"Flakes" onstage and First Friday revisited

The entire 3rd grade performed "Flakes" at Naomi's school (short for snowflakes I imagine-something we don't get here in Phoenix).  They sang and moved about and it was definitely a really good school performance.  I think it's because this school has a music department that put this together instead of dumping these things on the over burdened teachers like they did in California.

This week We took Chloe on a school tour of "The Metropolitan Arts Institute", which is a really diverse art high school downtown.  It's also a prep school as well.  We put in an application for next year. I'm so hoping she gets in. The school she's in now is a huge inner city school that has been pretty overwhelming for her.  She has now joined the poetry club after school though and they travel off campus doing slam poetry events, which she loves.  It combines writing and performing, her two most favorite activities.

Chloe outside a gallery on Roosevelt St.

For the last couple of months we've been enjoying the "First Friday" event here in Phoenix. 

Fork and Knife ceiling sculpture

Basically it's a city wide art event.  Museums, galleries and artist's studio's become open to the public.

This is a community mural project set up by the art center.  Many people were painting large panels (some with spray paint so the fumes were a bit intense).

 

This mural was defaced downtown and one First Friday a team of volunteers were busy restoring it.

More of the same mural

Here I am watching one of the many bands perform.

Mike grabbed a pencil and did some life drawing at one of the open studios.

Chloe and Phoebe in a flying bathtub

We also dropped by the Children's Museum.

Here's Naomi enjoying their padded room (something every parent needs).

Actually the soft sculptures were quite beautiful.

 

Phoebe spent some time showing these little ones how this worked.  It's actually a conveyor belt with velcro patches.  The children are sticking little plush spiders to the velcro and when they hit the spinning fan at the top of the conveyor they fly across the room. The little boys in the room were crazy for this!

Naomi at the scarf machine

This is a crazy machine that sucks in colorful scarves, runs them through elaborate tubing and shoots them out at the children.

 

The children's museum was definitely a hit, I think we'll be back again. 

 

This week I've posted this mandala up for auction on eBay.

 

It has a "Day of The Dead" theme and is strung with a braided leather cord for hanging.