The Open House was Spectacular!

Thanks to everyone who supported the Open House last weekend! It was a huge success! Each studio and gallery space was open for our fellow artists and families from the surrounding community to enjoy. It was so inspiring to see all the incredible work on display and to watch the wonderful demonstrations taking place throughout the afternoon. I especially liked viewing our very own Kidstreet artists' beautiful work on the walls and in the display cases.  
Please enjoy the images from the Open House event below, and thanks again for supporting...we hope to see you in the Kidstreet classes beginning on March 23rd!  
-Quinn







Thank you also to all of you who came to the family workshop during the Open House and created a clay tile.  It was the biggest turnout we have ever had with a total of 94 tiles created!  Bobbe and Susan did a wonderful job leading the workshop and I can't wait to get the tiles installed on the walls of the kids room.   We all love the idea of our Kidstreet community contributing to the beauty of our space.  We'll be documenting the installation process and hopefully have most of the project done by the time camp begins.

Speaking of free workshops, don't forget that this Saturday 3/28 we'll be having our first parent workshop regarding nurturing children's creativity.  It's a FREE workshop, but advanced registration is required.  

Our Spring session began this week and many of our classes still have openings.  Go here to see our schedule.  Many classes are offered in 5 week sessions and will begin again the week of April 27th.

Be well!

Melanie

Upcoming classes, workshops, and events:

3/28 Family Drop-In 10:30-11:30.  $10/per person.

3/28 Nurturing Your Child's Creativity 12-2pm.  FREE (advanced registration required)

3/28 Reception for The Ceramic Print  5-8pm featuring Paul Wandless, author of Image Transfer on Clay.  In the gallery.

Ongoing: Registration for Spring classes and Summer Camps.

Call 773.769.4226 or go to: www.lillstreet.com to register and receive additional information.

We're feeling Spring-y

Hello all!
We hope the colds and flu that have been circulating through Chicago schools and businesses melt away with the snow and that this entry finds all of you healthy. We are really looking forward to Spring here at Kidstreet as the Winter Session comes to an end. To celebrate all the wonderful art-making during the Winter, please join us for the first all school student exhibition at our March 14th Open House. If your child was in a class this session and would like to show a piece they made in class, you can drop off work by March 10th. Contact Melanie Brown for more information: melanie@lillstreet.com

We also have the complete Summer Camp schedule up on our website and are registering now. I was looking through my files and found some wonderful images of work done in the multimedia camps in the past:



Fiber Wall Hangings







Frescoes













And one of the most fun projects ever, marionettes. I loved seeing what the kids came up with and taking video of the performances.




I will be there for the open house, so I hope to see you then!
Melanie


And now your weekly update from Quinn, our artist in residence:

It's already March?! It's the beginning of a new month and I'm very excited to explore all of the Kidstreet classes, document the action using photography, and share what I'm observing with you. Lately, I've been noticing the power of the art projects that emphasize a process-oriented approach, rather than a product-oriented focus. In preparation for the upcoming Open House on March 14, the Kidstreet students are starting to develop work they're interested in sharing with their friends and families at the event. Rather than ask students to "complete a final piece of art" we are encouraging their on-going creativity. So, this means the pieces they've chosen to make for the Open House may very well be works-in-progress come show time on the 14th!

Below are a few images from Kidstreet classes in February...

Hisham and Sam work on their drawings in Susan T's class:



Close attention paid to detail while carving a design in clay:



Thomas paints his clay piece with underglaze in preparation for the Open House on the 14th (He chose to contribute his sculpture titled "Rainbow" for everyone to enjoy!):



Here, Jayla concentrates on her painting experimentation:



...hope you can stop by the Open House!
Thanks,
Quinn


Upcoming classes and events:

3/7 Family Drop-In for family members ages 2 and up. 10:30-11:30a.m. $10 per person.

3/14 Open House. Free Workshops for the whole family, open studios, and student shows. Kids' activities from 12-3.

3/14 Family Workshop: Spring Bunnies for ages 5+. 2-4pm. $25/children $30/adults.

3/28 Free workshop for parents regarding how to nurture your child's creativity featuring Quinn Hunter, Glynnis Lessing, and Melanie Brown. Please call to register for this free workshop.

Ongoing: Registration has begun for Spring classes and Summer Camps.

Call 773.769.4226 or go to: www.lillstreet.com to register and receive additional information.

Welcome!

Welcome to Kidstreet's new blog! We will be updating weekly with photos, interviews, and upcoming events so you can see what's happening in the Kidstreet studios.

We're excited to announce our first ever artist-in-residence at Kidstreet, Quinn Hunter. Quinn has been getting to know teachers, parents, and students and will be leading a free workshop for parents regarding children's creativity at the end of March. Quinn joins us from Los Angeles, California and is currently working on a Master of Science degree in child development at Erikson Institute here in Chicago. Quinn tells Lillstreet teachers that her "goal is that we can learn from each other’s interests and artistic specialties in order to support the growth of our talented young artists. I believe this can happen by emphasizing the process, not the final product. Although, what's most important is to have FUN while making art...That includes all of us, not just the kids! "

Kidstreet has always been a process-oriented art program, and we have all enjoyed the process of getting together to talk about the best way to guide our students of different ages. Quinn has sparked a renewed excitement and communication amongst our teachers and we are so happy to have her here!

Quinn's update:

Hi Kidstreet artists and families!  Welcome to our new blog.  We hope this site will become a forum where you can read more about what we do at Kidstreet and view images of our wonderful young artists at work.  Please feel free to comment on our weekly posts...  

I have begun a long-term photography project in an effort to better document all the exciting things that happen in our children's studios at Lillstreet, so stay tuned for lot's of photo updates. Thanks!  We look forward to reading your comments...  

From, Quinn 

Upcoming events:
2/28 Family Drop In. Saturdays from 10:30-11:30. A clay class for the whole family! $10/per person.

3/2 Holiday Camps for ages 5-12. 9am-3:30pm. $65/per person.

3/14 Open House. Free Workshops for the whole family, open studios, and student shows. Kids' activities from 12-3.

3/14 Family Workshop: Spring Bunnies for ages 5+. 2-4pm. $25/children $30/adults.

3/28 Free workshop for parents regarding how to nurture your child's creativity featuring Quinn Hunter, Glynnis Lessing, and Melanie Brown.

Ongoing: Registration has begun for Spring classes and Summer Camps. 

Call 773.769.4226 or go to: www.lillstreet.com to register and receive additional information.

Check back next week for a new update!

Best,

Melanie, Quinn, and the Kidstreet crew.