I Am an Artist

Excellent book to use when describing observational skills of an artist. Which is all of us.

A child looks at the world and realizes that art is found in many forms around him, and that he himself is an artist too. Pretty pictures.

This book beautifully and simply expresses the philosophy of the Lincoln Center Institute for Arts in Education, where I received training (I'm an elementary teacher). Basically, it is that art is about WAYS OF LOOKING, noticing, and interacting fully with our environment........appreciating the different, the beautiful, and the meaningful, for each of us as individuals. Cultivating this aesthetic awareness helps us live more fully, and connect to humanity. This book, appropriate for about age 4 and up, gently demonstrates this, and provides a valuable reminder for us grownups. On each page of 1-2 sentences, the narrator describes how her careful noticings of simple beauty makes her an artist. Truly, we all have it in us. Also, if this type of thinking excites you, try the work of Lincoln Center Institute's philosopher-in residence, Maxine Greene. Her new book, Reflections on the Blue Guitar: The Lincoln Center Lectures, can inspire your own reflections and connections. Enjoy!

ONE OF MY TEACHERS READ THIS TO MY CLASS. IT MADE US ALL FEEL WE ARE ARTIST. IT REALLY INSPIRED ME TO CREATE. I LOVED IT SO MUCH I WANT TO BUY IT SO I MAY BE ABLE TO SHARE IT WITH MY FRIENDS. JUST IMAGE IF YOU SEE SHAPES IN THE CLOUDS YOU TOO CAN BE AN ARTIST LIKE ME!

I am using this book, I am an Artist, as part of a homeschool curriculum for my four year old son. We have enjoyed it very much. I think the best thing about it is it really teaches a child the importance of noticing and appreciating this beautiful world we live in; that is, it tells us to "take time to smell the roses". The illustrations of nature in the book are wonderful and thought provoking, too.