Happy Holidays From the Raleigh Girls Club!!

The 2008 Annual Celebration of the Arts!!!

Please join us for an afternoon of Art and refreshments.

Saturday January 5, 2008 12-2pm

At the Raleigh Girls Club

701 N. Raleigh Blvd.

Raleigh, NC 27610

Our Very Own Santa's Workshop :)

The Raleigh Girls Club program "The Caring Club" is wrapping up a great first year by taking on the role of Santa's little helpers. Caring Club participants made postcards, ornaments, letters, and cards to send to their pen pals in Iraq. Along with their beautiful artwork the girls sent candy, dried fruit, nuts, and very necessary toiletries. To help pay for the packages the Caring Club has had two fundraisers. Halloween time there was a face painting booth. Girls could pay whatever they were able to pay for a face painting. And most recently there was an ornament workshop where girls got to paint a special ornament for a dollar. At the Art Exhibit this January some of the artists will be selling artwork to fund Caring Club packages. The entire Girls Club staff is very proud of how generous the girls have been this year. 2008 is looking like it is going to be a great year too!

Mask-Mania 2007!

The first papier mache classes of the new school year are coming to a close. The picture embedded in this blog entry is a group shot of some gorgeous masks the 6-9 year old group made. This age group has really impressed the staff with their talent and determination to finish what they started. Teaching this group was exhausting but, boy, did we have fun! It's remarkable to think that almost everyone in that group spent a minimum of three hours working on their masks! One of our six-year old artists spent a whopping five and a half hours working on her mask. Each girl that finished her mask will get to be a part of the huge fine arts exhibit in January. In an effort to cope with the inevitable separation anxiety these girls will "suffer" in the meantime, there will be a photo shoot for artists and their masks next week. Also taking place next week is the second session of papier mache classes. These classes will be making 3-D pictures. We will certainly keep you updated on that. Wish us luck!

We Are Adopting!

Get those jaws off the floor. My girls are adopting a SCHOOL! The school is in Iraq. Kids helping kids. :) The girls will be trying to raise money to buy supplies and collect donated school supplies for this school. This is an extension of a program we had last year. Last year quite a few girls wrote and sent hand-made gifts to female soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year we are taking things to a new level. It's too early say exactly where this project is going. But the girls that are involved are very ambitious so we shall see.

If you would like to send a little love to our troops over seas, check out this website:

www.anysoldier.com

Once you are at the site, click on "where to send" and a list of America's brave men and women in uniform will pop up. Click on a person's name and you will find some info on the soldier and possibly some emails from him or her talking about the living conditions, how their unit is doing, and a list of requested items. It's a great way to show some real support for our troops. You would be surprised to learn that the little signs of gratitude you send can make someone truly feel appreciated.

THE RGC IS GETTING READY FOR ITS BIG SHOW!

January may seem like a long way off. But believe me it will be here soon enough. Each year across the country, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America have local art shows to showcase their fine arts programs (we have our show in January). With a lot of talent and a little luck, artwork from those local shows goes to regional art competitions. Then with a LOT of talent and a LOT of luck, artwork is chosen to be a part of the National Fine Arts exhibit. It is a huge honor.


But the RGC isn't too worried about all that just yet. The Girls Club is just anxious to show this city how much artistic talent it has. The artist featured in the photograph above, Neziyah, has already discovered that she is quite an amazing sculptor at 6 years old! She LOVES her cheetah mask. When she was given the opportunity to hold the mask after it dried, she sighed and whispered, "it's beautiful." She is so anxious to finish her little masterpiece.

Currently there are 19 in-progress masks in the RGC art room!

RGC's Designers in Action!

The RGC art department has begun a short three session t-shirt design course for its interested and talented young artists. The girls are working on a t-shirt design for a local art contest. In the first session the girls had a discussion about what makes a great t-shirt design. The girls learned from Miss Kristin's past t-shirt designs (the successful and the not so successful designs). After the first session the girls seemed very excited to finish a design to submit for the local art contest. Good luck to all the designers :)

We're Back!!!

The after-school program is back in session and the 2007-2008 school year is shaping up to be a great one so far. The girls in the art room seem more determined than ever to make some awesome art. Miss Kristin already has two papier mache classes in session and soon she is adding two oil pastel classes, one drawing class. Next month she will be adding two mixed media classes, two collage classes, and two painting classes. It's going to be a crazy Fall. We will keep you posted on the date for the RGC Annual Fine Arts Show in January. :)

RGC: SUMMER SCULPTURES....out of newspaper!

The 12/13 year old group created some beautiful sculptures earlier this summer. The girls were asked to try something different than the normal newspaper on a balloon. The 12/13 year old artists surpassed all of Miss Kristin's expectations for the project. They should all be very proud of themselves. Look at Jasmine K.'s Cherries! Simply Gorgeous:)

POP! RGC Has A Pop Art Explosion

This week was Pop culture week at the Raleigh Girls Club. The art program celebrated this special week by learning about pop art. In particular the girls looked at work by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The girls were asked to respond to the blunt lines and bright colors in Warhol and Lichtenstein's work. The 8-11 year old groups focused on creating celebrity prints. The 12-13 year old group has been working with the idea of masking off areas in a painting in order to get dramatic lines. The 6-7 year old group has almost mastered "Art Simon Says." "Art Simon Says" teaches the girls a movement along with an artists name. The most popular artist would have to be Edvard Munch (The Scream Guy). Luckily for Miss Kristin's ears it is a silent scream.

For more information on RGC's Pop Art Inspiration check out:

http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org/

http://www.warhol.org/collections/index.html

Field Trip!

Miss Kristin, two RGC members, and one RGC volunteer were given the chance to see the ADF Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Children's Matinee Performance on June 30th at Duke University. Tickets were donated to the RGC and we could not be more grateful. The show was beautiful and very unique. The performances were so unique that they sparked a lively conversation for most of the ride back to the Girls Club. Unanimously we agreed that the last performance "Gnawa" was our favorite. "Gnawa" was the most energetic with its heavy use of percussion and large number of dancers. During the performance I am touched to say I heard a few whispered wows and cools from the two very cultured RGC members to my left. It was a great day. :)

It's The RGC Spring Art Show!

The After-School Art program went out with a bang on May 24th. An art show was hung in the multi-purpose room and was accompanied by a lovely reception that was sponsored by the Artspace Spring collaboration project. Girls that had a hanging piece of artwork or a hand in the making of the Artspace Circle Project got 'first dibs' on the cake. It was a great party.

The Raleigh Girls Club and Artspace Unite!

The Raleigh Girls Club and Artspace collaborated on a fantastic textile project this past Spring. Through a generous grant Artspace and RGC were able to sponsor a six-week class with textile artist Peg Gignoux ("Miss Peg"). Miss Peg worked with girls between the ages of 7 and 13 years of age. Miss Peg truly let the girls take ownership of the project; they were involved in almost every detail. The girls especially loved arranging the fabric into wacky patterns and beading the circles themselves! We are so thankful to the donors that made that program possible. :)

*The finished piece of art is hanging in the RGC Games Room through August
*Check out more info on RGC's visiting artist at http://www.ingignouxity.com/

*And be sure to check out past RGC/Artspace collaborations at http://www.artspacenc.org/projects.html

Welcome to RGC Yellow Spot!

Why is it called the Yellow Spot?

"The Yellow Spot" title is inspired by a quote I have always liked.

"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." -Picasso

The RGC's Art Program teaches young girls that they have the power to turn that "yellow spot" into anything they want it to be.