Welcome to Artbus in NYC! We hope the musings on this site will inspire you to bring art into your family’s daily life. I started this site as a way for families with younger children to engage the whole family in the process of art – visual arts as well as dance and music.
I have always been fascinated with the way artists think. I love to visit the galleries and museums to share the dialogue of gifted artists. From my earliest days as a child in Brooklyn to my years in Yale’s arts program, ART (with a capital A) has been my language. My soul. My life.
When my daughter was quite young in the 1970’s, I immersed her in art. She painted at an easel, loved to draw, and tagged along to galleries with me to see an artist’s latest work. We even met the artists. Many of them were friends. We visited them at their studios. Sometimes, we invited friends and their children to join us for art workshops there. It was amazing. We learned that the art didn't need to be dumbed down for the kids. They got the smart stuff.
That’s how Artbus got started. Every Saturday morning, a group of parents and kids headed to an artist’s studio for a workshop. The kids (now parent’s themselves) still remember the Artbus days. I dragged them to choreographer’s studio where they learned about Merce Cunningham’s use of the “I Ching” and “Chance” to build movements. She invented a game based on animal movements: froggy jump, crab. A sculptor had us explore Claes Oldenburg’s humorous ideas about “soft.” We created soft, self-portraits. A percussionist had us compose a soundtrack for a video using toy instruments. We learned that all sorts of sounds can be called “music.”
Now, we’re working with a second Artbus generation: my daughter’s daughter Uma, four years old, is busy with art, doing collages, drawings and paintings, and going to lots of art events.
Thanks to the Internet, I can bring Artbus directly to you, with a blog that will tell you about how we’re planning to enjoy all the art around us.
I hope our blog “artbusnyc.com,” will help you learn about the art events and exhibitions that we feel promise amazing art experiences. We’re ready to share our thoughts and ideas about art with you. Let us know what you would like to hear about.
