Our Arturo’s Preschool visitors created their own special rooms inspired by the materials, textures and chair designs in the Formed/Unformed: Design from 1960 to the Present. In the Art Studio, they designed their own cozy, soft, and fuzzy furniture for their rooms using pom-poms, feathers, fuzzy wire and foam shapes!

Banquete chair with pandas, Fernando & Humberto Campana, designed in 2006

Their unanimous choice for favorite chair in the Formed/Unformed exhibition is the “panda chair”! What materials would you use to design your favorite chair?

Posted by: Mary

Even the staff are turning up striped!

Inspired by the signature blue and white stripes as seen in The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibition, these bands of color are all the rage at the DMA. In fact, when anyone comes into the office wearing stripes these days, we all immediately think “oh…very JPG!”

So why are the stripes so appealing? Gaultier himself reasons that sailor stripes are classic and will never go out of style. (He was dressed in sailor stripes as a young boy). A quick walk around the mall proves his words true—stripes are everywhere in 2012.

Have the stripes struck you yet? If not, here are a few ways to engage in creative play with stripes at home.

• Use colored masking tape to create stripes on a large piece of drawing paper. Or, choose several favorite colors and paint in alternating bands on canvas. Experiment with how colors look different next to one another. {An easy DIY tutorial can be found on the Remodelaholic blog.}
• Jazz up recycled cans to make chic containers, vases and even luminaries. Consider using yarn, fabric scraps or another material with interesting texture to create stripes around your containers. Check out the lovely striped luminaries from the Creative Jewish Mom blog.
• Work on a paper weaving project with your child. Weaving paper stripes over and under is great for practicing fine motor skills and is a fun variation on the striped theme. Step by step instructions can be found at First Palette.
• And for a wacky bedtime story, read David Shannon’s A Bad Case of the Stripes.

Let us know if you come down with a case of the stripes too!

Posted by: Leah

Larry’s art project was spot-on inspired by his canine buddy Luke! Larry and his wife J designed the spotted and striped tea towels hanging in the background during our Meaningful Moments program this week.

Check out our November 2011 blog entry for more information on how to create your own screen prints!

Posted by: Mary

Tribute to Africa collection, haute couture spring/summer 2005, Jean Paul Gaultier

Visitors will have the chance to participate in a Madonna and Lady Gaga costume contest, experience hat making with local milliner Cassandra MacGregor, watch a Madonna impersonator perform, and enjoy all of the family activities we have to offer. In addition to our usual yoga in the galleries and storytime with our talented storyteller Ann Marie Newman (who will be showcasing some inspiring fashion of her own!), we will have a parade of pooches on the runway as families participate in our design for a dog in the studio!

Artists often inspire one another – fashion designer Jen Paul Gaultier has been inspired by the pop star Lady Gaga and has created many designs for her to wear. Photographer Jessie Freidin is so inspired by the costumes worn by Lady Gaga that he has a series of Polaroid photographs showing dogs dressed in Lady Gaga-esque costumes called The Doggie Gaga Project.

The Doggie Gaga Project, Jesse Freidin

The Doggie Gaga Project, Jesse Freidin

Whether you take your inspiration from images of Jesse Freidin’s Doggie Gaga Project photographs, fashions in the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition, fashion from works in the Museum’s collection, or even from people you see every day, Late Night Creations on Friday night is your chance to create a mini outfit based on your own unique designs!

What a colorful canine!

We will supply the mini dogs, fabric (do I smell bacon-print fabric?), markers, glue, and everything else a Fido fashion designer needs – and you can create a doggone fun outfit for your dog to wear. Be sure that your dog has a chance to trot on the runway!

Such a pretty puppy!

Join us in the studio during Late Night on January 20 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. for a howling good time!

Posted by Amanda

During Arturo’s Art & Me this week, we explored the idea of design in the Form/Unformed exhibition on Level 4, and created our own design-a-room shoeboxes in the C3 Art Studio!

Posted by: Mary

Create an Outfit for a Princess, Superhero, or Dog!

Taking inspiration from fashion in the Museum’s collection as well as the special exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, our project this month is to channel your inner designer to make miniature outfits for a character you create. This character could be yourself, a friend, a pet, or someone from your imagination. You’ll receive a wooden block on which you’ll make your character and then choose from a variety of materials to make his or her outfit. You can also use the reverse side of the block to make an entirely new design!

Once you are finished, stage your own fashion shoot with your friends and family by bringing your creations to our miniature runway where we’ll take pictures and project them on our screen in the Studio. All photos will also be posted to our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/centerforcreativeconnections/; check  out some of the fantastic fashions people created this past weekend!

Before you leave, be sure to take our super-fun fashion scavenger hunt for families! Free copies are available in the Studio during the art activity. The scavenger hunt will help you uncover some of the traditional, unique, and sometimes weird fashions from works in our collection.

Studio Creations is an art-making activity for families offered Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00-3:30 p.m. (with some exceptions). Discover a new art-making activity each month! Join us in the Center for Creative Connections where volunteers are on hand to help your fmaily make unique art projects. Studio Creations is free with paid admission to the Museum and all materials are provided.

Posted by: JC

Designing our own jewelry with colorful animal shaped beads was just one of the activities to celebrate fashion in the museum during our January First Tuesday!

Posted by: Mary

To help celebrate the New Year, we’d like to share an exciting story of new beginnings that took place in our very own Center for Creative Connections (C3) space recently! We know that C3 is an amazing place to reflect on your own life through works of art and even create your own art at the Space Bar, right? Well one creative guy did all of the above for love and made some new memories too . . .

What’s sparkly, made with love, and spells out “the question”? A work of art created at the C3 Space Bar turned secret romantic marriage proposal! Nine shiny boxes exclaiming “Marry Me!” in bright paper and colorful foam shapes to be exact. It was created days ahead of time in preparation for the proposal AND it was entrusted to the eager guardians and super secret agents on staff in the C3 and Family Experiences department, including yours truly.  We were so protective of Richard’s work of art, just like it was hanging in one of the DMA galleries!

He decided to propose to Laura at the DMA because of its special meaning for them – the March 2011 Friday Late Night was their first date!  So we wanted to help make this moment as special as possible. On Saturday, November 19, 2011, as planned, we placed his work of art on the C3 Space Bar wall shelves, set slightly apart from the other creations. Keeping this work of art noticeable yet somewhat covert was quite a task!

Just as his work of art began gathering attention from a few curious onlookers, the happy couple entered the C3 space after visiting some of the other museum galleries.  As we watched from a distance, Richard guided Laura near the agreed upon spot where his art gleamed from the shelves.  The next thing we knew, he was down on one knee popping the question, “Will you marry me?”!  With shrieks of surprise, the proposal was accepted and a beautiful sparkly ring, given in love, was slipped on her finger.

Richard and Laura in front of Accumulation Project by Annette Lawrence

Thank you Richard & Laura for including us in your special day! We look forward to seeing you on your anniversaries!

Posted by: Mary

Filed under: Center for Creative Connections, Late Night, Materials Bar, Uncategorized Tagged: art, Center for Creative Connections, Late Night ]]> http://dmafamilyblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/a-dallas-museum-of-art-love-connection/feed/ 1 Leah DSC01346 DSC01353 DSC01354 IMGP9014-4 IMGP9021 IMGP9024 http://dmafamilyblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/let-it-snow/ http://dmafamilyblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/let-it-snow/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:22:59 +0000 Leah http://dmafamilyblog.wordpress.com/?p=2119 Continue reading →]]> Our neighbors in the Texas Panhandle are under a blizzard watch, but here in Dallas all we will get is rain. If you are in need of a wintery wonderland to get into the holiday spirit, the forecast here at the DMA calls for some snow heading your way! Hum a line or two of the song Let It Snow and use the images below to play a snowy seek-and-find.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
Can you find a snow cave in this picture?

But the fire is so delightful
Search for clues that tell you all the people in this town must be inside. (Hint: Look at the chimneys).

Dallas in Winter, Guy Carleton Wiggins, c. 1942

 So when there’s no place to go…
How many cars are stuck in the snow?

West Texas Snow, Perry Nichols, 1941

Let it snow
How many white horses are in the herd?

Fox in the Snow, Gustave Courbet, 1860

Let it snow
What is the fox doing?

Let it snow
Can you find a rocking chair left outside?

Feeling inspired to create your own snow scene? Have your child draw a snow scene on heavy paper, then “paint” over the entire image with a super-saturated mixture of equal parts Epsom salt and water (boiling the mixture helps the salt to dissolve). As the mixture dries, small snow-like crystals will form.

Whether you have snow or not, we wish the warmest of holidays!

Posted by: Leah

During our Meaningful Moments class this week, we visited the African Headwear exhibit and celebrated the art of fashion with our friend Mrs. Taiye Ozigbo! These smiling faces radiate the warmth and joy she shared as she showed us how to wrap and tie a gele.

Posted by: Mary