Know when to fold ’em

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Ditch the boring card games and other indoor fare you’ve been settling for during the Valley’s latest heat wave. There’s more to fold, and behold, at the Phoenix Art Museum — which presents screenings of “Gerhard Richter Painting” plus a day of “Kid’s Paper Play” this weekend, plus lots of hands-on activities for kids, parents, teachers and other grown-ups in coming weeks and months.

Gerhard Richter Painting. Final screenings are Sat, Aug. 18 at 1pm and Sun, Aug. 19 at 3pm. At 1pm on Aug 19 they’re showing “I’m Carolyn Parker” (from the “POV Film Series”), which follows a civil rights activist as she works to rebuild her home and community in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Kid’s Paper Play. Sat, Aug. 18 from noon to 3pm. Features fun ways to paint and manipulate paper, view works in the “Paper!” exhibit and “play on your own using different techniques for children of all ages.”

Paper Making Workshop. Sat, Aug. 25 from 11am to 1pm. Features “hand-papermaking and a fun exploration of simple and elegant book forms” with Rachel Nore, (ASU graduate student in printmaking) and Gabriela Muñoz (local artist and curatorial assistant at the museum).

Passage on the Underground Railroad. Wed., Sept. 5 at 7pm. Features a lecture by ASU art professor Stephen Marc on “the creative process of interpreting the history of the Undergroud Railroad through the use of photography and digital compositing to bring together historic sites, period documents and artifacts, and contemporary references.”

Grandparent’s Day. Sun, Sept. 9 from noon to 3pm. Features hands-on activities for all ages, family-friendly tours with museum docents and the chance to enjoy a free child’s entrée with the purchase of an adult entrée at the museum’s cafe.

Paper Play: Know When to Fold. Wed, Sept. 12 from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Features the chace to fold mini or giant origami, paper airplanes and cootie catchers — plus explore the art of paper sculpting.

Educator Open House. Wed, Sept. 12 from 5-8pm. Features “mini workshops, preview tours and demonstrations exclusively for educators” plus free appetizers and information on using museum resources to support classroom teaching.

Finally, if you know someone living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, share the news of Phoenix Art Museum’s six-week “Arts Engagement Program,” which runs Sept. 27-Dec. 13.

— Lynn

Note: Please click here to confirm program dates, times, costs and other details before attending.

Coming up: The fine art of conferences

A bookmaking tale

Books samples displayed at a recent Art Intersection workshop

Our house is home to four new books thanks to a bookmaking class I attended last night with our oldest daughter, Jennifer — an ASU student who readily admits her new bookmaking skills will make it harder to slog through all that summer session homework.

When we got to Art Intersection in Gilbert, Jennifer quickly made her way to the book-making class being taught by Carol Panaro-Smith. I joined her after taking a stroll through the “All Art Arizona 2012” exhibition that runs through July 28, but tried to lay low while Jennifer did her thing.

Portion of the gallery space at Art Intersection in Gilbert

Jennifer was one of seven women taking the three-hour class that night, and all went home with four styles of books created from various recycled papers. Picking which papers to use seemed like half the fun — and I was touched when Jennifer thought to grab a piece picturing Shakespeare, knowing that her sister Lizabeth is a big fan of the Bard.

You can learn a lot about a person by watching them in art-making mode. Do they like to wing it or meticulously follow step-by-step instruction? How well do they tolerate imperfections? Do they prefer conversation or keen concentration? Are they comfortable posing questions or asking for help when it’s needed?

Carol Panaro-Smith (L) works with Jennifer on sewing a handmade book

Coming days will find me trolling used book stores and such in search of interesting papers for futute evenings filled with bookmaking. Maybe even returning for a second spin through the Phoenix Art Museum’s “Paper!” exhibit running through Sept. 23 (there’s a related event for the “Under 21” set at the museum tonight at 5:30pm).

Folks eager to learn the fine art of paper making can sign-up for the Phoenix Art Museum’s July 14 “Paper Making Workshop” — featuring “hand-papermaking and a fun exploration of simple and elegant book forms” with Rachel Nore, a graduate student in printmaking at ASU, and local artist Gabriela Muñoz, curatorial assistant of modern and contemporary art at the museum.

One of several books Jennifer created during the Art Intersection workshop

I’ve heard several news reports in recent days about the dwindling attention span of many Americans, and the toll that endless technological thrill-seeking is taking on our ability to engage in slow, deliberate thought. Seems far too many folks favor tweeting over reading.

Maybe the fine art of bookmaking, accessible to anyone with a few scraps of paper who learns just a few basic steps, can help us all embrace the meditative qualities that might help us weather the fast-paced fury of modern society.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn about upcoming classes and exhibits offered by Art Intersection in Gilbert.

Coming up: Another night with “Rent”