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Artists Sarah Rydecki is planning Block Parties all over South Haven, Michigan. If you are attending one or hosting, here is some information for you to read before you join, only if you choose! Templates and printable templates below.

Block Party Prompts and Inspiration

“Art connects us to our shared humanity and to our fundamental human need to create.” Krensky, B., & Steffen, S.L. (2009)

Your role in this project is to play through art, tell something about yourself in pictures, and make a small piece of a big sculpture that will be a visual representation of unity, community, and creativity! By being part of this, we hope you find joy in creating and are able to feel a sense of community that you can take away from this experience and share with the world!

Step One…Choose your block and the corresponding Block Sketch Template.

Step Two…Explore design ideas for your block.

You may already have an idea for what you want to create on your block! Feel free to sketch your idea out using the Block Sketch Template and a pencil. Consider what art supplies and colors you think you would like to use. Here, you are making a plan, but it’s OK if the plan changes as you work on your block. Perhaps you want to start on your block without a plan…that’s OK too!

It’s also OK if you are not sure where to begin! You are invited to look through the following PROMPTS to find one that sparks an art idea for you.

-Write your name big across the block, then have fun stylizing and coloring in the letters and the spaces around the letters.

-Draw a representation of something you love to do, a place you love, things you collect, etc.

-If you are someone who likes to doodle, doodle-draw on your block.

-Think of something you liked drawing as a child. Draw that.

-Start your block drawing with a big heart shape. Then, draw what is in your heart.

-Trace your hand or part of your hand. Draw or write in the hand what you hold onto dearly.

-Draw a self-portrait. It does not have to be real-looking. Let it express who you are.

-Draw a simple family portrait.

-Words of personal meaning. Write a word, phrase, or quote that is special to you, then decorate the space around the word(s).

-Fill your block with words that describe you. Surround the words with lines, shapes, and colors.

-Favorites…draw some of your favorite things.

Step Three…Gather the art supplies or travel to the art supplies you want to use.

Step Four…Find the Calmness to Create.

Seek to enter the FLOW ZONE or the flow state as you ease into art-making. This is where you experience focus and concentration on the present moment…CREATING ON YOUR BLOCK.

Relax, breathe, and silence your inner critic. Focus on the wonderful process of creating!

“Private moments of rest restore and loosen the knots of the world by slowing down the heart.” -Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening

Step Five…Leave your block with Sarah. Be sure to take a picture of it before you do!:)

To get printable pdfs of Block Party Materials, use the links below.

I Am Prompts

.pdf

Download PDF • 42KB

Block Party Prompts and Inspiration - Google Docs

.pdf

Download PDF • 568KB

3 Block Sketch Template

.pdf

Download PDF • 83KB

4 Block Sketch Template

.pdf

Download PDF • 141KB

srydecki4
- Apr 18, 2022
- 1 min read

Create and Connect Art-Starter: April 18, Contour Drawing

Updated: Apr 18, 2022

There is no right or wrong way to draw, only different styles! Here, learn how silencing your inner critic and looking closely can help when you want to draw something realistically. Realize another kind of flow and peace that can come from the kind of attention given when we try to draw what we see.

Create and Connect is a community art initiative lead by artist Sarah Rydecki in collaboration with the South Haven Center for the Arts, the South Haven Memorial Library, and the Mitten Children's Museum. The project is made possible through funding from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, ArtsMidwest and the National Endowment for the Arts.