In Art is Everywhere we meet Keith, a world-renowned art historian (who also happens to be an ostrich).
It makes Keith very sad to see crowds of people in Art Galleries who go only to view and take pictures of famous paintings. They don’t even bother to take a glance at all the other fantastic art that is there.
So, he puts on his thinking hat, and with his esteemed research assistant, Marmeduke the cat, sets off to visit some Art galleries to show that Art does not have to be beautiful, or lifelike, or just for the experts.
Keith says that the exciting thing about art is the way it makes you feel and the things it can show you. He shows them, in a playful way, how to look closely at an artwork, to see how artists have used lines, and patterns, and colours, and gestures to create different effects and evoke different emotions. And how the symbols which artists use have had many meanings throughout history from peace and hope to pride and diversity.
Art, says Keith, can be anything. Not just paintings and sculptures. It can be drawn, or printed, or sewn, or knitted. It can be made on a computer, out of bricks, from glass or all sorts of ordinary objects which you can find in the classroom or even the street.
The last port of call on their Art Walk is to a small gallery where they look around happily at all the sculptures, paintings, pots, and patterns. They notice that some children are looking out of the window and pointing to the beach below where a group of children are shaping the sand and decorating it with beautiful shells, patterns, and bright colours. It is a stunning piece of Art and Keith thinks it just goes to show that Art does not have to be in an Art Gallery. Art can be anywhere!
Ellie Chan, an art historian, is the author of Art is Everywhere. She is passionate about making children enthusiastic about appreciating art in all its forms. And Olivia Bargman’s loosely drawn, colourful comical illustrations make this book lots of fun to read.
Art is Everywhere should be in every primary school library. It is an excellent way to introduce children to Art History, to build their basic art vocabulary, and to encourage them to put on their thinking hats and express their own opinions about art. There are no rights or wrongs!
I think this book would also be a great to read with young children before going on a family trip to an Art Gallery over the summer holidays.
And if you are off to the beach, why not challenge them to create their own beautiful sand sculpture?
Reviewer: Lyn Potter
Allen & Unwin