At the private Montessori School where I worked, I had the delightful job of introducing an artist or art movement to classes of three to six-year-olds. Part of that wonderful challenge was transforming the art room space into the world of that particular artist, where the children could feel inspired to paint and create their own masterpieces.
The children crossed Monet's pond on his Japanese bridge, saw larger-than-life flowers and skulls and bones in Georgia O'Keeffe's desert, entered the wacky world of Pop Art, which included a giant chocolate milk box, played a giant colorful keyboard in Paul Klee's synesthetic tree space, relaxed in Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paradise, and walked the streets of Jean-Michel Basquiat's New York City. Each year my assistant and I decided which 3 artists we would discover and how to transform the space and each year it became more complex and exciting. Our talented Art Program founder, Diana, dressed the part of the artist to kick start each unit.
The art room studio was one of my favorite places. I'm happy to share these photos with you.
