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Show Brigitte Kirk Steering Committe Chair's Holliday Greetings I know we all enjoyed our visit to Anthony's Antiques. (Thank you, Lynda Fletcher for having arranged this visit). I agree with Lynda, it can be daunting to enter such a place, with bigger than life statues, and precious objects. For some it may have been a return visit. When my children were small and "antiquing" was a popular thing to do, I would walk up those steps into Anthony's Antiques, past the front desk, where Anthony's mother always asked: "do you have an appointment"? Each time I replied: "I just came to look" and in a few minutes I could be transported across time and place, across cultures and historical times. I don't know whether you have already heard this, but it was in such a place very much like Anthony's that a retired couple went to look for a lamp. They did find an old oil lamp, and when they got home, polished it. As his wife rubbed the side, suddenly with a whoosh, a genie appeared and said: "your wish is my command," She thought for a moment and said: "I would like to travel". No sooner had she said that, a huge cruise liner appeared ready to take her on a trip around the world. When her husband rubbed the side of the lamp, the genie appeared again and said: "your wish is my command" and her husband said: "I want to travel with someone thirty years younger...... and whoosh, suddenly, he was ninety years old. Unlike the couple in the antique shop, age differences are our strengths. With our school tours, we reach out to children that are much younger. The other day I had the opportunity to observe. I "shadowed" docents and I was struck by the creative ways they engaged children in conversations about art. When children talk about their reactions to what they see, docents listen. About two weeks ago I was giving a tour to a group of fourth graders. The kids were interesting because they were moved by art. They were perceptive. A group of four, one girl and three boys were on my "landscape and built an environment" tour. When I was ready to introduce the Kennecott painting, a girl in the group, Laura, I believe her name was, suddenly spotted a painting across from it, the Theodore Butler's "Honfleur". The one that is reminiscent of a Claude Monet. This painting was not part of my planned tour, but Laura, was captured by it, was moved by the subtlety of the blue color, the atmospheric light and free brushstrokes of an Impressionist painter. Soon the boys caught on and started to look, it seemed, through Laura's eyes. Each took a stab at putting words to something new, something they had not seen before. Drawn to the light in other paintings, we moved on and the children's words began to flow more readily. When we reached the shields in the oceanic section, I thought I should transition, not being able to resist a 'teaching moment', I said: "See how the light paint here brings to the for ground the repetitive shapes, the artist created a beautiful pattern ... " "Yeah, yeah, we know," one boy interrupted, "why do you think we are drawing it!" I had to laugh because the children were on the floor, already sketching shields. |
