Learning All About Developing Nature and Drawing at AAC
colored pencil and digital print on paper, 8×10
Are you trying to figure out what GREEN ACRES is all about? Luckily, we’ve designed classes like “Developing Nature and Drawing” to help our students better understand the ideas behind the GREEN ACRES exhibition and how to incorporate those concepts into their own work. There’s more to “farming-as-art” than what you might think, especially when you have the chance to dig in and get your hands dirty!
If you’ve ever planted a garden or even a flower, you know the incredible feeling you get when you see it begin to emerge. Maybe it’s not even recognizable, but you know there are these tiny unseen events unfolding within that fragile-looking seedling. Hmm…sound familiar? Both art and nature demand to be cultivated, especially in our technology-centric world. By connecting one to the other, we can grow two (or more!) talents from one seed.
“Developing Nature and Drawing” is meant to show students new ways of thinking about art, materials, and nature. And because we’ve designed this class to relate to GREEN ACRES, one of our awesome instructors and resident artists, Becca Kallem, will be taking students on mini-excursions to observe, draw, and be inspired by Arlington’s urban villages and AAC’s site projects like the Gourd Palace Spirit House.
During these outings Becca will have students collect and draw items from nature such as rocks, insects, and flowers. She has also planned an exciting Natural Materials Lab so that students can experiment with creating their own paints, inks, and dyes from berries, roots, and flower petals!
Registration for “Developing Nature and Drawing” is now open, so reserve your spot today! This will be an afternoon class (1 – 4pm) offered in the Teens section (ages 11 to 15) from July 29th through August 2nd and an Adult class (ages 18 and up) from July 11th through August 29th on Thursdays from 7 – 9:30 pm. Students in the adult’s class will have the opportunity to visit the studio of AAC resident artist Pam Rogers who explores these techniques in her own practice.
plant and soil pigments, graphite, ink, watercolor, rust, 18″ x 22.5″
“Developing Nature and Drawing” is just one of the many GREEN ACRES-related activities we’ve planned for Summer 2013. So, register today and join us as we learn and grow art! Remember to sign up for the AAC newsletter and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay informed about all the great classes and events that correspond to the GREEN ACRES exhibition. As always, AAC members at the Family level and above receive up to 15% off classes all year.
– Written by Carollei McMillin, AAC Marketing & Development Intern
