Last Monday night we had the opening reception night for our elementary school's art exhibit. Concurrently, I had a drop-in card making program going on, for families to participate in if they wanted. I had a great turnout, with approximately 65 people coming through to check out the art and/or make cards. I'll make a separate post for the card making activity.
After realizing that one of our walls in the children's department at the Addison Public Library was blaringly empty, I envisioned a display of children's artwork. From there, I worked together with local elementary art teachers to create a new partnership that would allow for children's artwork to be displayed in the library.
The "Art in the Library" program started in December 2014 and ran until May 2015. Each month, a different elementary school had the wall; the art teachers choose the art, dropped it off to me, and then I hung it on our wall.
Additionally, I hosted an "Opening Night Reception". The children whose art is up on the wall could come to the reception and get a goodie bag, which included a small art prize and a certificate. The students who came to the reception received the bonus of entering a grand art prize raffle, for something special like an oil pastel or watercolor pencil set. Students were encouraged to bring family and friends to show off their achievement, and snack on light refreshments.
This project was more than a partnership, it was also a very successful community outreach effort. Families who had never been to the library before often visited for the first time with their children who had their art up in our exhibit. Several times I witnessed these families getting new library cards, checking out materials, and staying to play in the library after the exhibit.
