Abrakadoodle Art Students Welcome New President with Inspiring Artwork

Children in art classes at participating Abrakadoodle locations nationwide shared their patriotism, pride and visions for America as part of a colorful welcome for President Barack Obama. Art offers a wonderful tool for children’s self-expression across every subject, including civics.

Reston, VA (Advertiser Talk) 09-Sep-2009 — Civics enters the art room as students in participating Abrakadoodle art classes nationwide take part in sharing their sense of patriotism and imaginative ideas for America by creating original works of art. The art will be sent as part of a colorful welcome for President Barack Obama. Students are sharing their perceptions about the inauguration of our new president, as well as their visions for our country’s future.

“The election and inauguration of President Barack Obama has garnered unprecedented interest and involvement from the American public, and we felt that engaging children in special art projects would enable them to participate in a meaningful way,” said Mary Rogers, MA.Ed, and CEO of Abrakadoodle. “Our students are creating imaginative works of art that represent their perceptions of this historic occasion and provide inspiration for our new leader.”

Some students learned about the art of Jasper Johns as inspiration for their art. They learned about Pop Art, Encaustic Painting and the use of texture in creative art work. Children tried out smaller, quicker brush strokes in the style of Jasper Johns as they created American flags. Other students participated in a lesson in which they learned about the life and words of Martin Luther King, Jr. in calling upon his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to draw inspiration for children to use words, images and shapes to bring their own dreams for the future into a work of art. Finally, children created poster art in the collage style of contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, whose portrait of Barack Obama will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Abrakadoodle’s core philosophy is that all children are creative and that we need to encourage their imaginations to grow. From the youngest ages, children need reinforcement that there are no right and wrong ways of doing art. Children can learn how to draw, paint, sculpt, design mosaics and collages, take digital photographs, as well as create in the style of Renoir, Picasso, DaVinci, Michelangelo and a host of contemporary and classic artists. Abrakadoodle students actively engage in planning each activity and can infuse their own styles through the choices they make as they create. When the creation phase is completed, the students present their original works to the class, a sharing that is always positive and encourages an appreciation for each person’s perspective. Children should explore abundant creative materials and experiment with color, line and form.

The Obama administration is supportive of the arts. “To remain competitive in the global economy, America needs to reinvigorate the kind of creativity and innovation that has made this country great. To do so, we must nourish our children’s creative skills,” Obama says.

About Abrakadoodle (www.abrakadoodle.com) Abrakadoodle was co-founded in 2002 by award-winning educator/franchise developer Mary Rogers, MA.Ed, and children’s services franchising expert Rosemarie Hartnett. Abrakadoodle is the most comprehensive art education company of its kind, offering extensive visual arts classes, camps and parties for children ages 20 months to 12 years old. Abrakadoodle’s programs inspire children’s imaginations by immersing them in such art forms as painting, sculpting, mosaics, collage, digital photography, paper and fabric art, stamping, sketching, anime, studio art, foil embossing, and more. The magic behind Abrakadoodle is the creative energy between a child and his/her art materials ignited by a well-trained teacher. Abrakadoodle uses safe, high quality art materials in its classes in partnership with Crayola®. The imaginative curriculum is developed by artists and educators and exceeds National Standards for Visual Arts Education. Abrakadoodle publishes an informative blog, “Art for Creative Kids,” which is dedicated to children’s creativity: http://www.abrakadoodle.blogspot.com . For imagination-boosting online art activities, try Abrakadoodle’s top-rated arty widgets at Abrakadoodle.com/kidsgamelist.html.

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