Mommy, Daddy and Me Art Series comes to libraries

Monroe — Four local libraries will host “Mommy, Daddy and Me Art Series” for children, in grades kindergarten and up and accompanied by an adult. Led by artist Derys Jagde, the classes will take place at the public libraries in Monroe, Chester, Florida and Goshen. Families will tour expressionism, the Dutch Masters, abstraction and impressionism, and use these techniques to enhance their own artwork. Work from each session will be displayed in the libraries for four weeks. Each child or sibling group must be accompanied by at least one adult. During February, the first class, “Introduction to Expressionism,” will explore the figure paintings of artists such as Matisse, Gaugin, and Van Gogh. Families will learn how to paint a mood from a live model. The class will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays: Feb. 11 at the Goshen Public Library, Feb. 18 the Chester Public Library, and Feb. 25 at the Monroe Free Library. During March, the second class, “Form and Light from the Dutch Masters,” will focus on the works that used deep space to bring color out of darkness. Families will create still life paintings while learning the language of art. The class will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays: March 4 at the Florida Library, March 11 at the Goshen Public Library, March 18 at the Chester Public Library, and March 25 at the Monroe Free Library. During April, the third class, “Introduction to Abstraction,” will feature a short talk on artists, such as DeKooning, Rothko and Motherwell. Music will be played to inspire the artists to paint with their emotions. The class will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays: April 1 at the Florida Library, April 8 at the Goshen Public Library, April 15 at the Chester Public Library, and April 29 at the Monroe Free Library. During May, the final class, “Introduction to Impressionism,” will use the works of Monet, Degas, and Cezanne to explore color and light. Weather permitting, the class will paint outside, as the Impressionists did. The class will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays: May 6 at the Florida Library, May 13 at the Goshen Public Library, May 20 at the Chester Public Library, and May 27 at the Monroe Free Library. “We are using grants to bring our patrons exciting, innovative programming, such as the Mommy, Daddy and Me Art Series and our upcoming Children’s Theater series,” said Rebecca Lynn, head of Children’s Services at the Monroe Free Library. The project is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Decentralization Program administered by Arts in Orange. For more information, call: 651-7659 for the Florida Public Library at 4 Cohen Circle; 294-6606 for the Goshen Public Library at 203 Main Street; 469-4252 for the Chester Public Library at 1784 Kings Highway; and 783-4411 for the Monroe Free Library at 44 Millpond Parkway.