Official behind-the-scenes blog of the Dallas Museum of Art
The DMA is excited to partner again this year with DART on their 2014 Student Art Contest. Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to create an 11×17 poster illustrating the theme “Off We Go!” Visit DART’s website for complete rules and info.
The contest deadline is February 18, so encourage those creative hands to get to work–We can’t wait to see the colorful and imaginative drawings they’ll make!
Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives
DMA Education staff have been as busy as Santa’s elves this holiday season, crafting, baking, painting, and getting ready for this most wonderful time of the year. We get a lot of inspiration from the art that surrounds us each day, but we also find inspiration on a little site called Pinterest.
Check out what we’ve been doing when we’re not at the DMA. If you see a project or recipe you like, use the links below to find instructions, ingredients, materials, and recipes.
We wish you and yours a very Pinteresting Holiday!
Leah Hanson
Manager of Early Learning Programs
Tyler Rutledge began volunteering at the DMA during Late Nights over a year ago, and joined the C3 Volunteer Program last January. Through our conversations with Tyler, we learned that he had a strong interest in talking to and sharing his passion for art with visitors. We offered Tyler a volunteer internship so that he could learn more about the Museum and, in turn, we could learn from his unique and thoughtful perspective. As his internship draws to a close, we’ve invited Tyler to share a few insights about his time working with us.
Get Smart was one of my favorite TV shows for play-pretending. I loved the unsuspectingly gadget-ized scenery—the excessively concealed entrance to CONTROL or Max’s dangerously unassuming apartment—mostly because it gave me the perfect setting to play and explore my world as it could otherwise exist.
Playing with a visitor and his abstract scribble drawing at the Pop-up Art Spot on level four
Similarly, my education internship with the Center for Creative Connections has encouraged me to imagine alternatives through play. For example, I designed a Creativity Challenge for the Late Night in October. During Creativity Challenges, visitors exercise their imagination in projects based on works of art at the Museum, working within parameters such as limited, pre-selected materials and a thirty-minute time limit. This Creativity Challenge prompted visitors to create a memorial to a cause or event inspired by the DMA’s Indian Shrine. Despite the proposed scale of the project, which was about the size of a roadside memorial, the winning team imagined a monument-marketplace capable of providing food to all seven continents.
Exploring the different perspectives of DMA visitors has been delightful as well. I originally began volunteering at the Museum to learn more about the stories related to our guests’ ephemeral creations. During one Late Night, a physician attending a digestive medicine conference in Dallas talked with me about a sculpture formerly on view in C3, Untitled (35) by Lee Bontecou. She explained that, to her, the wall-mounted sculpture represented a portion of the digestive tract, whereas the metal framework served as blood vessels and the small copper wires adhering cloth to the structure were nerve endings. To me, this conversation revealed the intuitive way that people play within their own space. Playing together also gave us a small shared-intimacy: she gave me a trinket she made at the Art Spot inspired by our conversation about Untitled (35). She explained that her trinket symbolizes her desire to be open and available to new imaginings.
A trinket left by a visitor that I keep by my phone to remind me to be receptive (yes, I still use a home phone)
A creation left at the Art Spot
A shared intimacy of art and play is one experience I hope visitors have together at the Pop-Up Art Spot in the DMA contemporary galleries. The abstract expressionist paintings on view are fiercely independent yet possess bold relationships, inspiring me to develop activities based on sensory experiences. An activity that has proven particularly difficult to predict visitor response is called Olfactory Produced, a title meant to reference Jasper Johns’ Device in addition to personal preferences of scent. Olfactory Produced asks visitors to consider associations between different scents and paintings, and it encourages them to wonder how the sense of smell enhances the experience of looking at and thinking about works of art. This activity is intended to elicit an entirely subjective, personal experience with the works of art.
Jessica Fuentes took this picture of me while we worked on an activity for the Pop-up Art Spot in the contemporary galleries
Eventually my reenactments of Get Smart ended (if I remember correctly) when my mom realized my bathroom’s secret-telephone towel hooks were loose because I unscrewed them to talk, and my time of play at the DMA must also end. In January I will depart for Los Angeles and, with it, exciting new scenery for adventurous play. Share your scenery and playtime with me on Instagram. Tag @TylerGreyDragon and #DMAPlay!
**My playtime as a volunteer and weekend intern in the Center for Creative Connections has been accompanied by some of the best playmates on the swing set: Leah Hanson, Amanda Blake, Danielle Schulz, Amy Elms and JC Bigornia, who have inspired me to play with materials and sensory experiences; Amanda Batson, who encourages me to be my very best self through all of her magnificent achievements and friendship; Jessica Fuentes, who has guided me through creative problems and has been a faithful Klyde-Warren-Park-Food-Truck play pal; Melissa Gonzales, who refines my sandcastles and teaches me about how to build their bridges; and, Susan Diachisin, who has opened me to a new world of play through her expansive imagination.
Tyler Rutledge
C3 Intern
Hopper Drawing: A Painter’s Process, currently on view at the DMA, is the first exhibition to explore the drawings of American artist Edward Hopper. Hopper is most well-known for his paintings. In fact, Hopper’s paintings inspired some Alfred Hitchcock films! It’s not as widely known that Hopper was great with a pencil or pen and paper, and he often sketched to work out themes that interested him. Many of these themes later became the subjects of his celebrated paintings.
Hopper did not draw strictly from reality. The artist explained that he worked both “from the fact” and by “improvising,” or working from his imagination. Though he worked from visual observation, he would tweak elements of his composition. Perhaps he would remove a lamppost, add a figure, or slightly change the angle of perspective.
In this exhibition, you can learn about Hopper’s process not only by observing his drawings, but also by trying it out yourself. After entering Hopper Drawing, pick up a pencil and a clipboard from the wall in the first gallery. Be inspired by Hopper’s sketches around you and draw your own surroundings. This could be people, things, or the interiors or exteriors of buildings. Then, combine your observational sketches into one composition that incorporates elements from reality and your imagination, in the same way Hopper worked out compositions for his paintings through sketching.
We look forward to seeing what you create!
Andrea Severin Goins
Interpretation Specialist
The C3 adults are at it again and this time they didn’t spare one ounce of fun! C3 offers a variety of programming for adults on Thursdays, when our visitors have the opportunity to have hands-on experiences with art and artists, be social, and experiment with materials. Think Creatively, one of our popular programs, allows visitors to dig deeper into certain aspects of creative thinking.
Think Creatively on November 7 was designed around the theme of play and how it helps adults enhance their thinking and learning. Dr. Magdalena Grohman and I decided to ask our participants to step out of their comfort zone and participate in a TASK party. TASK parties, originally designed by artist Oliver Herring, are improvised events with loose structure and minimal rules.
There were a set amount of tasks already created with an intent to promote play and participation from the same perspective as Mildred Parten. Parten studied social play in children and suggested that there are six types of play:
We knew that anything could happen—and it sure did!
Task Pool
Task: Build a fort for a cat
Task: Tell someone in the museum a secret
Working away!
Visitors at play
Task: Draw a portrait
Task: Create a Mask
Don’t miss our next Think Creatively workshop on December 5, 2013. If you are reading this post and are interested in attending for 50% off–click here and enter the special code: CANVAS.
Amanda Batson
C3 Program Coordinator
As a child, I never attended sleepaway camp. My idea of summer camp was largely shaped by a few books I had read and (to be honest) the movie Dirty Dancing. So when a dear friend told me she had registered for an art camp exclusively for women, I was immediately intrigued. Once I looked at the Lucky Star Art Camp website, it didn’t take long for me to follow suit. The camp promised five days of creative workshops, nightly guest speakers, and a gaggle of like-minded women, all during the best weather of the year in the most beautiful area of Texas (in my opinion).
Camp Waldemar
Lucky Star offered a wide array of workshops you might expect at an art camp: painting, creative writing, photography, and jewelry-making. It also offered sessions on cheese-making, canning and preserving, and yoga. My personal background is in art history rather than studio art, but I do love to make things and would practice yoga every day if I could. This led me to sign up for activities that I would do more often if I had the time: a sewing class, a jewelry class, an art and yoga class, and a creativity free-for-all workshop.
In the days (and hours) leading up to camp, I will admit I had a few doubts. It’s funny, even as an adult I’m pretty sure I experienced some of the same fears and concerns I would have felt as a child: Will our cabins and beds be clean and comfortable? Will I be eating “camp” food, like hot dogs, all week long? And, perhaps most scary, will I like my classes and make friends with the other campers, roughly seventy-five in all?
Pretty much all of my concerns were dispelled within the first few hours of arrival. I can emphatically and ecstatically say that Lucky Star far exceeded ALL of my expectations. First question: Will our cabins and beds be clean and comfortable? Here are a few views of the gorgeous Camp Waldemar, which hosted Lucky Star.
Cabin exterior
Cabin interior
The Guadalupe River runs through Camp Waldemar
Beautiful cypress trees along the river
Second question: Will I like the food? As it turned out, every single meal was delicious, healthy, and made with fresh ingredients. Among the highlights were bright and crunchy salads every day for lunch, a sweet treat at every meal, and the warm hospitality of Chef Laura and her staff.
Third–and biggest–question: Will I like my classes and make friends with the other campers? The answer? YES! I loved all of my instructors–four talented, creative, funny, and generous women. I learned something new in each class and walked away feeling happy, renewed, and inspired. Each class offered just enough structure and instruction blended with freedom to take our projects in the direction of our choice. I also enjoyed chatting with and getting to know my fellow campers, who were all wonderfully different, creative, and talented in their own ways. During mealtimes, we would sit and chat excitedly about the class we had just taken. We could also view and display projects from different classes, which inspired a lot of “Ooh, I want to take that class next year!”
Each evening after dinner, a different speaker shared with us her personal and professional passions and creative ideas. Bernadette Noll, author of Slow Family Living and co-creator of the Slow Family Movement, shared wise words related to the time that we give to our family and to ourselves to be creative. We were privileged to get a sneak preview of Lisa Seeger’s TED talk (fast forward to the three hour, fourteen minute mark) about Blue Heron Farm, the goat dairy she runs with her husband, and their strong beliefs about the food we eat and how it is grown and raised. And Shawn Strattman shared her inspiring story of achieving her creative dream, and gave us practical, tangible advice for pursuing our own creative dreams.
But that’s not all! After dinner, after our evening speakers, and after the stars came out, we gathered around the campfire for the lovely musical stylings of Austin-based guitarist and songwriter Mandy Rowden. Mandy charmed us all with her wit and musical talent, and was generously kind and supportive during our sing-alongs.
Campfire music with Mandy
At the end of camp, I felt blissfully happy, relaxed, and refreshed. Working at the DMA, I am surrounded by art and creative people. People sometimes assume that I am also an artist, or at least a creative person. While working in a museum environment can definitely be inspiring, it can also be intimidating. I learned many things during my time at Lucky Star, but I walked away with two simple, yet important lessons that I can apply both in my professional and personal life:
I’ve surrounded myself with little reminders of my classes and my new friends, such as the collage I hung in my office and the wrap bracelets I made during and after camp that I now wear daily. A few weeks ago, Mandy happened to come through town and I was thrilled to introduce her to friends during a fun potluck dinner and house concert. My friends and colleagues are probably tired of hearing my many art camp stories, but I cannot emphasize enough the incredible and, yes, life-changing experience I had during those five days in Texas Hill Country at Lucky Star Art Camp.
Melissa Gonzales
C3 Gallery Manager
What do you get when you put art and technology together? The UA Maker Club! A mash up between led workshop and open studio, the Maker Club combines traditional art supplies with tech-based materials and asks participants to explore the resulting possibilities. It’s a place for people to experiment, make mistakes, and have fun through tinkering. The Maker Club is also a place where collaboration rules: everyone can share their knowledge and learn from each other–students and staff alike! Because we (the staff) are not experts ourselves, it’s a great opportunity for us all to exchange ideas and gain new skills.
For our very first meet up last Thursday, students explored simple circuits through the use of mini LEDs. Through a series of challenges, teens learned how to light up their LEDs using a variety of conductive materials: copper tape, wire, foil, graphite, and conductive tape. They then had to come up with various ways of making their lights turn on and off by constructing a switch. Finally, they were to create a work of art that incorporated LEDs in some way. We had a great group of teens with a wide range of interests–art, science, even robotics. As you can see, all of the creations were unique and varied:
Take two: Jared made this incredible switch for his LED after shorting out his first one 🙂
A shot of Pamela’s elaborately constructed diorama–in progress
A second shot showing her LEDs
Holy Light-Brite, Batman! Rosa’s fantastic globe
Preparing to add some twinkling lights to Lugosi’s sculpture
The UA Maker Club meets every month and is open to anyone between the ages of 13-19. No prior experience is necessary and all materials are provided. Drop in to this month’s workshop on November 21 to make glow-in-the-dark clothing and accessories using electroluminescent wire and screen printing ink!
JC Bigornia
C3 Program Coordinator
Just this morning, Go van Gogh staff wrapped up the last of our Welcome Back training sessions for volunteers—school outreach is officially in full swing! To get everyone back in a Go van Gogh mindset, we asked our returning volunteers to reflect on classroom teaching experiences by writing a “recipe” for what they think makes a great Go van Gogh program.
We asked to volunteers to:
Fifteen minutes and several cleverly-titled recipes later, we had a great mix of creative, thoughtful, and inspiring methods for teaching to send us off into the classrooms this fall. See the photos below for tips on how we create the perfect Go van Gyro/Goulash/Stew!
Amy Copeland
Manager of Go van Gogh and Community Teaching Programs
I love collecting treasures–sparkly buttons, keys, postcards, rocks, shells, ticket stubs…and the list goes on! However, at a certain point, I run out of room for these special mementos and they end up scattered about my living space. I discovered that treasure jars help to both organize and beautifully display my favorite objects. These adorable jars can be used to decorate your home or office and they make excellent gifts as well. It’s a fast, easy, and fun project, perfect for kids too!
What You Need:
Step 1
Choose your special treasures and divide them up into small groups. You can divide them by theme, by color, by the time or place you received them–whatever you like.
Step 2
Adhere paper and other delicate treasures to a piece of floral wire with clear tape. You can also wrap them if the object allows (children may need help with this).
Step 3
Gather as many mason jars as you would like to use, making sure they are clean and dry. Remove the lid and press modeling clay firmly into the center, making sure to leave a little bit of space on the outer edge so that the lid is able to be screwed on.
Step 4
Press your items on floral wire into the clay.
Step 5
Press any other objects you would like to use into the clay, again making sure not to block the outer edge of the lid.
Step 6
This part is a bit tricky! Turn your jar upside down and guide your items inside. Slowly screw on the lid.
Step 7
Decorate the outside of the jar with stickers, ribbons, or other materials. Voila! You’ve just made your very own treasure jar!
Use your treasure jars however you like! I used mine to decorate my desk at the DMA–they bring a pop of color and remind me of the magic behind each object.
Amelia Wood
McDermott Intern for Family and Access Teaching
From October 5, 2013 through January 12, 2014, C3 will be hosting a community exchange project in conjunction with our new exhibition, Jim Hodges: Give More Than You Take. The exhibition subtitle is a reflection of Hodges’ thoughts about what it means to be an artist and to have a voice in our community. Inspired by this idea of the power of our individual voices, we wanted to offer a chance for DMA visitors to consider how they might use their voice in creative and positive ways.
After visiting the exhibition in the Barrel Vault, walk down to C3 to participate. Express your voice by creating a button with a personal motto that you’d like to share. Exchange your button for one left by another visitor and wear it out into the community. Then, make a positive gesture in your community by giving that button to somebody else.
Check out some of the responses we received when we asked visitors about their personal mottoes.
What will you say with your voice?
Jessica Fuentes
C3 Gallery Coordinator
