VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston extends a  Special Invitation for Families and Educators: Poetry and Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  Celebrate National Poetry Month at a Special Author Appearance and Reading, Saturday, April 19, at 2pm.

Jump into this painting...
What will you do?
Pick the flowers, read a book,
Or ask the dog to play with you?
-excerpt from "Orange Trees", A Wreath, A Tree, and Me

Authors LuAnn Turley and Rita Whiteman will read from their new children´s book, A Wreath, A Tree, and Me: Poetry and Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, a collection of fun and engaging poems paired with 18 works of art in the museum´s collection. A reception will follow their presentation.

National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. The Academy of American Poets has led this initiative from its inception in 1996 and along the way has enlisted a variety of government agencies and officials, educational leaders, publishers, sponsors, poets, and arts organizations in its efforts to increase the visibility and availability of poetry.

About the Book
A Wreath, A Tree, And Me Art and Poetry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
By LuAnn Turley and Rita Whiteman
Developed for children, 18 poems filled with rich vocabulary and engaging stories are paired with world art from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Readers of this book will discover that no one needs to be an expert to enjoy and learn from art. A Wreath, A Tree, And Me inspires looking and problem-solving skills in the classroom or reading at home, and helps children, parents, and educators connect with the art in the museum galleries. The book also supplements the Learning Through Art at the MFAH integrated elementary curriculum, and provides teachers with a useful tool to introduce visual learning in the classroom.

About the Authors
LuAnn Turley and Rita Whiteman are former elementary classroom educators and members of the project team that developed the award-winning Learning Through Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston elementary curriculum. Since 1995 they have worked as adjunct educators for the MFAH education department, developing and leading instructional workshops that introduce classroom strategies based on the LTA-MFAH curriculum. LuAnn lives in Houston with her husband and two daughters. Rita lives in Houston with her husband and two sons.
 

Plan a day at the MFAH
Following the author appearance, guests are welcome to tour the galleries on their own using gallery maps that will indicate the locations of works of art featured in A Wreath, A Tree, and Me. Signed editions of the book will be available for a discounted price in the MFAH retail shop. StoryTime Tours will also feature A Wreath, A Tree, and Me in the galleries at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. A Creation Station will be open for art-making activities from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Pictured:  Gustave Caillebotte, The Orange Trees, 1878, oil on canvas, 61 x 46 inches, gift of Audrey Jones Beck.