GLOW SNOBES

 Most people know plenty about snow globes, but precious few are in the know about GLOW SNOBES: fascinating snowballs that glow in the dark, each with its own characteristics and/or story of how it came to be. As it happens, Make/Believe's after school art students are all glow snobe experts. They have studied these snobes in both daylight and darkness. The below photo was captured yesterday afternoon, after we chanced to stumble upon a pack of shadow-roaming snobes doing what they do best. You will also find two official documents noting the provenance of two particular snobes. These were an exciting find, especially considering the marked lack of snow in the DC/metro area of late.

TGIF, LET US WALTZ

(kindergarten) ART BRAINS BALLROOM DANCING from Make slash Believe on Vimeo.

 The inaugural balls may be over in the District, but the ballroom dancing continues at Make/Believe! The clip above is from a 2012 ART BRAINS "Performing Arts" class in which 5-6 year olds performed self-written and improvised mini plays on "stage" for their fellow campers. We had the luxury of costumes provided by Artisphere, and the class saw many dramatic sword fights, lost princesses, and one lone polar bear. The cuteness of the narrations, over-sized crowns slipping down over little heads, and the unselfconscious, brave, and spontaneous performances totally slayed me and my then co-teacher Rachel. I may not have easy access to such lavish costumes again, but I'd love to do this type of performance project with kids another time in the future.

The Talent, behind the scenes and on stage.

RE-IMAGINING CLASSIC TALES

Check out these Book Cover projects from the kids at Congressional Schools of VA. Each student chose the title of a book they had never read, and imagined a story to go along with the title. They then wrote a brief description of their story, and illustrated the story's cover. At the end of class, they each received a copy of the original book's description, which they pasted below their own to compare. For everyone who's ever wished Ishiguro's celebrated An Artist of the Floating World included Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the story you've been waiting for has finally arrived! Click on the photos to enlarge for easier reading.

 

BUG COLLECTIONS AT CHEVY CHASE

The Winter 2013 session of Art After School is in full swing - we're psyched to be returning to a handful of schools this semester, as well as building relationships with new, fantastic schools in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Here's a little peek at a few bug collections from our entomologists at Chevy Chase Elementary. Students invented their own insects, and then pinned their illustrations to foam boards. :

Collection by Toni

The "Perfume Bee" above does sting, but instead of causing pain, its sting injects its victim with his or her most favorite scent, which lasts for a whole week. Its coloring changes to match whatever scent it will pass on. This one was captured by someone who loves the smell of lemon candy.

Collection by Satch

The "Moonbug" above looks like a small moon during the day, and under the light of the moon at night, its legs (shaped like stars) and head extend from its body. The "Colorly" grows a new color stripe on its body each year that it lives. You can see that an orange stripe is in progress. When the "Lovebug" is around, it means you are about to fall in love, OR, if you suspect you might be in love already, you are probably right.

Collection by Nellie

This bug collection features two dapper bugs who sport top hats! The "UnLovebug" does the opposite of what the Lovebug (above) does. Steer clear of this one if you're looking for a romantic date this Valentine's day.