Being a parent in the Upper Valley requires me to think outside the typical activities box. There are certainly several places to take my kids on a potentially daily, weekly, or monthly basis, but everyone knows about those places: Billings Farm, VINS, the Montshire Museum, the train exhibit at Quechee Gorge Museum. Those places are packed during school vacation and on the weekends, and are at times expensive to frequent. To truly take full advantage of parenthood in the Upper Valley, I have to use word-of-mouth, social media, read blogs, scour newspapers, and wander off the beaten track to find the hidden gems of children’s activities. One such place, the AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, NH, is without question one of my new favorite places to take Jax.
I heard about CAOS (appropriately pronounced “chaos”), AVA’s open studio opportunity for families and children, offered on Saturdays, through a friend. I’ve lived here for three years and I had never even heard about it! For $5 I can bring Jax to the gallery and enjoy two hours of creative expression and play, with the studio’s array of materials at our disposal. It’s not often that I can spend five dollars for a morning of fun, so we happily visited AVA last Saturday.When we arrived, I was blown away by how beautiful the space was. It is a perfect blend of old and new, from the art to the building renovation itself. We were warmly greeted at the door and Jax was shown to the studio where he was given an apron and shown to his very own child-sized easel.
I was so impressed with the way that he was treated; everyone spoke to him, not to me. I love that. They referred to him as an artist and supplied him with a palette with paint and a paintbrush.
It was the least patronizing, most empowering welcome of his short life. “Oh, Jax! What a wonderful name for an artist!” the director exclaimed when she met him. “Well, Jax, if you’re going to be an artist, you must wear an apron.” For a sometimes shy with strangers two-year-old, Jax was put instantly at ease and was comfortable speaking with the staff and asking for help. I was hugely impressed and instantly comfortable myself.
Sometimes the word “gallery” carries a bit of a stigma of stuffiness and seriousness. I could easily see why visiting AVA frequently could turn Jax into a little art-lover, comfortable in museum settings, which would be thrilling for me.
We didn’t take full advantage of all the materials out that day: pastels, modeling clay, dress-up clothes, scrapbook and sewing materials, all accessible to the children in a bright, airy space. We focused on the paint and Jackson was able to make three paintings.
This one is hanging in his room, and he loves to look at that bright blue squiggle and say, “Look! I made a heart!” and then turn upside down to admire his talent. I love building his sense of self-worth.
The staff spoke to him about color and showed him how to clean his brush. He was more serious and still than I have seen him in months. I think he felt proud and grown-up to be treated this way and to be trusted with these materials. In the end, he was as thrilled as I was with his creations. We left AVA happy and fulfilled, with the certainty that this was time and money well spent. We will without question be back as often as we can to explore the studio and take advantage of one of the most valuable hidden gems in the Upper Valley!
What a fantastic place and a cool experience for you and Jax. Thanks for sharing it.
Wow, that looks so fantastic
And someone definitely looks like they're having a ton of fun!
How awesome that the staff recognized Jax as a separate person in his own right! I love to do that – little people are so fascinating.
What a wonderful program to have locally, and I love that they have all sorts of "arts" available, including the dress up stuff for theater, and my personal favorite – the sewing area. So much creativity for Jax to explore!
Sometimes I am blown away by the things that i find out are available in our area that i never knew about — not to mention frustrated that they are kept such a secret! I hate that all of the best things are only found out about through word of mouth… usually (for me) not until they're over! Anyway, this looks like so much fun!
Wow! That looks like heaps of fun! I wish I had something like that near me, my kids would love it! I'm your new follower from Follow me Friday:)
What a fun place! Looks like everyone had a great time.
Well, you're doing a great job. Looks like he had a blast. And great photos!
Very cute!! Looks like he had a lot of fun
That place looks so neat and looks like you guys were having a lot of fun.
What a neat place for the kids, looks like you guys had a lot of fun!
How COOL! As an elementary art teacher, this post made me smile from ear to ear. That last photo is priceless. Have you told Jax about the famous artist Jackson Pollack? I think he'd see a similarity between his and the famous guy's.
Love the blue upsidedown heart and that Jax stands on his head to admire it. That's quite something.
what a fabulous place to explore his inner artist…i would love to find a place like this for my daughter!
following via the blog hop
be sure to link up for our Alexa hop this week too:
http://www.spearmintbaby.com/2011/04/alexa-blog-hop-428-54.html
xo, shari
We have a similar children's art space/'museum' nearby… what great places they are
Looks like he had so much fun!
And glad you got to see my posts on our trip. I highly recommend working to make it happen someday