Program Museum and Blog
Our big idea for this Winter is "Don't Worry Be Happy." Session 1 ended with lots of smiles as students deigned t-shirts inspired by the Happiness Sprinkling Project
Students worked in their sketchbooks designing text and drawings that communicated a positive message. We talked about graphic design, logos, fashion, and many other related topics. These artworks were then transferred onto a t-shirt for students to wear as a walking art display intended to spread happiness.
Last Thursday, December 15, 2016, nearly one hundred friends, family, and community members of Granger came together to participate in the Creative Geniuses Student Art Show. There was an art display, treats, and an art project that families enjoyed together building a snowman family portrait for their home.
This Fall, students enjoyed art classes making sculptures, paintings, and drawings of many things including: self portraits, architecture, cartoons, and dolls and toys. Students took a lot of pride in the display and great conversation was heard as the children told their loved ones about their artwork and the processes they went through to make it. The town of Granger has wonderful brilliant children with amazing families.
Thank you to the supportive family and friends that came out in the blustery winter cold to support the children and the arts. It is this support system that makes the city of Granger and it's people so amazing.
Many of our students are submitting to Grimes Parks and Rec Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Use a theme to decorate or come up with your own creative ideas. This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their art and have it seen by the community.
Creative Geniuses students celebrated Friday evening as they exhibited their artwork in a spring art reception and show. Students enjoyed showing friends and family their display and enjoying a family art making stattion. Artwork included an eclectic display of drawings, paintings, and sculpture celebrating the season of Spring. Classes included PreK, elementary aged, and adult students.
Reception for the Mother Nature Art Show was held on Monday, May 23, 2016. Founder and art educator Gina Bartlett joined three other artists in the show: Grace Schmidt, Kathryn Bartels, and Carrie Minteer. The show brought a large crowd in Monday evening for it's opening reception. Visitors and artists alike came in from multiple states across the midwest to view the show. It was a great time.
These artists have over thirty works of art on display to celebrate motherhood and honor the beauty in nature. A children's art making station is also available in this show for children to add to the gallery. The works are on display from now until mid June at the Hanover Park Community Center in Hanover Park, Illinois. Check it out and support the arts by viewing and purchasing original one of a kind artworks for your home or business.
Thank You to all the Creative Geniuses that made artwork for display at the South Side Des Moines Public Library. "Thankful For Des Moines" was a beautiful art show for the community to enjoy!
Creative Geniuses hosted a special holiday art event this Tuesday for the students at Christ the King School in Des Moines. Students enjoyed making a variety of arts and crafts, some of which would be presents for teachers, parents, and friends. All the gifts that left this art studio were handmade, original, and unique!
The students were delighted with special guest, children's book author, Laura Jensen Kimball. Laura read her latest book, "Momster." She spent time talking to the students about her book and answering curious questions the kids had for a real life author. The students were very inquisitive asking about many aspects of the book including, "what is it made out of?"
Monster makes a great stocking stuffer, along with any of Creative Geniuses products including creative tools, apparel, and home decor. Purchase the art items at our Art Mart Store and Momster at http://www.wackystackbooks.com/blog/momster/
All Ages Welcome!
Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 10-3 p.m.
Jefferson Elementary School, 2425 Watrous Ave., Des Moines, 50321
Creative Geniuses will be hosting a FREE community art project for children at the Jefferson Community Fair. Parents can enjoy shopping while kids participate in an art piece that will be on public display at the South Side Des Moines Library.
Drop in anytime from 10-3. No registration required.
Kids had a great time today at Afterschool Art Club. We played around with figure drawing after manipulating our own armatures into different silly poses. Then we had a costume party where we had models on stage in different fashions for students to observe and draw. The kids wrapped their teacher into a mummy as part of their drawing study in their sketchbooks. It was quite a hoot!
Creative Geniuses Jr.
Curious Kids Art Club
Get some laundry done or relax and sip a cup of coffee while curious kids art club delivers fun educational art classes to your child or group! This program is designed for children ages 3-5 years of age.. We integrate important early childhood academic skills such as identification and usage of letters and numbers. We offer flexible daytime hours for this program, and we aim to conveniently fit your schedule. This class makes a great supplement for a child already in preschool or gets kids ready and confident for the school that is ahead.
Creative Geniuses Summer Art Camps are in progress. Art Camps are being offered throughout the summer incorporating themes in reading, writing, science, and math. Check out the slideshow of our Art & Science Camp. Students had a great time throughout the week making art and exploring the scientific method, branches of science including entomology, speed, energy, color, light, and more! Our last camp is coming up, and there are still a few spots left (ages 5-10). To register call the West Des Moines Parks and Rec at 515-222-3444.
Students made kinetic sand this week and found out building a sand structure was difficult work! Some of their work included experimenting with the recipe to make the sand more stable, and discovering building methods through utilizing a variety of tools.
This week our Creative Geniuses Summer Art Camp is in process, and we are on a roll observing and experimenting! We are focusing on connecting art and science and having so much fun building our knowledge! Our students will be hosting a student art show this Friday, July 10, from 7-7:30 p.m. at the West Des Moines Community Center in the Valley Junction. Student work from camp will be on display for friends and family to view. We welcome friends to come out to support our young intelligent students and local art!
Creative Geniuses was very lucky to have a part planning and managing this year's Jefferson Elementary School Write Night. Write Night is an annual event for all students at Jefferson that promotes writing. It is a fun way for kids to imagine themselves as writers, and to exercise their writing skills.
Creative Geniuses joined forces with the Jefferson Elementary School PTA to bring a rich learning experience that involved: writing, illustrating, listening, and interacting with a guest speaker, discussions about writing skills, snacks, and a crayon sale to benefit the school's PTA. Our night's theme was "Extra! Extra! Write All About It!" Student were able to explore this theme with guest speaker, Dan Welk, who was a journalist and is currently a successful photographer.
The students were then given the opportunity to write and illustrate their own newspaper article for the school's very own newspaper, "The Jefferson Gazette." They reported on local and world news, sports, weather, entertainment, and made a classified section. The students' work is to be binded and will soon be available for checkout at their school library for all student's to read and enjoy.
Write Night was a huge success at Jefferson Elementary.
Our Art Mart is now open! What a great week to open being that it is Teacher's Appreciation Week and Mother's Day! We have gifts for both those special people in your life. Visit our website and click on the SHOP button to see a growing and frequently updated store of: creative art tools, educational supplements, art, apparel, gifts, home decor & organization, and more! If you live locally in Des Moines, enjoy FREE delivery or pickup of your purchase!
It's been a long awaited arrival of our GRAND OPENING on Saturday, May 2, 2015. We have a great start ready and are eager to grow and develop with time and hard work! Please join us on Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 10-2pm at the Community Vendor Fair, Des Moines East High School. We have many new products to roll out and will be hosting a make-it-and-take-it art project. Looking forward to seeing our friends and supporters there!
Working on making crayons for use at a local school event, "Write Night." The entire school came together as a community, dug deep down to the bottom of their crayon boxes, and donated all their old crayons. We collected about 35 lbs of crayons! Creative Geniuses recycled the old bits into new! The kids will be using them again to illustrate their own stories at their school writing event. A portion of these recycled crayons will be sold at our Art Show on May 1-3 at the Iowa Events Center! Please stop by and buy some crayons! Profits from the recycled star crayon sales go back to the school!
Buy these star crayons at our art show, May 1-3 at the Iowa Events Center. Profits from the sale of these stars will go to our local elementary school.
Starting kids in art as young as possible is great to develop patience and work ethic. It allows small children to exercise their decision making process. Too often small children live in a world of "no's" at a time when they are curious to get their hands into everything! Art projects gives them the chance to make a lot of their own choices. Oh, and their brain gets a lot bigger too making art!
Creating art allows us to explore all academic subjects. As my 6 year old nephew told me, "Art is possibilities!" I have been integrating academics for 15 years because that's how I was taught to do it, and that's what I believe. I'm happy to see the schools are now catching on to this.
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