The art club of the Bradford Area Public Library, for children in 1st through 6th grade, meets every Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Members study the works of famous artists and different forms of art and create works of art that illustrates the work of the artist or form of art. The program is free and open to the public.
The art club, which started last fall, has been steadily growing. Currently, there are nearly 20 regular members who regularly participate in the weekly program. Recently, nearly 70 patrons attended the successful art show that was hosted by the art club. The club plans on hosting a second art show in the future as well.
Starting in May, the art club will study abstract art through the works of Hilma af Klint and Wassily Kandinsky. Swedish painter and mystic, Hilma Af Klint (1862-1944) belonged to a group called “The Five,” a circle of women who shared her belief in the importance of trying to make contact with the so-called “High Masters” — often by way of séances. Her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas. Her work predates the first purely abstract compositions by Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting one of the first recognized purely abstract works. Wassily said, “of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. That is essential.”
The art club members will create abstract works of their own. Abstract art does not depict a person, place or thing in the natural world. It communicates with the viewers in an attempt to understand “reality”. All abstract artists believe that reality is subjective, and it’s up to a viewer to define it. Judy Carr, children’s programming coordinator, added that she wanted to show the children that abstract art is art.
For more information about the art club or to register, contact the Bradford Area Public Library or sign up at the circulation desk.
