Kids Learn Where to Look for Art

One week after their visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, fifth-graders at Hubbard Street Elementary School got to work Thursday making some masterpieces of their own.

But the source of their inspiration was neither a Picasso nor a Rodin, but everyday objects that they found around their homes.

Thursday marked the third of four Living With Art workshops for the Hubbard students. Living With Art, which is run by LACMA’s Education Department and includes a museum tour, is a hands-on program designed to teach children about art through their associations with ordinary objects, said instructor Mario Davila.

Now in its second year, Living With Art visits several county elementary schools each semester. The program is funded by a grant from the Simon Foundation.

“Most of these kids think that they have to go to the museum to see art,” said Davila, who also serves as the education coordinator for Watts Towers Art Center.

“It’s nice to go to the museum, but we teach them that art is all around them. They just need to examine and discover.”

“Everybody loves doing art, so we’re glad that Mario comes,” said 11-year-old Jennifer Nava. “He teaches us that art is not always where you think it is.”

“This program really makes the children observe and not just look,” said fifth-grade teacher Ann Howitt. “They’re encouraged to ask questions and draw conclusions about what they see.”

On Thursday, after a brief slide show, Davila distributed oil pastels and set the kids to work redesigning objects from their homes. The work will be displayed at the museum later in the year at a family event for all the students who have participated in the program.

“Remember, art can be hung on a wall, art can be found on a table, you can even turn a car into a work of art,” Davila told the students as they began to draw.