Artist of the Month

The artist for the month of December is Grandma Moses (1860-1961).

Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as "Grandma Moses", was born in Greenwich, New York, on September 7, 1860. Moses is a renowned American folk artist who is best remembered as an individual who successfully began a career in the arts at an advanced age. She had ten children but five died at birth. Although her family and friends called her either "Mother Moses" or "Grandma Moses," she first exhibited as "Mrs. Moses," yet the press eagerly named her "Grandma Moses," which stuck." LIFE magazine celebrated her 100th birthday by featuring her on its September 19, 1960 cover.

Many of Grandma Moses' paintings were used to publicize special American holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mother's Day. She regularly portrayed happy scenes of rural home life, sometimes picturing herself as a child. She also painted a number of historical pictures, usually about her ancestors. In some works, the figures are dressed in eighteenth-century costumes, as people might have dressed in the country. Many of her color schemes are fitting to the various seasons: white for winter, light green for spring, deep green for summer, and brown for autumn.

Here are some of her most famous pantings.

"The Old Oaken Bucket"

"Bringing in the Maple Sugar"

"Over the River to Grandma's House"

"Sugaring Off"

Artist of the Month

The Artist of the Month for October is Paul Klee (1879-1940) and George Seurat (1859-1891) for November.


Paul Klee was a Swiss-German artist. His mother was Swiss and his father was German, and Klee was raised in Switzerland but spent most of his adult life in Germany. He taught at the Bauhaus School of Art and was part of Der Blaue Reiter, the avant-garde circle co-founded by Russian artist Kandinsky. He was Influenced by Cubism and drawn to the expressiveness of primitive art and children's paintings. Klee produced nearly 10,000 works in a variety of media, but is mostly known for his watercolor paintings. Some of his best-known works include; Southern (Tunisian) Gardens (1919), The Twittering Machine (1922) and Fish Magic(1925).




Southern (Tunisian) Gardens

The Twittering Machine

Fish Magic

Check out these photos of our after-school kids making Paul Klee Sugar Cookies:

After-school kids create Paul Klee animals with chalk

Georges Seurat was a neo-impressionist. His technique for portraying the play of light using tiny brushstrokes of contrasting colours became known as Pointillism. He created huge compositions with tiny, detached strokes of pure colour too small to be distinguished when looking at the entire work but making his paintings shimmer with brilliance. Seurat began to" draw at an early age. In 1875, he took a course with sculptor Justin Lequien. Several years later, Seurat enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and studied with Henri Lehmann. Seurat remained at the school for two years, during which time he discovered a book entitled Essai sur les signes inconditionnels de l'art (Essay on the Unmistakable Signs of Art) by Humbert de Superville. This discovery of the relationship between lines and images became the inspiration for Seurat's entire career. When his painting "Une Baignade, Asnieres" was refused by the Salon jury he began exhibiting with the foundation of the Groupe des Artistes Independants, who promoted the development of modern art. One of his most famous works is "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886):

A Couple other examples of his paintings:

Afterschool practices pointillism. Check out the new artwork!

Urban Arts After School Program

lots of activities

Among other things we have been baking cookies and muffins, gardening! We harvested chilies and we helped to weed, cave art and making our own paint with berries, we have done Paul Klee creatures outside and we have enjoyed the sun!

Introducing...

Hi UAA friends and families!

Here at Urban Arts Academy, we're lucky to have the support of a diverse group of people who generously volunteer their time to us as interns. Here are a few of them! We'll keep updating this list as more bios and pictures roll in.

• My name's Bronwen, and I'm a senior Studio Art Major at Macalester College. Originally from Sacramento, CA, I was drawn to the Twin Cities for it's vibrant culture and emphasis on community. Over the years, I've had a growing interest in how art can be used to bring people together and promote positive change; I've had the opportunity to work as an Arts Director at a residential summer camp, as a Scenic Assistant with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and recently was able to spend a semester in Denmark studying sustainable design. In my spare time I like to bike, make pizzas, and play with poi. I'm excited to work with Urban Arts Academy this semester, and see how an arts non-profit can make a lasting impact.

• Greetings! I am Jozette, and I like reading, art, and smiling! I love the art of the past because in school I studied Art History. I really hope to be able to teach some lessons on art history this semester. I am here because I want to learn more about children and helping them unlock their creativity and imagination. I believe all bios should end with at least one random favorite, so here are a few - my favorite color is red, my favorite book is Harry Potter, and my favorite thing to draw with is crayola crayons and markers (a tie).

• Hello, my name is Katie. I am an arts education intern at the Urban Arts Academy. I studied studio arts at St. Olaf College and architecture preservation at the University of Minnesota. I have worked with kids as a swim instructor, intern at the Minnesota Children's Museum and as a after school program volunteer at the Phylis Wheatley Community Center. I love learning new things, making art working with children so I am very excited that this internship will allow me to do all of those things. My primary goals for this internship are to learn ways to develop curriculum and programs and of course making lots of fun arts projects with the kids.

• I am so excited to be a part of UAA! My name is Jillian; currently, I am a junior at the University of Minnesota getting my bachelor's degree in Global Studies. This past summer I went to Turkey to teach children English. My favorite food is probably sushi and I love Punch Pizza! At UAA I have the Environmental Arts position. I am looking forward to using art to explain environmental education and can't wait to work with everyone!
  

• Hi! I'm Meghan from Mankato, MN. I like biking, reading, painting, and treasure hunting. In the past,
  

  I've volunteered with the Teresa House Homeless Shelter in Mankato. There, I had the pleasure of helping with the after school program by assisting children with homework, art projects, and building a library.

  I also helped establish MEISA, Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association, Mankato chapter. Within this club, I helped new students learn how to be successful in their music studies and encouraged members to explore career opportunities within the industry. I'm excited to learn the logistics of non-profit art administration and plan environmental art projects to do with the children. My favorite food is veggie pizza. I also love to bike around the lakes in Minneapolis.

• Greetings! My name is Alisa. I am the Environmental Arts Intern with the Urban Arts Academy for the Fall 2010. I am very excited to be a part of an organization that brings art and imagination to the youth of Minneapolis. I have worked with various youth organizations, in urban and wilderness settings, and have always found myself inspired by the questions youth ask of life and how they live out their answers. I am always learning from the younger generation and am glad to be a part of the life-long learning process while I am here at UAA. I am hoping to connect themes of environmentalism and art in the after-school program. I hope to to have the youth create art installations that cultivate a sense of community around our shared concern for the environment. When I am not at UAA, you can find me somewhere around town on my bicycle, reading, writing and exploring Minneapolis.
  

• Hi! My name is Ashley. I graduated from Augsburg College in 2008, with a major in Studio Arts and a minor in Art History. I attended the Arts in Paris Program in France where I enhanced my artistic skills. Ienjoys painting, sketching and cooking. I'm really excited about my internship at Urban Arts where I can work with children on art projects and also learn new skills for my career in the art world.

More to come!

Thanks,

UAA