They loved the process of weaving. It was difficult and required a lot of concentration, which they loved to have. Once they understood the mechanics of the activity it was easy for them to repeat the pattern. Some of them struggled with the activity, but it was amazing to see how they asked for help and their friends helped them. Amazing teamwork!
7 years old
Questions as a way of making art
2024, 6 years old, 7 years old, Dear You Art Workshops, Korea, MexicoCommentYou are near and far. We are unique.
2024, 6 years old, 7 years old, Korea, MexicoCommentLight traveling with our artist friends in Korea
2023, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, KoreaCommentDear You connects with Japanese speaking families around the world!
10 years old, 11 years old, 13 year olds, 2021, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, Dear You Art Workshops, InternationalCommentElla & Anna-Sofia put it all together using text, image and sound
2020, 8 years old, 10 years old, 7 years old, Finland, United KingdomCommentStaying healthy and weaving
2020, 8 years old, 7 years oldCommentThe girls thoroughly enjoyed their weaving task, they had spent previous weeks collecting materials and snippets of colours that appealed to them from magazines. They worked with a number of magazines from food related to health and lifestyle and the London Review of books! They found images in the health magazine particularly amusing and worked some images of noses and people sneezing into their collages which prompted discussion about Corona virus and the current restrictions.
Interpreting Where Shall We Go with Reika and friends
2020, 10 years old, 11 years old, 13 year olds, 8 years olds, 9 years old, 7 years old, 6 years old, 5 years old, Collective Art, Dear You Art Workshops, Finland, Make Together, Mixed age group, Together 2020, Together We MakeCommentTaideleirin aikana teimme teoksia Dear You:n Where Shall We Go -projektista. Kaikki unelmoivat, visualisoivat ja keksivät erilaisia tapoja ilmaista ideoitaan ja paikkoja minne haluaisivat mennä.
During the art camp we made artworks from Dear You's Where Shall We Go project. Everybody dreamt, visualized and came up with different ways of expressing their ideas and places of where they would like to go.
Do you have Jellyfish in Ireland?
2019, 3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years olds, 9 years old, 10 years old, 11 years old, AustraliaComment
After life had taken a hold of us all here in Australia with the colder weather upon us, two of the families finally managed to meet for our second session.
All were super excited to open the parcel from Ireland and see what our friends had sent. They were very impressed with the drawings but also with the information that they conveyed. They all started asking so many questions, which was great because that was exactly what today’s session was about!
After introducing different types of graphics and typography the group got to work on the question/s they wanted to ask. They all naturally began by drawing what their interests were and the question they wanted to ask their Irish friends came later in text form.
Due to the age range from 3 to 11 the questions varied from ‘Do you have Jellyfish in Ireland’, ‘Do you like swimming?’, ‘Do you like rain?’ and ‘Do you like monsters?’
Looking forward to the next session seeing what our friends have to say.
Amal Laala
The home schoolers in Geelong, Australia are making and sharing with the homeschoolers in Derreen, Ireland.
The kids in NYC kick off their friendship with their new pen pals in Helsinki!
2018, 2nd Grade, 7 years old, 8 years olds, Finland, USAComment
Amanda Sainsott and her class of 2nd graders from Manhattan, NY have started an exchange with Arlene Tucker and her 1st graders in Helsinki, Finland!
The letters were full of warmth, excitement, and unexpected details about themselves and where they live. Such great questions they asked! The students also included pictures they drew. We could catch a glimpse of what their homes look like and where they like to play.
Reading their letters made me want to go visit all the lovely parks, zoos, and experience the bustle of the city myself!
Let’s see where the conversation and collaboration will go!
The students in Grade 2 (7-8 years old) at NEST+m in NYC are making and sharing art with the Grade 1 students at Ressun peruskoulu (7-8 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.
I See You! Swedish students stop to take a closer look.
China, Finland, 7 years old, 8 years olds, 9 years old, 10 years oldComment
In a small classroom in Finland students stop, take a moment, and visually explore photos of kids attending school in China. They see, if only for a few moments the visual characteristics and features of the child in the photograph. Using tracing paper the students traced the figures out of the photographs and onto a piece of paper. They added color to the students along with their own artistic touches. Throughout the process the students were encouraged to look closely at the photographs and asked; What did they see? Who is in the picture? What can you learn about them, what is the image telling you? Once the drawing were completed I transcribed short letters from each artist to the child in the photograph. They explained short things about themselves such as their favorite foods and hobbies.
Now they eagerly await for the exchanging of artworks.
Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas
The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.
Taking time to explore
10 years old, 2018, 7 years old, 8 years olds, 9 years old, Dear You Art Workshops, Finland3 Comments
To start the Dear You project the students and I sat down around a table and reviewed the photos sent to us from our new friends in China. With each picture we took time to visually explore what was taking place. Was it a boy or girl? How old did they appear? Where was the photo taken? We explored what sort of information could we gather from elements presented to us in the photo?
Following this activity we completed an journaling exercise where the students described things about themselves that they felt were important to share with their new friends. Then we completed the session by taking our self portraits.
Alexandra said: I like candy. I like to dance. My favorite food is pea soup.
I am Amos. I like school. I play my PS4. I have a big brother. I like pizza. I like candy.
I am Ebba. I like English club. I play football. I have a mom.
Felix said: I am 8 years old. I like candy. I play Minecraft.
Lucus said: I am short. I like my friend Benjamin. I play football. I have a little sister.
I am Maxim. I like Samuel & Benjamin. I do Ty-boxing. I have a dog.
Oskar said: I like playing my phone. I like candy. I am 7 years old. I play the guitar.
Sophia said: I also like to laugh. I like to play pretend mommy and daddy. I like my mom. My favorite food is spaghetti and I love bread. I like hotdogs and I like friends.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Rachel Kangas
The artists in Grade 2 (8-9 years old) at Taizhou Pheonix Primary School in Jiangsu, China are making and sharing art with the artists at Linguajoy (7-10 years old) in Helsinki, Finland.
Saying so much through art works!
2017, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years olds, Dear You Art Workshops, Iceland, South AfricaComment
We received the package from South Africa today – and the kids were so relieved, they have been waiting for so long, they said.
It also took more time than we thought to finish the home´s project. But the kids loved it so much, some of them put more than their family members on the picture like some zombies (might be an influence from computer games). On most of them you can see that the children are thinking about summer, even cherry-trees (which don´t grow here) are in one garden.
All the best,
Halla and Guðný
The 1st and 2nd graders from Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland are making and sharing art with the preschoolers from Oakdale Preschool in Cape Town.
We took a picture today of the kids playground, we have had snow today.
Hearing sounds like walking in the snow
2017, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years olds, Dear You Art Workshops, Iceland, South AfricaComment
They closed their eyes and to make sure no one was using their eyes, they put their hats over their eyes as you can see on the pictures attached.
Some of them were „hearing“ sound of nature, like wind and walking in the snow, but most of them thought of sounds of machines, washing machine, cars, hammer and also f. ex shouting of their sisters and brothers at home.
They were trying their best – and they could stay quiet while they listened.
Guðný and Halla.
The 1st and 2nd graders from Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland are making and sharing art with the preschoolers from Oakdale Preschool in Cape Town.
Opening packages from Iceland!
2017, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, Iceland, South AfricaComment
The artists in Cape Town, South Africa have received their first package from their new friends in Siglufjarðar, Iceland!
Dazzles and a double rainbow
2016, 7 years old, 8 years olds, Finland, USACommentMata sings while making scratch art for the Layers of Love project. With love from Brooklyn, NY to Espoo, Finland!
Hyvää ruokahalua! Enjoy your meal!!
2016, 7 years old, 8 years olds, Collective Art, Dear You Art Workshops, Finland, Russia, CanadaCommentSo turns out when we are eating, the thing we want to see the most is food. Second favourites include looking out the window, listening to the birds singing. We enjoy having a meal in the company of our family and pets. On the other hand, we don’t so much like sharing our food with ants.
My last sessions with 1 A and 1 B classes very really fun! We made two very different, but beautiful ornamented table cloths. The artists drew their own patterns on graph paper, and then we all spent some time together joining our creations to make one large picnic blanket. When we finished the artwork, we took some time to write a letter to our friends, saying that we wish they enjoy their meal. Hyvää ruokahalua!!
Anastasia Artemeva
The 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia. The 1B artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Sheppard Public School in Ontario, Canada.
Sounding our Little Forest "Pikku Metsa"
2016, 7 years old, 8 years olds, Canada, Dear You Workshop Leader, Dear You Art Workshops, Finland, RussiaCommentSounding our surrounding meeting went real well, thanks to classroom teachers Titta and Anne, who had taken their young artists for an explorative walk in a little forest literally called Little Forest "Pikku Metsa" beforehand. From the walk, the kids brought natural materials for making brushes, as well as many interesting sounds to paint. We chatted about the difference in soundscapes in the school and outside in nature, as well as about composing music, as we painted our songs.
A lot of time was deliberately left for reflection and performance of the scores. To get into the musical mood, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was performed skillfully by both groups - in Finnish and in English languages.
In 1A we each described what we heard and how we decided to combine and express these sounds on paper. In 1B we sang, hummed, tapped and whistled our own and each other's paintings.
It was lovely to hear, a teacher noted, how now, after 3 meeting, the kids already started to respond to me in English (Viertola is a Finnish - speaking school, but I speak English to the kids). Nice to see how Dear You can be not only a way to make art and meet new friends, but to learn a language also.
Anastasia Artemeva
Below are photos from Titta's 1A class:
Below are photos from Anne's 1B class:
The 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia. The 1B artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Sheppard Public School in Ontario, Canada.
Thinking about 'What am I?' with Viertolan Koulu
2016, 7 years old, Dear You Art Workshops, Dear You Workshop Leader, Finland, RussiaCommentI have visited Viertolan Koulu to create What Am I? books with two first-grade classes. The main idea was to talk about what our food can tell about us and our environment. During the lively discussion with no right or wrong answers, we thought about what food is accessible to us directly – from the apple tree in our neighbours’ garden, to the carrots our grannies grow in their cottages in Northern Finland. We listed examples of food that comes from here, and discussed whether the lemon growing in a pot on the windowsill can be considered local food.
In order to prepare the art materials for the book, the kids had been asked to bring their own cardboard from home. Looking at the items they brought, we all laughed to see it was mostly cereal boxes – the food that found its way into our diet within just the last decade or two.
I felt it was more exciting to ask questions to discuss the subject of an artwork, and explain the technique very carefully, rather than only give a solid description of what the final piece should look like. At the end, we made an array of beautiful accordion books, asking our friends to guess our favourite dishes such as macaroni bake, bananas, pizza and chocolate.
Anastasia Artemeva
The 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia. The 1B artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Sheppard Public School in Ontario, Canada.
Fishes in the light
2015, 7 years old, Austria, Dear You Art Workshops, 8 years oldsCommentSimone and her 8 year old artists living in Vienna, Austria are exchanging art with the 7 year old artists from Vantaa, Finland. Simone, the Viennese group's teacher had such lovely comments about the April project!
Once again they had a lot of fun and were astonished what light can do. The colours of the fishes are so much prettier with sunlight!!
In Vienna the sun is shining and it's warm outside. We all love it!
Best wishes,
Simone
