[Tea] New Series: Art Appreciation

Welcome to "Tea with Julie," a weekly missive by me, Julie Bogart. My wish is to give you food for thought over a cup of tea to enhance your life as an educator, parent, and awesome adult. Glad you're here. Pinkies up!
P.S. Was this email forwarded to you? Add yourself to the list and get your own!

Cincinnati, February 4, 2023

Hi Friend,

The next Tea with Julie series starts NOW! The topic: Art Appreciation!

Today we'll cover a few basics. Then in the coming weeks, we'll also discuss:

Training the Art Appreciator in You
Visiting the Art Museum
Art Study Tips
Art Appreciation Workshop

"Fill the halls of their imaginations"

Charlotte Mason maintains that artwork offers children the chance to fill the halls of their imaginations with the great works of art that are a part of our cultural heritage. I agree. By enjoying artwork, we can expand several important areas of development that are crucial to becoming good communicators and writers.

First, looking at art develops a child’s sense of non-verbal imagery and symbolism. You don’t have to teach this to a child. A child simply needs repeated exposure to art for it to happen naturally. Trips to museums and coffee table art books are perfect tools to develop this critical faculty.

Talking about art, attempting to sketch a painting or sculpture, writing down a detailed description of what a child sees and experiences when looking at art will naturally develop powers of observation critical to good thinking and writing.

Here are a few ways for you to bring artwork into a more prominent place in your home.

Rotate art books on a family room coffee table. You can buy them cheaply at Half Price books, if you have one in town. Or you can pick up new books at the library occasionally. Be sure to change which one is out so that kids are likely to notice that something is new.
Pick up postcards at the next trip to the art museum and frame a few of them. Hang them on entry halls, under the kitchen cabinets, in your bathroom. Rotate these as well.
Create an art room. We have one room that is full of art prints framed for viewing. I include our children’s artwork on the walls and framed, as well.
Go to the art museum several times a year. It helps to make repeated visits to the same museum. If you do this, certain paintings will become “friends” and your kids will start to notice things in them that they missed on the first and second trip. They also become familiar with the style of painting by various artists this way.

To narrate about art, simply carry on conversations.

Warmly,

P.S. Catch up on all the “Tea with Julie” emails here!