A Room for Art

A Room for Art is a place to paint, draw, build, print, bind, glue and sculpt. Classes for children and adults are held in a sunny home studio in Arlington, MA. More than a room, it is time and space to work with your hands, enjoy materials and make your ideas concrete.

Location

A Room for Art is located in Arlington Heights at 115 Robbins Road. The Studio is down the driveway on the right side of the house.
Questions? Call
Ann 781 366 5955
annalburywynne56@gmail.com

Offerings

Classes for Children
Workshops for Adults
Birthday Parties
Open Studios
Vacation and Summer Camps

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Summer Camp still enrolling!

Come draw, paint, print, run, play and build with us this July!

charcoal self portrait


shadow painting/drawing with watercolor and oil pastel

bog paper, long brushes and tempera paint

Printing with cardstock stencils and tempera paint

potion making with food color, soap and water

making color fly- games at Robbins Farm Park

 

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Spring Art and Summer Art Camp 2024

Hello Everyone



It’s almost Groundhog Day! I hope you all are making best of the variable weather- taking out the sleds and skis, putting them away and then hauling them out once more. I caught a glimpse of the Wolf Moon last week coming home from Harvard Square.
Spring will be here soon.

Let me know if you are coming to Open Studios during the February school break
2/20 and 2/21 3:30-5pm
All welcome. Mothers fathers, sisters, brothers… come and play with available materials
$5, max $10 for families. Let me know you are coming by February 16!

A Note about Spring Classes
We are finally working on getting our retaining wall and driveway rebuilt so I am delaying scheduling my Spring Session. If all goes well I will most likely offer a 6 week session in May.

Art Camp 2024
I will offer 3 weeks this summer, end of July into August. I hope the timing works out for families who want to participate!

July 15-19
July 22-26
July 29- August 2

Mornings 9-12

What:
Summer Art Camp is a morning program for 5-11yr olds. Art projects are linked to games, stories, playful physical challenges and experimentation with elements like water, sand, clay, bubbles, earth and air. We do individual and collaborative work with a variety of 2D and 3D materials. The work is inspired by nature, fine artists, the materials themselves, and each other. It’s summer and the aim is to get wet, dirty and immersed in the elements!

When: 9am -12noon

Week 1 July 15-19
Week 2 July 22-26
Week 3 July 29- August 2

Where:

115 Robbins Rd, Arlington
Camp will be held at the studio down the driveway to the right of the house. Door is on the left. We will work and play in the studio, backyard and at Robbins Farm Park

Approximate Schedule:
9:00 Gathering activity outside
9:15 Meeting and Art Project, free play
10:30 Bathroom and snack
11:00 Walk to the Park, Games (this timing is subject to weather, how much everybody needs an open space to run and the whim of all the artists involved)
OR
Free play at studio

12:00 Pickup at 115 Robbins Rd

Early Pickup: Let me know if you need to pick up your child early. You can come to the park if we are there.

How to contact us during camp:
Ann’s cell: 781 366 5955

Drop off and Pick up: 115 Robbins Rd

What to bring
Bring:
-water bottle
- if raining, a rain coat
-simple snack (no nuts)

Wear:
- hat
-shoes to run in(no flip flops please)
-clothes that can get dirt, paint, glue and more on them(I have smocks)
-sunscreen (please apply at home)

It is also helpful if you eat breakfast and do a bathroom visit before you come to camp! (full stomach, empty bladder)

Assistants:
I will have an assistant with me from 9-12 each day. They will help
me with materials, bathroom runs, cleanup and the couple of trips to the park.

The Art

Visit my blog for pictures of past projects and summer camp archives. It will give you an idea of the materials I use regularly and the kinds of activities we do at camp. During Summer Camp we will do more with the outdoors and nature for inspiration. Each week will have a loose theme to tie the activities together. Some of the projects will produce products that we can play with outside. Some projects will be collaborative and others will simply be art to look at. There will be free time to experiment with materials.

The media will be a mixture of 2D and 3D.
I’ll let you know the themes later! (Not only do I need time to get it altogether, I also think that a theme does not tell a child what camp’s going to be like)

Registration! Please Read-
Send me an email and I will send you the contact information forms and waiver. When I receive a complete package including a $50 deposit per week, per child your child will be registered.

(This way I won’t chase anyone for contact information or $ and I can think about ART!)

Fees:
$225 per week per child
$50 per child, per week, due at time of registration, balance due on or before 1st day of class

Sibling discount: 10% off total

The Registration Package
-contact information form
-release papers- photo and walk
-$50 deposit per child per week










Monday, January 15, 2024

Newsprint, Paper and Glue





Two weeks ago we started the winter session with a project using very old newsprint from rolls, lots of glue and a piece of cardboard. The session’s theme is Build. 

So what’s the plan? Why are we making art from materials that look like our recycling bin? Isn’t art about beauty and mastering skill in order to render that beauty?

Some of you know me and are familiar with the projects I offer in the studio, others are participating for the first time. I thought this a good juncture to try to tell you about why I offer the projects I do to children that come to my studio.

There are many ways to approach art education with children just as there are many ways of thinking about how children learn and what art IS. Every individual child is a different kind of learner and every teacher has had a different path learning about both children and art.To quantify the varieties of approaches would require equations describing combinations and permutations learned (and forgot) in high school math. Suffice it to say it’s a big number considering the variables above.

My guiding principles come from decades of learning about early childhood education at school, my mentor art educators in Toronto, every art class I have taken and making art myself.

Here they are:

Making art with children- process over product
The developmental stages of children’s learning
Children are capable of choosing their own direction
The belief in artist’s constraints
Useful art materials are versatile
Purpose of the encounter
It’s all about relationship

Art with Children
Making art as a young child is more of an open ended encounter than a set of techniques that ends in something to hang on a wall. When we talk about process being more important than product we mean we honor the encounter over the finished product.
What do we want that encounter to be? It’s action, play, problem solving and immersion in tactile experience! There is a starting point but not a strict predetermined outcome. (although always some limits due to the space and the materials- more on that with artist’s constraints). It’s experimentation and messing about in a group, with that energy affecting everyone.

It’s the Making rather than what’s made.

The Developmental Stages of Children’s Learning

The idea that how we learn evolves as we age is not a rigid, linear, one size fits all progression but a gradual shift. Babies are their bodies and the sensations they feel. They begin their air breathing life as a bundle of potential- for language, mobility, awareness of self and others and the understanding of the physical world. They are gathering experience through their bodies and senses and putting it all together at an amazing pace. They are concrete learners and think with things. Watch any toddler work a room! By sometime during the school age years words and numbers make sense to them. They are ready for abstract thought. They are able to not only talk about things that are not present but to reason and argue with great skill.

Children are capable of choosing their own direction
This is a basic idea of developmental learning. If we take inspiration from the early years we believe that children can choose what they need. Think of how capable a 3 year old is! Most of the profound learning of the early years does not involve direct instruction, rather letting a child experience life- move and interact with people and things in a safe environment. In fact, more strongly, a child does not engage in learning tasks that are not meaningful to them. Not only are children capable in direction their own learning they have to!

Artist’s Constraints
Here’s where the contradictions arise. Because the world presents so many possibilities at any given moment to these creatures primed for taking on sensation and interactions there have to be some limits! How do you get started if anything is possible? There can be too much choice. Artists and children need a framework to create within- to exploit a medium, find novel ways to use a familiar material.

Versatile Materials
What makes a material a good one for an encounter with a child?

-the material can be changed in a variety of ways by the child
-the material is inviting to the child
-children can be independent in this altering of the material
-the encounter invites physical movement and experimentation
-the material is not too precious
-the arrangements made have the elements all artists consider- pattern, balance, value, color, proportion, scale, line, shape, texture

Purpose of the Encounter
 I had a life drawing teacher who used the term ‘searching lines’ as we, his students worked at rendering a live model with charcoal on newsprint. He encouraged us to try without angst or too much thought to make a mark- the angle of a forearm or the twist of a torso, the length of an upper leg or the shape of a shadow on the side of a face. Start by approximating with sketchy light lines until you find the ones that look right.
 Only by seeing how the marks relate to each other can you work on getting the proportion, value and shape that you see in the figure. (Learning to draw is another whole discussion!)
 Searching Lines is a great term for thinking about art with children. Not just in reference to marks on a page but to the whole journey of self expression. Making art is a search for ways of representing ideas. Each encounter with a material is an opportunity to express something imperfectly, one moment in a thousand moments of trying. It’s the trying that gets you there.
My teacher was giving us permission not to judge ourselves. As we adults know, we are often terrible task masters to ourselves! I have the heard the words, ‘I can’t draw’ hundreds of times and what they usually mean is I can’t draw a__________. (Equating art with realistic drawing is yet another whole discussion!)
 So I hope for the encounters between children and materials to be happy ones- active, playful, free of judgement and full of problem solving. The goal is to try to implement an idea through a material but also to learn about the material and the way it limits your initial plan. It is a two way dialogue. Children act on materials and the material’s properties define what the child can do with them. The materials talk back!

The purpose is participation!

Relationship
We work as a group and of course are affected by each other’s ideas! Thank goodness for other people’s ideas! They are windows into other possibilities. Often a direction spreads in a class and variations on a theme emerge. There is a positive kind of comparing that can happen that helps us define our own choices. Like a good conversation, a positive exchange of ideas helps us appreciate ourselves and others.
 It’s a web of relationship in any children’s learning environment- child/fellow children/environment and teacher.

Paper Glue and Cardboard
 The project we did our first class this winter involved a lot of newsprint, and glue and a cardboard base. Our starting point was a turn taking, feely cup exercise (can you describe the texture of the object inside without using your eyes?) I wanted to relate the idea of tactile texture to visual because what we were about to make would be very textured. The absence of color allows for seeing the light and dark created with the paper structures. Who knows if the connection made sense to anyone?
 Next as a group we played with the newsprint. What does it feel like? What does it sound like? There was incredible thunder created by flapping!
 How many ways can you make this paper not flat? I think of this as group idea generation, sharing the results of our actions.
 Fold, twist, scrunch, roll, rip and combinations of these.
 After this the invitation was to make a collage/assemblage with different kinds of surfaces. If you were an ant walking on the surface would be a varied terrain! Then individually with cardboard base, unlimited newsprint strips and glue each child acted on the paper different ways, applied glue with a brush to the paper or cardboard base and attached their forms.
 The paper is thin so it’s easy to make many layers, keep adding glue and paper in different arrangements.
 The collages children brought home are really souvenirs of a process. (Sorry about the filling of the recycling bin!)

What about beauty and skill at rendering it? It seems that the history of art is a long story about humans reacting to their existence and then artists continually reacting to each other. Art can express more than beauty because we experience many unbeautiful things. Art continually changes just as technology, culture and language does. 

To be continued

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Winter Session 2024



Hi Everybody- Happy Digestion! (On all fronts- food, family, friends)

Here are the offerings for the New Year for A Room for Art

Winter Session January-February 2024
Weekly classes for K-Gr 5

Tuesday at 3:30-5pm 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27
Wednesday at 330-5pm 1/3, 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/28

The theme of the session is BUILD. We will be using a variety of materials to make 3D art. We’ll use media for building big but not keeping a product, like clay and blocks and others that we’ll make something to keep, like cardboard, paper, wire and found materials.

Fees: $200 for 8 classes, 10% sibling discount
To Register: Send me an email with your child's full name and birthdate and a class preference

Building at the Maker Space Fall 2024















Open Studios During the School February Break

Tuesday February 20 and Wednesday February 21 3:30-5pm Family and Friends Welcome

Let me know if you are coming by the beginning of February
$5 drop in fee, $10 max for family
Children may be dropped off if I know them and have an emergency number. Otherwise caregivers are invited to stay and play!

Adult Workshops!
I have had a number of requests/ expression of interest in a workshop for adults that would happen on an evening or a weekend.

Currently there is a collage workshop in the works for sometime during the winter session. This would be one or 2 sessions and include a few exercises and lots of freeplay! More info to come.
Let me know if you are interested (for this winter or for the future) and we’ll figure out a date that works for most. This will mean being part of a short lived email frenzy with the small group interested. (THE hardest thing to do!)

Looking forward to art making in 2024!!

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Art Offerings Fall 2023

Hello to All-
Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro 2023

I hope your summer is what you want it to be!
It’s been great to see many of you this summer at Art Camp. We are in our third week! Many of us are still dreaming of the beach or are still AT the beach but alas we have to plan the Fall! (Fall is great too!)

Fall Offerings:

My classes this year will be on Tuesday and Wednesday at 3:30-5pm starting the first week in October and running to the end of November (note: no class on Hallowe’en or the day before Thanksgiving) 

Both classes are mixed age, family grouping, for children age 5-11. Projects are designed to allow for different age/stage children to take a direction that makes sense to them.

I am offering some Open Studios and a workshop in December.

Weekly Classes for children age 5-11yrs
Tuesdays: 3:30-5pm
10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 11/28
Sign up for the first 4, the second 4 or all 8 consecutive classes
Fee: $180 for 8 classes, $100 for 4 classes

Wednesdays: 3:30-5pm
10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/29
Sign up for the first 4, the second 4 or all 8 consecutive classes
Fee: $180 for 8 classes, $100 for 4 classes


December Workshop
Tuesday 12/5 and 12/12 3-5pm
Print/Paint/Make
For students Grade 4 and up. Adult participants are welcome!
Maximum 8 students

This is a 2 class workshop.
The first day involves experimenting with a variety of paint and ink, combining layers, making a bit of a mess. We’ll make watercolor washes on paper, ‘blocks' for printing with styrofoam and a series of prints. By the end of the class we will have the raw materials, colored papers and prints that we can then make in to a set of cards, collage or simple books.
The second day we go more slowly and carefully with the dry paper, cutting and measuring to make the finished products we want.

Fee: $50 for the 2 sessions

To Register: Send me an email with your child’s full name and class preference. I will send you registration paperwork. Returning families please bring contact information to the first class. New families please send contact information to 115 Robbins Rd Arlington, Ma 02476
Everyone please bring fees to the first class.

Open Studios
2 Wednesdays: 12/6 and 12/13 3:30-5pm
Everyone Welcome. Sisters, brothers, parents, friends, aunts, uncles and cousins. This is meant to be a chance to play together with materials available. Adults are encouraged to stay and play. You may drop off  your child older than 5 if your child is comfortable with that.

Fee $5, maximum per family $10

To Register-
Let me know if you are coming closer to the date.



Monday, February 27, 2023

Open Studios on Thursday March 2 3:30-5pm

 Hi All- 

I forgot to mention Open Studios this Thursday. Everyone Welcome, $5 drop in fee, max for family $10

Thursday 3/2 3:30-5pm Open Studios

 Friends and Family! Come play with available materials- paint, draw, build



Thursday, February 23, 2023

Summer Art Camp 2023

Artcamp 2023





What: 

Summer Art Camp is a morning program for 5-11yr olds. Art projects are linked to games, stories, playful physical challenges and experimentation with elements like water, sand, clay, bubbles, earth and air. We do individual and collaborative work with a variety of 2D and 3D materials. The work is inspired by nature, fine artists, the materials themselves, and each other. It’s summer and the aim is to get wet, dirty and immersed in the elements! 


When: 9am -12noon

Week 1  June 26- June 29 (Monday to Thursday only)

Week 2   July 17- July 21

Week 3   August 7- August 1

Week 4  August 14- August 18


Where:

115 Robbins Rd, Arlington 

Camp will be held at the studio down the driveway to the right of the house. Door is on the left. We will work and play in the studio, backyard and at Robbins Farm Park


Approximate Schedule:

9:00 Gathering activity outside 

9:15 Meeting and Art Project, free play

10:30 Bathroom and snack

11:00 

Walk to the Park, Games (this timing is subject to weather, how much everybody needs an open space to run and the whim of all the artists involved)

OR

Free play at studio


12:00 Pickup at 115 Robbins Rd


Early Pickup: Let me know if you need to pick up your child early. You can come to the park if we are there.


How to contact us during camp:

Ann’s cell: 781 366 5955

Drop off and Pick up: 115 Robbins Rd

What to bring

Bring:

 -water bottle

- if raining, a rain coat

-simple snack (no nuts)


Wear:

- hat

-shoes to run in(no flip flops please) 

-clothes that can get dirt, paint, glue and more on them(I have smocks)

-sunscreen (please apply at home)


It is also helpful if you eat breakfast and do a bathroom visit before you come to camp! (full stomach, empty bladder)


Assistants:

I will have an assistant with me from 9-12 each day. They will help

me with materials, bathroom runs, cleanup and the couple of trips to the park. 


The Art

Visit my blog for pictures of past projects and summer camp archives. It will give you an idea of the materials I use regularly and the kinds of activities we do at camp. During Summer Camp we will do more with the outdoors and nature for inspiration. Each week will have a loose theme to tie the activities together. Some of the projects will produce products that we can play with outside. Some projects will be collaborative and others will simply be art to look at. There will be free time to experiment with materials.

The media will be a mixture of 2D and 3D. 


I’ll let you know the themes later! (Not only do I need time to get it altogether, I also think that a theme does not tell a child what camp’s going to be like)


Registration! Please Read- 

 I am not going to take registration by email rather by mail (paper). If you would like to register send me an email and I will send you a registration package that you can drop off or mail.  When I receive a complete package your child will be registered. 

(This way I won’t chase anyone for contact information or $ and I can think about ART!)



Fees: 

$225 per week per child (for week 2,3,4) Week 1 $180

 $50 due at time of registration, balance due on or before 1st day of class


Sibling discount: 10% off total


The Registration Package

-contact information form

-release papers- photo and walk  

-$50 deposit per child per week

-cheques payable to Ann Wynne 

-mailing address: 115 Robbins Rd Arlington, Ma 02476