March 2020 - Cheekwood
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Tots! Activity: Flowers

Tots! Activity: Flowers

As Cheekwood’s Tots program is temporarily suspended, we are sharing today’s activity for parents and tots to activate at home. Use our files to create your own flowers inspired by Eric Carle, then share your work with us by tagging @cheekwood on Instagram and using #cheekwoodtots!

Here’s what you’ll need:•  Paper

•  Paint

•  Brushes

•  Flower parts template
*See template below
•  Pencil

•  Scissors

•  Glue

•  Toothpicks or other objects to add texture


Flower Template  

 


Try pairing the activity with one of these books:
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle

Little Cloud by Eric Carle


Online StorytimeJoin Rachel Rodriguez for a live stream of her bilingual song and storytime on Friday, April 3 at 11 AM. Read, dance, and learn Spanish as you celebrate springtime!


Learn more

Eric-Carle-Flowers
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Five Women Artists

Can you name five women artists? During the month of March, The National Museum of Women in the Arts is asking this as part of their annual initiative to recognize females in the art world. As tribute to Women’s History Month, the NMWA will use the hashtag #5WomenArtists to challenge people to name five female artists. Can you?

Peggy Bacon (1895 – 1987) was an American printmaker, illustrator and author. She was a well-known caricaturist of prominent and interesting figures of the late 1920s and 1930s. Bacon studied at the Art Students League in New York. Prior to her completion, Bacon had already exhibited her work and published an illustrated book. She was integrated into the New York arts scene and studied under John Sloan (1871-1951) and George Bellows (1882 – 1925). Like her mentors, Bacon focused on modern life, but hers was always with a touch of humor. Outside of exhibitions, her work was published in The New Yorker and Town and Country magazines. Bacon’s works are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as in Cheekwood’s collection of works on paper.

“The aim of a caricature is to heighten and intensify to the point of absurdity all the subject’s most striking attributes; a caricature should not necessarily stop at ridiculing the features but should include in its extravagant appraisal whatever of the figure may be needed to explain the personality, the whole drawing imparting a spicy and clairvoyant comment upon the subject’s peculiarities.”[i] – Peggy Bacon, n.d.

Coke-Break

Isabel Bishop (1902 – 1988) was an American painter and graphic artist. Bishop was a leader of the Fourteenth Street School of artists that continued the legacy of urban realist painting from the Ashcan school. These and other relatively untheoretical urban realists generally highlighted the bustle of the rapidly modernizing city. Bishop’s work focused on fleeting moments in New Yorker’s daily lives. Bishop only created 175 works in nearly 60 years, putting a great focus on sketches and the planning of a painting. Cheekwood’s collection of works on paper boasts several etchings and sketches by Bishop. Bishop’s works is also in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895 – 1989) was an American photographer. Dahl-Wolfe was a fashion photographer from 1936 – 1958 for Harper’s Bazaar. She was known for her exacting ideals in the reproduction of her images. Her insistence set the standards of elegance for fashion photography in the 1940s and 1950s. Dahl-Wolfe shifted away from “stiff societal portraits to a more natural and relaxed style of photography”[ii] that is still in effect today. Her photographs captured the new sensibility of the modern woman, more independent and active, often shot in glamorous, exotic locales. In 1964 and, again, in 1984, Dahl-Wolfe donated 1929 photographs to Cheekwood’s collections. Her work is also in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Museum of Modern Art.

“The camera is a medium of light, one that actually paints with light. In using the spotlights with reflecting lights, I could control the quality of the forms revealed to build a composition. Photography to my mind is not a fine art. It is splendid for recording a period in time, but it had definite limitations, and the photographer certainly doesn’t have the freedoms of a painter.”[iii] – Louise Dahl-Wolfe, 1984

Lee Krasner (1908 – 1984) was an American painter. Krasner was a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement in the immediate postwar period of the late 1940s and 1950s. Abstract expressionists were interested in monumental size works that reflected spontaneity and expressions of feeling. Krasner’s painterly style of abstract expressionism was influenced of Henri Matisse (1869-1964) and Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). Art historian Robert Hobbs said “Krasner’s brand of Abstract Expressionism was different from that of her male colleagues. Where they saw painting as a personal expression of self, she saw her art as an open-ended exploration – an exploration that never resolved itself into a single, signature style…Her style was constantly changing and re-forming as herself grew and changed.”[iv] Krasner’s work is in the permanent collections of major museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art and Cheekwood.

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was an American painter. O’Keeffe was a major figure in American art for seven decades. Her primary subjects were landscapes, flowers and bones, O’Keeffe produced some 900 paintings of uniquely American images. O’Keeffe was in the circle of early American modernists, as well as influential art critics and writers. Their discussions about art greatly validated and influenced O’Keeffe’s own work. In 1949, O’Keeffe moved permanently from the New York art scene to New Mexico where she had spent significant time prior, always producing some of her most important paintings. Despite this shift, O’Keeffe and her work solidified her place in the canon of American art. Her work is the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. Cheekwood holds a small collection of works on paper by O’Keeffe from the John A. and Margaret Hill Collection of Southwest Art, given to the museum in 1991.

Isabel Bishop, Coke Break. 1969.7.


[i] “Peggy Bacon.” American Art 6, no. 4 (1992): 17. Accessed March 10, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/3109079.

[ii] Schwiegershausen, Erica. “A Legendary Fashion Photographer, Revisited.” The New York Times, April 20, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/t-magazine/fashion/fashion-photographer-louise-dahl-wolfe-book.html.

[iii] Arnold, Rebecca. “Looking American: Louise Dahl-Wolfes Fashion Photographs of the 1930s and 1940s.” Fashion Theory 6, no. 1 (2002): 45–60. https://doi.org/10.2752/136270402778869127.

[iv] Simpson, Pamela H. Woman’s Art Journal 22, no. 1 (2001): 59-61. Accessed March 10, 2020. doi:10.2307/1358737.

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Spring Gardening Tips

Spring Gardening Tips

Make the most of your time at home by freshening up your yard! Check out these spring gardening tips from our Plant Collections Manager, Shanna Jones.

1. Plant seeds. A lot of us may have seeds left over from last year or maybe someone gave you a store-bought seed packet or seeds sourced their own garden. Most likely, some of the seeds are still viable-meaning they will germinate. Start by planting them inside – it’s not entirely safe to plant tomatoes, peppers, and other summer vegetables outside just yet because of the cooler nighttime temperatures. The 2 week quarantine provides a perfect amount of time to sow seeds-use an empty egg carton, thin them and repot into bigger larger containers.

2. Begin a compost pile. Only food scraps, lawn clippings and leaves required!

3. Get ahead of the weeds. Pulling weeds can be extremely satisfying and therapeutic. The more weeds you can eradicate now, before they set seed, the less weed issues you’ll have in the months ahead.

4. Organize your gardening shed/ space. You’ll be glad you did. I always find that I feel more creative and inspired after I’ve organized my space. This is also a great way to take inventory of your supplies and tools.

5. Divide select perennials, like Hosta and Daylily, for instance. Some perennials can become overgrown and dividing them will help their performance by giving the plants more room to grow and absorb nutrients and water.

While we’ve enjoyed sharing our gardens with you, it’s now YOUR turn to share your garden with us.⁠ Tag us in your garden photos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Gardening-Workshop
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Tots! Activity: Tulips

Tots! Activity: Tulips

As Cheekwood’s Tots program is temporarily suspended, we are sharing today’s activity for parents and tots to activate at home. Use our files to create your own fork tulips, then share your work with us by tagging @cheekwood on Instagram and using #cheekwoodtots!

Here’s what you’ll need:• Forks

•  Paint

•  Paint brush

•  Colored pencils

•  Blank piece of paper or printed template
*See template below


Tulip Vase Template  

 


Try pairing the activity with one of these books:
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

Bloom by Deborah Diesen

Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray and Kenard Pak


Missing the tulips at Cheekwood in Bloom this year? While we all do our part to follow the Mayor’s “Safer at Home” order, we’re committed to making sure you don’t miss the beauty of springtime at Cheekwood, as more than 150,000 blooming bulbs spill from our gardens.  Follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as we virtually share Cheekwood in Bloom.


Virtual Tour

Fork-Tulips
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Tots! Activity: Greenhouses

Tots! Activity: Greenhouses

As Cheekwood’s Tots program is temporarily suspended, we are sharing today’s activity for parents and tots to activate at home. Use our files to create your own greenhouse, then share your work with us by tagging @cheekwood on Instagram and using #cheekwoodtots!

Here’s what you’ll need:• Bean of choice (Lima beans, black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, chickpeas and lentils or any other dried bean will work.)

•  Water

•  Paper towel

•  Crayons

•  Greenhouse template
*See template below
•  Plastic sandwich bag

•  Tape

Tip: To speed up germination, soak beans overnight in water.


Greenhouse Template  

 


Try pairing the activity with one of these books:
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole

Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

Greenhouses
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Online Wellness Opportunities

Online Wellness Opportunities

While we stay home to protect our physical health, it is just as important to protect our mental health. Check out how a few of our wellness partners are helping us to stay active, manage stress, and keep a positive attitude through these unique digital wellness opportunities.

TRILUNA

TRILUNA has made their Meditation for Stress Management packet available to everyone here.

Included: 

•  A hard look at the biology and physiology of stress
•  Looking at the sources of stress (outside of coronavirus, that’s a given)
•  A journaling exercise
•  Meditation for stress management
•  Tips and tricks for reducing stress
•  Resources

Other Resources To Check Out: 

•  The CDC Website
•  America Dissected Podcast
What A Day Podcast
NY Times Updates

Check out their guided visualization mediation with Elizabeth Moore here!

Learn more

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Small World Yoga

Small World Yoga is hosting live classes via Zoom. We hope you’ll love this approach to virtually connecting with the Small World Yoga community as much as we do. This platform will allow their instructors to connect with each of you directly and for you to participate along with other community members. We encourage you to download the free Zoom app to your phone, Ipad or laptop then roll out your mat and join us!

Can’t make a live class? Visit their Youtube Channel at the link below!

Learn more

Small-World-Yoga-logo

The Yogi Bassist

Jo-Jo Jackson, aka “The Yogi Bassist,” is a Yoga Teacher & Ayurvedic Counselor. As a Vedic wellness practitioner, Jo-Jo’s aim is to move students—and herself—on the path of self-inquiry in order to discover their highest Truth, and she encourages students to seek liberation from what is holding us back. Check out her daily, beginner-friendly guided pranayama & meditation practice with Yogasoul at the link below!

Learn more

Mindfulness
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Tots! Activity: Frogs

Tots! Activity: Frogs

As Cheekwood’s Tots program is temporarily suspended, we are sharing today’s activity for parents and tots to activate at home. Use our files to create your own frog, then share your work with us by tagging @cheekwood on Instagram and using #cheekwoodtots!

Here’s what you’ll need:•  Toilet paper roll or paper towel roll

•  Scissors

•  Green, red, black and white paint

•  Paint brush

•  Paper frog legs
*See template below
•  Colored pencils

•  Glue and/or staples


Frog Template  

 


Try pairing the activity with one of these books:
It’s Mine by Leo Lionni

999 Frogs Wake Up by Ken Kimura

Ribbit by Rodrigo Folgueira


Hop on over to the links below to learn some fun yoga poses:

Frog Pose


Learn more

Frogs
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