By Mary Corrado
Editor
While music from New Mexico plays gently in the background, a group of preschoolers assembled on a rug listen to "My Name is Georgia," by Jeanette Winters, a simple biography of Georgia O'Keefe. Then, one by one they walk on a flat replica of Monet's "bridge over the lilypads" which is painted on the floor, moving to a different rug to participate in a careful look at a couple of O'Keefe's paintings. Next, they joyously head for the tables so they can use what they've learned as a springboard for their own creations. This is a class at The Paintbrush, a unique new studio in Lincoln Park that ties art appreciation and music appreciation into art classes for children from 18 months through 12 years old.
Mindy Apel, the artistic director, guides the process. At the very beginning of the class, in a review of the previous week's learning, she refreshes the children's memory of "The Stars," by Alexander Calder. "What do the circles look like to you?" she asks. Snowballs, planets, the moon, balls, stars, they contribute. "It's called 'The Stars,'" she reminds them, "even though it doesn't really look like stars. It's called ab..." "Abstract!" one boy calls out. She affirms his answer, and recalls the mobiles they constructed last week of Styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners with their inspiration by the Calder work.
Later, while Mindy reads them the brief biography of O'Keefe, the girls and boys connect it to their own lives. "...at school in Chicago..." "We live in Chicago!" came an excited response. They also engage in the analysis of the painting rather than just hear about it. Displaying large reproductions of O'Keefe's "White Rose with Larkspur" and "Red Poppy," Mindy leads with: "We know it's a flower even though parts are missing. Where's the stem?...Did you ever see a flower this big?" and segues into the artwork ahead. "We're [each] going to paint a huge picture. We'll get one color each to paint. I'll show you how, when you mix it with white, you can change the color. We'll paint something really big and use our whole paper."
On an easel she demonstrated swirling motions with a brush dipped in green paint, then applied white paint on top to create a lighter green, filling the entire paper. "If we want to make pink, what do you think we will start with?" Yellow, blue, green, and finally red were suggested. When Mindy then asked "Who's ready to paint?", the children eagerly headed for the smocks, then found places at the low tables. As they worked on their art, the music — selected because O'Keefe spent much time in New Mexico — provided an appropriate atmosphere.
The Paintbrush, at 2856 N. Halsted St., opened on April 18. Classes are offered by age groups: from Tiny Tots 18 months old with parent or caregiver, up to Big Kids 12 years old. There is also a Moms' Night Out for adults (single session). Generally, classes have a capacity of 16 students, and tot/parent classes are limited to 10 students. Most classes are one hour long. The 10-week series costs $200.
Each session follows this pattern: review the previous artist, enjoy a story about a new artist, examine one or two of his works, do a project while music plays, clean up, and return to mom or dad in a cheerful send-off. Sometimes the music is connected with the home of the artist; sometimes it represents the era, such as playing Elvis Presley tunes while studying Andy Warhol. It may even be music that the artist particularly liked. The media — all child-friendly and washable — includes watercolor, glue, markers, collage, tempera, 3-dimensional and more.
Recently The Paintbrush has introduced children to Van Gogh, Cézanne, Matisse, Kandinsky, Picasso, Warhol, Calder and Mondrian. "The children are remembering what they are learning," said Melanie Apel, the coordinating director of The Paintbrush. "They compare Kandinsky to Mondrian in their use of colors. One child said, 'My pajamas are all mixed up, like Picasso!' For example, we ask them to try painting and mixing colors — we don't ask them to reproduce the work of art. We want this to be a springboard into their own creations. They are learning through play, but also through being taught."
The spacious setting for The Paintbrush is a calm, airy room painted with refreshing green tints. The sunny waiting area features a large front window; a bathroom for the children is readily available. Besides the classes, The Paintbrush offers birthday parties. A party includes art exploration centers, a class for 30 to 45 minutes, and time for pizza and cake.
Mindy S. Apel has a Master’s degree in elementary education from DePaul University. She taught kindergarten at Resurrection Catholic Academy for four years, and prior to that she was an assistant teacher and French teacher for pre-K through 8 at Catherine Cook School. Mindy decided to leave formal teaching behind to pursue more artistic endeavors.
Melanie Ann Apel is the coordinating director of The Paintbrush. She worked as a pediatric respiratory therapist at Children’s Memorial Hospital for six years. Melanie has also been a freelance writer of predominantly children’s books (plus the popular pictorial history "Lincoln Park: Chicago") since the mid-1990s and she stays home with her two little boys.
For more information about The Paintbrush, 2856 N. Halsted St., call (773) 636-1968 or visit
www.thepaintbrush.net. |
