Uncovered Art Interest

Tuesday we packed up a bag and headed to the Plains Art Museum. Embarrassingly, it was my first time there to see an exhibit since they moved to the "new" building more than a dozen years ago. In fact, Jason used to live across the street while in college and even back then never made it inside the doors.

The museum was in between exhibits, so only one gallery was open but it turned out perfectly. We ended up spending more than an hour at The White Album: The Beatles Meet the Plains exhibit and reading books in the art library. I couldn't believe how focused the kids were.

We walked through the exhibit and talked about the different media, how we couldn't touch the art and what sorts of feelings different pieces created. They listened, looked, explored and shared their own ideas.

Then I got out our bag of crayons and notebooks. I asked the kids to find a piece they'd like to draw and showed them how to sit crisscross-applesauce a few feet away. Then they drew and drew and drew and drew. Natalie did two separate sketches of the Minnie Mouse sculpture, while Gavin moved from piece to piece.

 (Note Gavin first chose "the pretty lady.") 

Natalie could have stayed for another hour. She drew a picture of a river and had several others she wanted to work on. Had we been there without little brother, we definitely would have lingered.

I'm so thankful to have found this new educational site for the kids, as well as to uncover another level to their art interest.

We'll definitely be back.