Craft in Schools: Home and Inspiration Winter Reflections  

As we welcome Spring, our Craft in Schools program proudly reflects on all that we accomplished earlier this year. Thanks to ongoing partnerships with K-12 LAUSD classroom teachers and various teaching artists, we were able to host several on-site field trips, virtual gallery talks, and hands-on craft workshops based on our recent Home and Inspiration Exhibition. 

In these educational programs, students were conversationally guided through Visual Thinking Strategies, and journaling and sketch pad prompts as they explored fiber, ceramics, woodworking, and sculptural art. Students ages 8-18 were encouraged to share their curiosity, ideas, and critiques of how they viewed craft and art practices both past and present. 

photo of 6-10 teens in an art gallery watching a screen slideshow about featured artists. There's pedestal stands for various art around them and a big window of walls looking out to the screen everyone's facing towards.
Van Nuys High Schoolers reflect on artist interviews at Craft in America’s Museum.
Rosewood Elementary Field Trip Human Loom, Craft in America
Rosewood Elementary Schoolers enjoy a collaborative “human loom” weaving activity during a Craft Center field trip.
ArTES Magnet Paj Ntaub, Craft in America
ArTES Magnet High School art students learn Paj Ntaub embroidery via virtual workshops with teaching artist Mandora Young
Two fourth graders proudly show their multi-colored yarn-weavings. Both of them smiles at the camera, while the boy on the left holds up a cardboard loom now empty of fiber

Talented 4th grade weavers proudly show their yarn-weavings

Several classrooms hosted on-site teaching artists, such as Paj Ntaub artist Mandora Young and textile artist Victoria May. Together, we learned about the significance of Paj Ntaub’s mesmerizing embroidery within the Hmong diaspora, while learning the foundations of cross-stitch embroidery. Our neighboring Rosewood Elementary 4th graders enjoyed a dynamic “human loom” weaving exercise as pictured above! And, several classes explored hands-on weaving as seen in Diedrick Brackens’ Kente-cloth inspired weaving. Our Craft in Schools program hopes to continue collaborating with and would like to thank the engaging classes at: Rosewood Elementary, Palms Middle School, Van Nuys High School, ArTES Magnet High School, and Fairfax High School. 

Stay tuned for more family and Craft in Schools programming!

Rosewood Elementary 4th Graders Paj Ntaub, Craft in America
Neighborhood 4th grade students continue to thread their needles…
Rosewood Elementary 4th Graders Paj Ntaub, Craft in America
.. as they continue their embroidery Paj Ntaub projects!
A classroom photo shows students looking ahead at a screen with colorful Hmong embroidery patterns near a whiteboard. An asian lady with long hair and glasses expressively gestures to them as she speaks and they listen

Teaching Artist Mandora Young leads a hands-on Paj Ntaub workshop with elementary schoolers

Kazuki Takizawa at Van Nuys High

Kazuki Takizawa spoke to two classes at Van Nuys High this morning, inspiring AP Drawing students to pursue the path of art and others to consider how art is a channel for expression. This was the first exposure most of the students had to blown glass as an art discipline. They asked questions about Kazuki’s process and his inspiration.

With candor and honesty, Kazuki talked about how his sculptural work reflects personal struggles and reveals his inner thoughts and feelings. Viewing glass vessels for their symbolic potential, Kazuki takes inspiration from a Japanese saying that people are like vessels– some are smaller and only able to contain so much, whereas others are larger and able to handle more. In his recent projects, Kazuki has been dedicated to opening conversations about mental illness in our society and he was able to initiate that with these students.

Kazuki also spoke about his interest in Shintoism and the notion of perceiving the inner spirit inside inanimate objects. He ended each session with a q&a, in which the students put their hand-written questions inside one of his original Container Series pieces so that he could address their questions with anonymity. Several students lingered after the talk to speak with Kazuki one-on-one about their own challenges and to share their artwork with him.

Educational Outreach: “Imaginary Landscape” book made of monotype prints

Recently, eleven 7-8 year old children from Park Century School had fun making monotypes with Los Angeles artist Christina Carroll and her small press.

The kids expressed themselves with water soluble ink to make landscapes, tying in their curriculum at school. Their original prints were made into an accordion book and given to the school, and each child received a color reproduction of their collaborative book.

Happy Summer kids! We loved having their energy and look forward to the Fall.

We want YOU kids! Cool exhibits and creative artists await to work with you, your teachers and your school curriculum. Come play with us here at the Craft in America Center!