Children's Creativity Workshops

	The Children's Creativity Workshops, led by director and instructor Lynn Titleman Rizzotto, are designed to provide a uniquely enriching creative and educational experience for children. A professional illustrator for more than 30 years, Lynn is an inspired teacher whose approach encourages confidence, self-expression, and individuality. Understanding that many youngsters are visual learners, the workshop curriculum has been developed to access the incredible potential of these children. With small class sizes that allow for individual attention, Lynn teaches the basics of fine art while giving children the tools to make their own creative decisions. Leaving room for personal expression is at the core of Lynn's philosophy.“ Art gives children the opportunity to rework, to mold an idea that is developing. It allows them the chance to grow beyond a dualistic, black/white perspective of the world.” Lynn is dedicated to giving children a life- long appreciation of and interest in art.

	The Magic Garden

	Central to the Children's Creativity Workshops is the creative oasis that Lynn has created in her studio and “Magic Garden.” Each summer, Lynn plants a field of sky-high sunflowers in combinations of red, gold, yellow and burgundy. Along with poppies, daisies, roses, tomatoes, bean stalks, squash plants, cucumbers, and a wide variety of wild flowers, the Magic Garden is a world of enchantment. In addition to being a beautiful inspiration, the garden provides Lynn with a potent tool to teach the power of observation. “Before you can draw, you have to be able see, to take things apart with your mind,” says Lynn. What could be more instructive, and more fun than watching a sunflower grow week by week until it turns into a giant plant with an enormous colorful face? “Her students spend a great deal of time outdoors studying the tiniest of things, like the arch of a leaf, the shape of a stamen or the angle of a petal, when learning the basic elements of art, such as line, shape, form and shadow.” --The Hingham Journal

	A Visual Trip to Mexico

	Each workshop is contextualized with lessons about nature, folk art, cultural tradition and art history. Presenting art as process, not product, Lynn introduces her young pupils to examples of art from across time, and across the world, teaching about the origins and meaning of art in culture. For the past several years, Lynn has traveled to the Mexican community of San Miguel de Allende, painting, sketching, absorbing the culture, and taking a wide variety of classes. Her experiences will translate into a book series, with the first volume expected to be in print within the near future. In the meantime, Lynn's students are treated to a visual trip to Mexico. Classes rooted in the themes of the Mexican marketplace and Mexican folk art include exploration of masks, crafts, foods, textiles, the Sun, folk toys and miniatures in the context of Mexican life.

	Lifelong Lessons

	Through the Children's Creativity Workshops, young students are inspired to create realistic and imagined sculptures, collages, prints, paintings and drawings. Exploring themes from nature to action figures, from Mexico to jewelry, from print making to ethnic designs, children are exposed to a wide variety of materials and techniques. They experience sketching, illustration, ink/watercolor, stamping, clays, furniture, fine art painting, leaf prints, clothing, cards, pastels and mixed media. While teaching the skills of an artist, the workshops also broaden the child's view of the world and their place in it. Developing expressive abilities, visual vocabulary and the confidence to explore, the experience and lessons of the workshops and the Magic Garden will enrich students for years to come.

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