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Health & Fitness

Children's Art: Looking Beyond the Refrigerator Door

Children's art at the Next Generation Exhibit at Arts Benicia.

The Next Generation at Arts Benicia
March 8- April 1, 2012
Events held in conjunction with the show:
Sunday, March 11, 3:00-5:00 PM: Opening Reception
Thursday, March 15, 7:00 PM: "A Parent's Role in their Child's Art Education", a lecture by Lee Wilder-Snider
Sunday, March 18, 1: 00-3:00 PM: Family Art Day

When I was a kid my favorite things to do were reading, drawing and exploring outside.  I hated school because the teachers didn't encourage individuality. I didn't have the opportunity to go to an after school art class or participate in any cool elective art classes.  My parents were pretty clueless about my personal creativity and my inner world had no outside guidance. When I was in school the cookie cutter approach to education was in full swing.  The free-form creativity of the 1960's wasn't what was being taught in primary education. That revolution was in part a reaction to institutional lock step. "We don't need no thought control."

Education has changed.  Approaches to childhood cognitive development and individual intelligence are no longer based on IQ test results and the child's ability to fit into a prescribed mold (vocational aptitude tests). Thinking outside the box is encouraged. We know that creativity is directly connected to cognitive development, which in turn stimulates natural curiosity. Active learning sticks. When you look at the wide range of children's art now on exhibit at Arts Benicia you are witness to that creative process and cognitive expansion.  You begin to comprehend the collaborative investment that parents and teachers now make toward recognizing individuality and creative development.

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The Next Generation exhibit includes art from Benicia's elementary, middle and high school students. Much of the work is the result of specific class projects but each child's approach and interpretation is unique and evident.  The opportunity for children to see their work displayed in a real gallery setting is very special...so different than seeing it on the classroom wall or posted along the hallway during back-to-school night...(or on the refrigerator at home). The gallery context brings originality and interpretation to the front.  For the kids as well as the casual viewer the artwork becomes more legitimate and worthwhile.

Our community is very fortunate that Arts Benicia's mission includes educational outreach. The Next Generation exhibit is but one example of the activities in support of that mission.  This gallery show provides a very important conduit for children's artistic expression.  While admission is free, some of the art is for sale (prices fixed at $35) and proceeds benefit the organization.  Arts Benicia also offers many ways for individuals to contribute both financially and through volunteer work.

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For more information call Arts Benicia at 707-747-0131 or visit www.artsbenicia.org

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