Imagine That!: Activities and Adventures in Surrealism

I volunteer at my childs school in the art master piece program. This book was a tremendous help in coming up with ideas for the students to do.

Joining others in the 'Art Explorers' series for elementary-level readers is Imagine That: Activities And Adventures In Surrealism: a solid introduction for the entire family which focuses on the surrealist movement for an age group which normally doesn't receive this kind of depth in a surrealist exploration. Six great Surrealist artists invite kids to view contrasting works and use their own interpretative skills, encouraging exploration through hands-on activities. These reinforcing activities make Imagine That an exceptional introduction.

"What is a television... to man, who has only to shut his eyes to see the most inaccessible regions of the seen and the never seen?" Salvador Dali "Do not proceed according to rules and principles, but paint what you observe and feel." Camille Pissarro "Nobody will give you freedom-you have to take it." Meret Oppenheim "To be a Surrealist...means barring from your mind all remembrance of what you have seen, and being always on the lookout for what has never been." Rene Magritte Picture This and Imagine That introduce children to great artists, art concepts and allow them to become artists themselves. They are the first two books in the Art Explorers series. Picture This introduces Impressionism, Imagine That acquaints us with Surrealism. The books begin with a Note To Adults, telling how to help children explore that particular school of art. This is followed by a Note to Kids, introducing them to that school of art and to the book. This is followed by one work each from 5 or 6 artists that are representative of that particular school. Each work of art has accompanying kid-friendly information about the art and the artist, and discussion questions. Then there are a few pages of art projects, to allow the child to respond by experimenting with different techniques and materials. The instructions for the projects are clear and include illustrations of a work in progress, and examples of actual children's art projects. In the back there is a little additional information about each artist. For example, after looking at Personal Values by Rene Magritte, children cut pictures out of a magazine to "Make a fantasy room where everyday things are seen in crazy mixed-up ways.". Step by step instructions are explained and illustrated. Several examples of completed projects by children 8-9 years old are included. The second project is a cut paper collage of "your own sky, where everything is mixed up and anything can float or fly". Again, there are two full pages of instructions and examples. These two projects require colored paper, glue, scissors, old magazines, and drawing materials. Of course some of the other projects will most likely involve a trip to the craft store, but some, like these, will not. On afternoons when the weather is crummy and there is a space available in the house somewhere to make a controlled mess, you could probably scrounge up stuff to keep the kids amused for a little while with one of these projects. These books are recommended for ages 5-12, but the nature of the projects is such that children of different ages can participate together in many of them. You can see some of the author's work on line and explore modern art at www.moma.org/artsafari . Look at some examples of modern art, talk about the discussion questions, and play author or detective.

"Celebrate the expressive ideas of the child-creativity is a gift to be nurtured in everyone."--Joyce Raimondo IMAGINE THAT! is a study in the art of Surrealism that emerged after World War I. It is artists' response to the ravages of war through art that flows freely from the imagination and dreams, without deliberate purpose. From this thought process, artists' paintings evolved. Some of these artistic works were combined with images of actual objects and unusual or "bizarre" scenes. Some major artists represented in IMAGINE THAT! are: **Salvador Dali **Rene Magritte **Max Ernst **Meret Oppenheim **Joan Miro & Frida Kahlo, who made noted contributions but were not considered "key" Surrealists Surrealist artists encourage your imagination to run free and as topsy turvy as you like while harvesting those dream-like images. Make a surprise image creature, draw your dream, double your image, and make a collage or frottage. Start having fun in your world of imagination today. Great stuff for tapping into young readers' and adults' creativity. Try the collograph creatures, the 3-D figurines, or the mystery box. Superb ideas for the art appreciation of the SURREALISM movement. I highly recommend IMAGINE THAT! Adults will also enjoy this one as well.

This is a great book to get kids really looking at art and responding to it. The creative activities, with step-by-step directions and lots of examples of kids' art, are perfect for homeschoolers or anyone whose school district has cut arts funding, as well as those who just want to increase a child's exposure to and understanding of great art. (You should see my daughter's Surrealist place setting with totally weird food.) Fun for all ages!