We Heart Art

I left our living room for only a few minutes. My mission was to quickly run to the bathroom and then resume coloring with my kids. I thought I had everything in my household under control. The kids were happily playing, the dishwasher and the laundry machines were running, things were relatively neat. I even managed to maintain some semblance of peace between Giancarlo and Lucia with the TV turned off.

My decision to leave the living room for only a few minutes is probably where I went wrong.

Upon my return, I discovered both of my kids proudly standing in front of what was once a white wall in our dining room. The entire wall was covered with crayon. I am still not sure how they managed to work so quickly or so thoroughly.

When Giancarlo saw the look on my face, he laughed, and yelled out, “Look, Mama, we made art for you.”

Art. Is it possible to define? To my three year old, the creation on our living room wall may very well be a work of art, something to be shared and admired, rather than scrubbed away immediately.

I have a suspicion that there are others like me out there in the world; Moms, Dads, aunts, uncles, or grandparents, who have budding little artists in their midst. Or, perhaps it is something else entirely, maybe you are the artist, creating and pursuing ideas of your own. Whatever the case may be, we want to see the artwork in your life.

Together with Domestically Challenged and I’m Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor, the Three Bay B Chicks will be hosting a week long Art Appreciation Week called “We Heart Art.” The purpose? To promote art and being creative with both your kids and as individuals.

We Heart Art begins today and ends next Friday, May 15. During this time, all three sites will not only feature posts about how to get your creative juices flowing, but we will also be hosting a carnival (via Mr. Linky) which will allow you to feature your artwork and/or your kid’s creations.

So get your posts ready! We will have two categories for entries: one for kids, ages 0-16, and a second for adults, ages 17 and older. The entries for the carnival can be anything creative. Some examples might include:

For kids: A drawing, painting, or sidewalk chalk creation, a video of themselves explaining a piece of artwork, singing, or playing a musical instrument, something they created in the kitchen, or an example of their writing, e.g., short story, poem, etc.

For adults: A drawing, painting, or a video, something you created on the computer or in the kitchen, an example of your writing, e.g., short story, poem, etc., a sample of your scrapbooking, or art that you created as a child.

Need more suggestions? Hop on over to these creative blogs. Ideas, tips, and insights are never in short supply: Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Toddler Craft, and I Blame Mom.

Oh, and like any good carnival, we will be featuring tons of prizes, which we will reveal on Monday, May 11, along with more details regarding how you can get involved. Separate goodies will be awarded to both kids and adults.

We hope you will join us over the course of the coming week!