Loving our Teachers!

We LOVE our Blue Springs Teachers!

We are gathering supplies, spiffing up the Education Center, and getting ready to host the teachers from Blue Springs Elementary for a day of “Teacher Love” on Thursday July 7th.  These teachers have been through so much this year, we want to wrap them in love and help them start out the 2011-2012 school year right!

You can be a part of the love in several ways:

• Donate! We still need teacher/classroom supplies.  Suggestions from the Bradley County Elementary Supervisor are: staplers/staples, sticky notes, highlighters, scissors, dry erase markers/erasers, staple removers, tape dispensers, tape refills, White-Out, file folders, hanging file folders, file labels – anything you might need at your desk.
• Volunteer! Call Education Curator Jennifer White 339-5745 ext 18 and leave a message if you’re free to help.  We will need help setting up the day before, and help during the event. Even if it’s only an hour, your welcoming smile will be appreciated.
• Bake! We’d love to have some homemade goodies the day of the event, if you are able to drop off goodies that morning call Jennifer and let her know.

We are thrilled to be a community collection point for school supplies, and are continuing to collect for children in need. The county schools have indicated that despite the two busloads of supplies donated earlier this month, there is still great need which will be even greater as these students go back to school in the fall.  Donations of new backpacks, paper, pencils (wooden and mechanical), scissors, crayons, colored pencils, washable markers, glue sticks, pencil boxes/bags are still being taken during museum hours throughout the summer.  Remember the kids when you do your own back to school shopping, and help us start them out right too!

Help us get them back to school!

In the aftermath of the tornadoes there are so many needs to be met it’s hard to know where to start.  Our community has done an amazing job of pitching in, and though there’s so much to do there are many willing hands and hearts.

One of the needs we’ve identified is for school supplies for students and teachers impacted by the tornadoes.

You can help us get these kids back up and running, and provide a much needed source of comfort and normalcy by donating school supplies to help us get them outfitted. This is a great way to let your own children make a difference in the life of another child.

Items we think will be most needed:

Backpacks – preferably new, then they can use them in the fall too. (tuck in a note of encouragement?)

Binders 1” – again preferably new or in very good condition

Filler paper

Pencil Cases – the kind that go into binders

Pencils – both wooden and mechanical

Rulers

Colored Pencils

Crayons

Markers – washable

Red Pens

Copy Paper – full reams please

Glue Sticks – new please

For the teachers:

Hand Sanitizer

Tissues

Disinfecting Wipes

Dry Erase Markers/Erasers

Bring donations to the Museum Center at 200 Inman Street (intersection of Inman and Parker) during regular museum hours: Tues- Fri 10-5, Saturday 10-3.

Explore the Wonderful World of Watercolor!

Come and learn the basics of watercolor painting with local art instructor Aloha Buffington! Children grades 4-8 are invited to participate in this wonderful beginner class on May 14th from 1-3 pm.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn in a small class environment with a great instructor who specializes in teaching art to children.  Mrs. Buffington currently teaches art at Stuart and Blythe-Bower schools, and is an avid painter herself.  Her fun and cheery attitude as well as her delight in creating art will make this class a perfect way to spend a spring afternoon!

Students will be provided a fine quality set of watercolors to keep, as well as two brushes. All paper and other supplies will be provided.  Mrs. Buffington will teach the students the basics of working with watercolor including color blending, masking, special effects and more!

Cost: $30 members/$35 non-members – includes watercolor set and brushes to keep plus paper and other tools for the day.
Class size is limited – registration deadline May 11th – Call the Museum Center Gift Store to register 423-339-5745.

Unlock Your Child’s Inner Artist at Art Camp

Remember when summers were long stretches of unscheduled time? What better use of that time than to explore your creativity!

Children rising into 3rd-8th grade can join museum educator and artist Jennifer White for this summer’s Art Camp and spend some time learning from professional artists and playing creatively in several different mediums.

Each day we visit with a different artist, either at their studio space or at the museum, to learn about their work.  The students get to see the artists artwork, learn how they do what they do, and ask questions.  When we return to the museum center, students spend the afternoon creating a work of art using the skills and techniques they’ve studied at the studio.  Past artists and projects have included Josh Coleman’s sculpture studio at The Old Woolen Mill, potter Michael Lalone and the Lee University pottery studio, architect Doug Caywood and the historic buildings of downtown Cleveland and more.

Camp will be held in two sessions this year: rising middle-schoolers (6, 7, 8th grade) June 27 – 30, 2011 and rising 3, 4, 5th grades July 11-14.  Students arrive at 8am and stay until 3pm, bringing a bag lunch for mid-day.  Snack is provided mid-morning.

Cost is $100/session for museum center members, $125/session for non-members. Registration forms are available on the museum center website. Deadline for registrations is June 10. Register early; space is limited to 20 students per session.

Questions can be directed to museum educator Jennifer White at 423-339-5745 ext. 18 or by email at education@museumcenter.org.

A Woman Stitched in Time

What do you do when your husband and family go off to fight in the war and the only entertainment you are left with is churning butter and bringing the cows around?

You create an amazingly detailed quilt made of geometric designs pieced together from small to large blocks and triangles that will one day be envied and replicated by thousands!

The history behind the “Dear Jane” quilt is one of innovative thought and dedicated passion. In 1863 a Vermont woman by the name of Jane A. Blakely Stickle created the original “Dear Jane” quilt. It is believed that this woman was married young and became a farmer’s wife. When the Civil War began, her husband and male relatives left to fight and lonely Jane needed a hobby to keep her occupied.

Through the years, Jane’s quilt was passed down through family and eventually found its way to the Bennington Museum in Vermont. The quilt made its national debut draped from a bowfront chest inside the Winter, 1983 issue of Lady’s Circle Patchwork Quilts magazine which featured quilts and quilters from the state of Vermont.  Jane’s quilt didn’t become famous until it was pictured fully in Richard L. Cleveland & Donna Bister’s book Plain and Fancy: Vermont’s People and their Quilts as a Reflection of America.

Since the discovery of “Dear Jane”, quilters everywhere have been challenged to replicate the complex technique and style of Ms. Blakely Stickle. Due to their incredible interest and minor obsession with the original quilt and its creator, some quilters have donned the title of “Janiac”.  

This year, the Museum Center found a local treasure during this year’s Stitches-In-Time quilt exhibit and competition. Grace L. Garner, from Chattanooga, was this year’s first place for Best of Show Large Contemporary winner. Garner has been quilting for 12 years and had never entered a quilt contest before now. It took Garner three years to complete her copy of “Dear Jane” and on a whim entered her quilt into the competition. Inspired by Jane Stickle, through endless commitment and acquired talent, Garner has begun to make her name known in the quilting circle.

One question still remains: how will you be remembered?

Collection of Colors

It is unquestionable that the late Ora S. Humberd was a woman of style and had an eye for detail.
Throughout her lifetime, Ms. Humberd acquired an extensive collection of quilts that she made herself as a young woman in the 1930s, to quilts purchased from auctions and antique shows throughout the Northeast. The Museum Center was fortunate to be able to hand-pick seven quilts from Ms. Humberd collection for our museum Lobby’s exhibit this week.

Formerly of Benton, Mrs. Humberd passed away in 2010 at the age of 96 having spent a life-time both as a former teacher at Mayfield Elementary School and as an avid collector of quilts. Just as she brought out the potential in her students, Mrs. Humberd was able to bring out her knack for features with others through her quilt collection.
Make sure to look up as you take a stroll down the museum’s Lobby as your eyes take in the beautiful mixture of colors and patterns showcased this week.  Each quilt has a name and a story that shares a bit of history about Ms. Humberd’s life and the quilt’s origin. This beautiful one-week-only quilt exhibit will leave you admiring the details in life and maybe inspire you to start a collection of colors all your own!

Learn the Classic Art of Quilting

The Stitches-In-Time Quilt Exhibit opens January 27th, 2011, and we’ve planned a wonderful collection of classes and workshops so that you can come  ‘play along’! Samples of the projects will be on display at the Museum Center so you can see what you will be making.  Registration and pre-payment required for all classes, be sure to reserve your spot today!

Zippy Strippy Quilted Bags

Instructor: Martha Steele

Saturday January 29, 2011
10am-3pm
$25 members/$30 non-members

Learn to make cute quilted sewing or cosmetic bags using your fabric scraps or fat quarters.  This class is perfect for beginners who want to make a project in a day.  Participants need to bring their own sewing machine.  The pattern in included in the cost.  Reservations and pre-payment required by Wednesday, January 26.

Beyond Basic Applique
Instructor: Margaret McLaughlin

Saturday, February 5, 2011
10am – 2:30pm
$10 members/$12 non-members

This class will move you beyond the basics in using applique for quilting.  Participants will create a small project from beginning to end and learn more advance techniques.  You will learn about color selection and project planning while creating a Jacobean floral block with curves, circles, bias strips and overlapping.  All materials will be provided. Reservations and pre-payment required by Wednesday February 2nd.

Get A Grip:
Beginning Quilting for Kids
Instructor: Jennifer White

Saturday, February 12
Noon – 3pm
$10 members children/$12 non-members children

Children ages 8 and up will learn the basics of piecing, backing and quilting a log cabin potholder.  We will practice machine and hand quilting techniques, and students will leave with a finished potholder.  All supplies are included.  Reservations and pre-payment required by Wednesday February 9th.

Adult Quilting 101
Instructors: Margaret McLaughlin and Annette Burchfield

Saturday February 19
10am-3pm
$20 members/$25 non-members

Have you always wanted to quilt but not known where to start?  This introduction to quilting will help beginners learn the very basics of quilting including tools, techniques, and how to approach a project.  Students will complete a small, hand-sewn project from a kit and have the confidence to move further into quilting. There will also be plenty of time for questions and answers with these two skilled quilt instructors! Reservations and pre-payment required by Wednesday February 16th.

Quilts of Tennessee
Lecture and Tour
with Merikay Waldvogel

Saturday, February 26
10am – noon
Free for members/$4 non-members

Noted quilt expert Merikay Waldvogel returns to give a presentation on the quilts of Tennessee.  She will bring examples from her amazing collection of Tennessee quilts.  After the lecture she will give a tour of the antique quilts in the Stitches-In-Time exhibit.  No advance reservations are required for this lecture.

Painter’s Way Technique Class
Instructor: Loretta Painter

Saturday, March 5
10am – 3pm
$40 members/$45 non-members

Nationally known quilter Loretta Painter will be teaching a class based on one of her award winning quilt designs.  You will learn a fun technique by making a block in which the striped fabrick will do most of the work for you!  This block will be paper pieced and appliqued using a few surprising techniques.  A sample block is on view at the Museum.  This class is for intermediate quilters.  A sewing machine is required for class, along with a small supply list which is provided at registration.  Reservations and pre-payment required by Wednesday March 2nd.

The Quilts are Coming!

We’re busy setting up for the Stitches in Time quilt exhibit, and the quilts are coming in quickly!  We’re sure to have a great selection of quilted masterpieces this year, and we’ve developed a great program around this exhibit for area students.

Quilts: The Math and the Magic

Ever hear “I’ll never use this math class in real life” from your kids? Here’s an opportunity to get some hands on math practice!

We’ll take your class on a tour of the exhibit, then spend some time in the Education Center exploring the math skills involved in quilting.  Students get hands-on involvement by piecing a paper quilt using rulers and protractors for accurate measurement.  The finished paper quilt can be displayed in your classroom as a reminder of your visit!  This lesson is appropriate for all grades and meets the following standards:

1st Grade: 0106.1.9, 0106.1.10, 0106.2.11, 0106.4.3, 0106.4.7
2nd Grade:0206.1.13, 0206.2.9, 0206.3.6, 0206.4.5, 0206.4.8
3rd Grade: 0306.1.4, 0306.1.8, 0306.2.11, 0306.2.13, 0306.2.12
4th Grade: 0406.1.5, 0406.1.6, 0406.4.1, 0406.4.8, 0406.4.9
5th Grade: 0506.4.1, 0506.4.2, 0506.4.7, 0506.4.10, 0506.4.11
6th Grade: 0606.1.6, 0606.1.10, 0606.4.1, 0606.4.2, 0606.4.6
7th Grade: 0706.4.1, 0706.4.2, 0706.4.4, 0706.5.4, 0706.5.1
8th Grade: 0806.1.6, 0806.4.2, 0806.4.3, 0806.4.5, 0806.4.1

Cost for this workshop is $4 per student (free and reduced lunch students have the fee waived).  One chaperone is admitted free for every 8 students.  Additional adults are $4. We can accomodate groups of up to 36 students at one time in this workshop.

To schedule a visit for your class or homeschool group, contact Museum Educator Jennifer White at 423-339-5745 ext. 18 or email her at education@museumcenter.org

 

Welcome to the Museum Center!

written and posted by Jennifer White, Education Consultant

We’re now on YouTube!  Check out this wonderful little tour of the Museum Center and get a taste of all we have to offer:

Many thanks to Foursite Film Studiors in association with Wire-Sculpture.com, Director/Videographer, Scott C. Halford and Host Dale “Cougar” Armstrong for producing this wonderful video for the Museum Center! All of you “rock.”