Month: March 2011

The Artful Life: Making Origami with Kids

Categories: Crafts, family, origami, The Artful Life

We’ve been learning about Origami, and couldn’t wait to try a few simple projects!  The kids and I rushed out to our local craft store to buy an Origami Kit.  This seemed to be more cost effective than buying all of the components separately. 

It was a bit confusing for us to figure out the Origami diagrams at first, so we turned to some help from YouTube to guide us through the steps.  Now that we are familiar with how to make the proper folds, it will be nice to have our book handy for future Origami sessions.

“The Crane”

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane.  The crane is a revered creature in Japanese culture, and 1,000 Origami cranes, held together by string, are a symbol of world peace.  Individual Origami cranes are also often exchanged between special friends and loved ones.

Folding an Origami crane is more difficult than the introductory cup and balloon.  However, if you follow along with this video, it is an enjoyable challenge!  We chose the medium-sized paper from our set (about 6″ x 6″) in three separate colors.  We plan to fold more and hang them from our studio ceiling!

“The Angelfish”

My youngest son chose the Angelfish from our Origami book, so we gave it a whirl.  It is more difficult than the crane, but again, we found a tutorial video, and it was quite fun!  

We each chose our own color of the medium-sized Origami paper for our fish.  There are some small folds in this project with which little hands will require help.

These are so sweet, and would look adorable on a card, gift wrapping, or with a magnet on the refrigerator.  My youngest son attached a magnet to his fish, then tied a paperclip to a string and wrapped the other end around a popsicle stick.  He made his own fishing game!

Origami is a practical and enjoyable craft for the whole family.  You can create toys, decorations, and gifts simply with some beautiful paper and a little patience!

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Spring Break was the perfect opportunity for us to get out and go downtown to tour the Denver Art Museum.  Their permanent collections are fabulous, but there is a temporary exhibit until May 1, titled “Blink!,” that we wanted to see. Additionally, the museum has just renovated its American Indian Art gallery, and we wanted to  explore what’s new!  Unfortunately,  we missed the controversial unauthorized Origami art installation, which made the Denver Post news that day. 

The boys were circumspect about whether they would truly enjoy their day. Of course, I would love to spend countless hours just gazing at the European and Modern Art collections, but that schedule won’t fly with two young children.  The current exhibit, “Blink!,” is one that is very conducive to children, but be warned that it can be highly stimulating.  “Celebrating the radical transformation of technology over the past 30 years”, this collection features “electronic and time-based media.”

I believe all of the subject matter is appropriate for family viewing, and kids will be delighted by the lights, sound and movement that is out of our ordinary experiences with media.

We particularly enjoyed “Chamber” by Charles Sandison, which surrounds you in a room of streaming currents of words. Encourage your children to find a word, and point to it.  Watch how the images morph on your skin and clothing, and how shadows interact within the space.

We also loved “Still Men Out There” by Bjorn Melhus, which features up-ended vintage televisions that broadcast a themed soundtrack synchronized with light.  Stop and sit for a bit on the bench and enjoy the wonder of this unique piece. 

Encourage your children to stop, amidst the hyper-active exhibit that is teeming with flashing lights and sounds, and ask them questions about these artworks.  How does it make them feel, how do they think it was made, why do they like this piece, or why not? These questions spark great conversations!

When you visit the Denver Art Museum, it is important to know that they have tons of activities geared for helping children learn how to negotiate through a gallery space.  From “I-Spy” and “Art Bingo” cards placed within the galleries (top left), art “hot spots” and educational backpacks that can travel through the museum, to the new interactive screens in the American Indian Gallery (lower right).  This incredible touch screen display helps viewers understand the imagery that Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith included in her wonderful painting,”Trade Canoe for Don Quixote”(top right).

We loved the remodeled American Indian Gallery! A wide variety of art is on display, from historical artifacts to contemporary paintings.  The boys loved seeing an authentic tipi from the 1800’s, as well as the exquisite Indian Chief headdresses. This permanent collection sets a high bar for art museums! 

The DAM has commissioned a sculpture by  artist Roxanne Swentzell to greet visitors  at the exhibit.  Visitors can watch her build the storyteller sculpture with straw wattles and Colorado adobe on certain days of each week.  This sculpture was initiated this spring and will likely be completed in the fall.

Throughout the DAM, there are places for kids to be kids!  There’s always a fun, interactive video installation on the second floor of the Hamilton Building, near the entrance to the Western-American Art gallery (bottom image).

There’s also the Just For Fun Family Center, on level 1 of the North Building (middle image). Here, children can play art-themed games, dress up like King-Tut, and make a masterpiece of their own to take home.

On level 2 of the North Building (top image), there is a space for children to draw, read, (have a snack) and play with large architectural blocks.  This is also where you can step out on the balcony and catch a gorgeous view of downtown Denver and the Denver Public Library.

This is no stuffy, boring art museum!  It’s very easy to find plenty of things to inspire your children to appreciate art.  Stop to make a postcard (bottom image), or dress up like “Long Jakes” by Charles Deas (middle image),   in the Western-American Art gallery.  To find available projects, ask a museum host what activities are going on, or look at the schedule in advance.  Right now, you can create your own flip-book or image spinner as a part of their highlight on animation with “Blink!” (top image).

Have a great time, and be sure to let me know how you enjoyed your visit!

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“Between the Folds”: Inside the World of Modern Origami

Categories: Art Tours, movies, origami

“Look around the room and think about how many things fold….paper, clothing, our skin, even DNA, is folded.  You and I are born from folding….“

“The rules are simple:

one piece of paper transformed by folding. 

No scissors.  No tape.  No glue.”

“Between the Folds” is director Vanessa Gould’s fascinating documentary about the modern condition of the ancient art form of Origami.  From the “Father” of modern Origami, Akira Yoshizawa, to the breakthrough research of MIT professor, Erik Demaine, this film coalesces the many paths Orgami has taken into a beautifully inspiring film.

Contemporary origami has superseded the simple folds of the crane and the fish, and has branched into many forms to suit the needs of artists, mathematicians, enthusiasts and teachers.  Yoshizawa is attributed with inventing the diagramming system that uses pictures alone to fold two-dimensional paper into three-dimensional objects.

 
Once these diagrams started and ended in under ten folds.  Now you can find pictured instructions for hundreds of folds.  Contemporary Origami enthusiasts are even using mathematical algorithms to describe their techniques.  This dragon, by Satoshi Kamiya, took over a hundred hours to fold from one single piece of paper.

The unique styles of Origami artists are amazing, considering the limited list of materials.  Yet great variety comes from handmade paper of different materials, diverse philosophies on folding methods, and distinctive applications for the Origami itself.  

Humanity has a need for things to fold.  

We carry and store objects (often more than we have space for).  We build and attempt to travel to places no one has gone before.  We teach each other complicated principles that need to be diagrammed.  We desire to better understand how the natural world functions.

Origami corresponds to each one of these pursuits, and along the way, we realize it’s just plain fun!

The origami in this commercial was created by Robert J. Lang for Mitsubishi

“Between the Folds” is a fabulous film, suited for all ages.  It’s wonderful to watch while you are doing some creative work of your own!  I promise it will inspire you to think of a simple sheet of paper as a limitless world of possibility!

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