaching our youth to observe closely, interpret creatively, and think critically, but also bringing new cultural experiences to our communities and helping drive economic progress."

What will you do this month to celebrate the Arts? Click on the picture above for a link to the full presidential proclamation and read about our first Art Club meeting after the jump!

Our first Art Club meeting was a success! We introduced ourselves, played an icebreaker game, and talked about our first assignment: Artist Trading Cards.

Image courtesy of http://binford-bellstudio.blogspot.com/

WHAT is an Artist Trading Card you ask? Simple, really. They are a variation on the collectible sports or comic book cards that you can buy at your local store; they're even the same size. The biggest difference is their one-of-a-kind nature! Every ATC is a miniature masterpiece handmade by an artist. All types of media are allowed and on the back of each card is often written a title, date, and creator's name.

Image courtesy of http://crankysophie.wordpress.com/

Students, artists, and crafters trade these cards all over the world! Our Art Club students received four blanks to be completed by our next meeting--Wednesday, October 17th--and swapped with their fellow club members. Hopefully, we can contact some other schools and keep the trade going!

Just a reminder: Please be sure that your student knows how they will be getting home after school on club days. Students participating in Art Club MUST be picked up promptly at 3:45. Thank you!