Shannon Merenstein - Collage Workshop for Kids: Rip, Snip, Cut, and Create with Inspiration from The Eric Carle Museum

Photograph by Kristin Angel. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

At the end of Shannons chapters, youll find notes from The Carles art educators, Meg Nicoll and Sara Ottomano, sharing their experiences working with families in our Art Studio. The studio is open whenever the Museum is open, offering visitors a chance to use the same types of materials and tools as the artists who are exhibited in our galleries. The Art Studio team works hard to underscore, for every visitor, our guiding principles:

Offer open-ended art projects so children can follow their own interests and instincts.

Present materials and tools within easy reach.

Encourage imagination! Everything has the potential to be an art material, from objects found in nature to those destined for the wastebasket or recycling.

Value the process as much as the completed artwork. Ask children what they are working on and learn about the stories they are telling through their art.

Display finished work in an artful wayits another creative opportunity you can explore together.

Weve been honing these principles ever since the Museum opened its doors in 2002. The studio environment is innovative and welcomingand serves as a testing ground for all who aspire to make creativity a staple in their homes or classrooms.

We have the great privilege of working with Eric Carle and hundreds of other picture-book artists who exhibit their work in our galleries and present lectures, story times, and drawing demonstrations at the Museum. In these pages, Meg and Sara have drawn on the wisdom of many of them who specialize in collage. We hope you will share those insights, and the books were recommending with your children. Its the perfect way to kick off an art-making adventure.

Happy collaging!

Alexandra Kennedy,

Executive Director

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Amherst, Massachusetts

Photograph by Jim Gipe/Pivot Media. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

CHAPTER 1:

BEGINNING

As a mom and educator of young children, the subject of this book is close to my heart. And having the opportunity to develop it along with Meg Nicoll and Sara Ottomano of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art was irresistible. Capping off each chapter of workshops, youll find a special feature called Studio Stories from The Carle. These explorations into collage invite you inside the Art Studio at the museum to share the staff and visitors experiences and observations. Some projects begin with experimenting with materials, others kick off with a discussion about a theme such as nature. And in all, the discoveries made, stories told, and excitement enjoyed are ultimately led by the children themselves.

Cutting and gluing are truly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to working with collage and children. Its a great fine-motor workout, thats for sure, but it also mimics many of the processes that come to children naturallysuch as collecting and arranging. While I recommend you think of collage as another play process and invite children to play, youll also find it a perfect opportunity to develop and strengthen many thinking skills.

COLLECTING, ARRANGING, CONSTRUCTING

Have you ever watched a child collect? My son Graham is two and a half years old and weve officially entered the collecting phase. A two-block walk to the coffee shop becomes an adventure of treasure seeking and saving. A smooth pebble, a forgotten penny, a multicolored leafall get shoved into pockets. At my art studio, Hatch, I notice kids fascination with collections all the time. I hear please, please, please can I have this [sequin, rhinestone, feather, fabric swatch, scrap of paper] I found [under the blue stool, in the bathroom, in the sink] all day long. If youre around children, you can probably relate.

Honestly, Im all about this drive to collect. It emphasizes so many important skills and traits of a creative thinker: observation and awareness, for sure, but intention, risk taking, finding beauty in the ordinary, and so much more. Theres real passion behind seeking out materials that satisfy the collector in some way!

Something else that Ive noticed in children is their beautiful and thoughtful practice of arranging and rearranging things. Have you ever watched a child sort blocks or other materials into an organized rainbow of colors? My little brother used to line up all of his toy cars into perfect rows, clustering the vehicles by type. On countless occasions, Ive seen children assemble sticks, gems, and twigs into a magnificent arrangement with little time wasted in thinking it through first. Even when arranging is less intentional, like when they blow a handful of confetti onto a sticky surface, young children seem to approach the activity with confidence and imagination.