This Work Reminds Me of Flying | Marla McLean, Atelierista

The Prek 3 Classes have emabarked on a project. The children started talking about “statues” a few months ago when I had them working on a collaborative wire sculpture in the studio. Their excitement about seeing sculptures and statues in Washington, DC got the classroom teachers and I planning a trip to the National Sculpture Garden. They already “owned” the sculptures in their neighborhoods and parks, we were curious on how they would own sculptures in a formal DC space. This documentation sheds some light and reflection on the ongoing experiences.

And say simply, Very simply, With hope, Good morning.

by Marla McLean | Nov 11, 2019

What questions are we asking children? In what ways are we listening to children? How does the 100 Languages of Children facilitate deeper and more meaningful expression and responses? Why does it matter? What can we learn? As we embrace a new school year, the most...

“Art is not a part of life, it is not an addition to life, it is the essence of those pieces of us that make us fulfilled. That give us hope. That give us dreams and provide the world a view very different than what it would have been without us.” – Hasan Davi

by Marla McLean | Apr 3, 2021

Afrofututrism-Part 1, A New Lens By Which to See, Inspired by Cyrus Kabiru This Spring as a school, we focused on elevating Black Joy, Excellence, and Culture through living folx throughout the African diaspora. And while this is a project that we engaged in from...

“People speak different languages, because that’s how they are made.” Remy, age 5

by Marla McLean | Nov 12, 2020

Wow, it has been a looooong time since I last blogged. I will start from today though, from now, November 12th, 2020. And right now, I can share that it is not only possible to connect and create virtually with 3-6 year old humans in the Atelier, it is meaningful,...

“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it.” Falling in love with Nature (Part 2)

by Marla McLean | Jun 10, 2019

Mama Miti Children's Book Watch "I will be a Hummingbird" short here.

Falling in love with nature (Part 1)

by Marla McLean | Jun 10, 2019

“Optimism is our instinct to inhale while suffocating. Our need to declare what ‘needs to be’ in the face of what is. Optimism is not uncool; it is rebellious and daring and vital.” Ava DuVernay

by Marla McLean | Mar 8, 2019

This year, when I asked kids if they knew who the Dr Martin Luther King was, I knew what I did not want to hear. I did not want to look at faces of children ages 3-6 as they explained in detail that "I know about Martin Luther King, Jr! He was shot and killed. By a...

“The magic is… change the world.”

by Marla McLean | Jan 1, 2019

It is January first. A new year. And despite being on this planet for quite a while, and teaching in public school for 20 years, there is still a newness, a joy, a surprise, great gratitude, and hope that comes with each day. This Solstice, (a very special SWS yearly...

A careful considerate gaze or I am because you are

by Marla McLean | Nov 13, 2018

Here's some links to explore connections: To explore the concept of Ubuntu Link to NAREA (North American Reggio Emilia Alliance) Link to Global Children at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project Zero Link to Brenee Brown Link to article on Curiosity Much love!...

And so, How Are You Different Than Nature?

by Marla McLean | Jun 14, 2018

It is the night before the very last day of the 2017-2018 school year. I just couldn't let the year end without giving you this small gift. I have here the link to the 12 minute video I made documenting our all-school Earth Day parade. (12 minutes) The SWS Love Mother...

I hope beautiful things live forever

by Marla McLean | Jun 10, 2018

Balance. This year, in addition to the daily creating and expression and relationship building in the studio/atelier, I engaged and facilitated a Mardi Gras/Speak for Living Things Parade and an Earth Day Parade with my partner Atelierista, Erika Bowman One...

Labor of Love

by Marla McLean | Sep 4, 2017

I was thinking about the complexities of “labor” today, on this Labor Day eve. I was thinking about the labor or role of the teacher. The possibilities and power of relationship and transformation that can happen in a learning environment is on my mind as this new...

Finding tongues in trees

by Marla McLean | Apr 2, 2017

“Where did you come from? Would you like to come in?”

by Marla McLean | Mar 26, 2017

Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the World

by Marla McLean | Mar 14, 2017

Here are some of the links I am using/will use as resources within this work:Talking to children ages 5-8 about homelessnessNational Coalition for the Homeless lesson plan for ages K-2nd gradeAny Refugee, sending a postcard to displaced childrenTrash me Rob-Art...

What the World Needs Now

by Marla McLean | Mar 3, 2017

This post documents the process of the making of our 4 foot by 4 foot bottle cap mosaic, inspired by the Wishes for the World Project. Both projects happened simultaneously. It created a wonderful back and forth between maker space production and socratic meaningful...

“You can ask everybody in the world and ask them if you can be a part of their family.” David, age 4

by Marla McLean | Mar 3, 2017

More to come...

Making ripples and Butterfly Flights

by Marla McLean | Oct 2, 2016

It's a new school year. Filled with possibility, new relationships, and sweet growth for both the children and all the connected adults in their lives. "Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and then if you have...

Bigger and Better than Ourselves: Humility

by Marla McLean | Jan 26, 2016

I thought I was going to write about Wonder, but instead I’ve changed my mind.I have been thinking about and researching the importance of Wonder within teaching and life for well over 15 years.This lead me to create a video, I Wonder Why things are so Cool, with the...

Because you need to. Because you want to.

by Marla McLean | Nov 11, 2015

Focusing on love.

by Marla McLean | Oct 12, 2015

In August, most of our school met for a retreat. At one point, we were asked to go around the table and share our intention for the school year. When it was my turn, I took a big risk, and I said, "This year, my intention and goal is to teach, learn, and encounter all...

Because we love each other

by Marla McLean | Feb 21, 2015

It's hard to believe that I have not posted since November!It's not for lack of work. It's because the projects, the creativity, the trips, the collaborations, have been expansive and mindblowing.So much good stuff, that I have no idea how to edit down the myriad...

The Children Got the Closest.

by Marla McLean | Nov 6, 2014

There is a symbiotic relationship I have with my profession/s. Artist and Atelierista.When I am both teaching and creating art I am immersed in and blessed with: aha moments of discovery, the anxiousness of the unknown, the struggle and challenges of making ideas into...

From seeds

by Marla McLean | Sep 23, 2014

"From seeds" comes from a conversation that came about today when I was in the SWS garden harvesting vegetables and flowers to paint with Caleb, Franklin, and Boaz (PreK children).The act of picking the produce or herbs or flowers develops a shared anticipation, as...

The Reciprocal Wisdom

by Marla McLean | Jul 27, 2014

I love imagery, photos, sound. Art.This blogging thing is difficult for me.I wish sometimes that others could just understand what I’m creating or doing, imagining, or thinking. I wish the intent and meaning of my work was clear without narrative sometimes.(Liminality...

“Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize” -Thich Nhat Hanh

by Marla McLean | Apr 16, 2014

All These Questions Are Love

by Marla McLean | Mar 3, 2014

This is the view from my window right now.Another snow day.A day to reflect and catch up on blogging. February just ended.It’s when the Love Fairy visits SWS. I adore Valentines Day.The opportunity to “make” for others, to write, draw, wrap, and give to others-just...

“The years are changing. They go by so fast.” Sophie, Kindergarten

by Marla McLean | Jan 26, 2014

It’s cold.It’s winter so it is to be expected.This year is likely to be the coldest Washington, DC has perhaps ever experienced.“The icicleslook like lamps.The snowflakes look like stars.”–Maya, PreSchool 3For me, it is thrilling in the context of the work I do with...

The Uncommon

by Marla McLean | Jan 15, 2014

“We react to weather in relative rather than absolute fashion,” said Laurence S. Kalkstein, a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami. “The uncommon is what bothers us.”(From the Washington Post article, Shriver or shrug: On a...

“You can’t just get stuff to remember people in a store.” -Aurora

by Marla McLean | Dec 10, 2013

I love the lights. I unapologetically love the visual bliss this season brings.I could do without the barage of advertisements, mailings, and catalogs that bombard me to buy stuff. It's a lot of paper to put in recycling. The advertisements geared towards children...

One heart at a time

by Marla McLean | Oct 26, 2013

This year at SWS, I have three new classrooms of children to interact with. For the first time we have two 3 year old preschool classrooms and one classroom with non-categorical medically fragile children.Scarlett, one of our children from our first SWS 3 year old...

Welcome to the Bubble!

by Marla McLean | Sep 17, 2013

Again.We moved again.First we were SWS at Peabody, then we packed up and moved to the Logan Annex in 2012.Logan Annex is a nice way of saying Trailer, or as the facilities director called it, a Bunker.After a year of basically fitting sixty-three clowns into a...

Out into the Universe

by Marla McLean | Jun 22, 2013

THIS IS IT, THE PREMIER OF RAINBOW BEINGS FLASHMOB VIDEO! Click this link[fve] [/fve]Rainbow Beings PreK Flashmob from Marla McLean on Vimeo.[/fve] Yesterday was summer solstice. Yesterday was the last day of school. How perfect that this was the day the children got...

Happiness being taught

by Marla McLean | May 27, 2013

Show some emotion. If you work with young children, you know there are many opportunities to experience emotions. Last month I was working on a project with some 1st graders. The provocation was to plan a story without writing the details or the the ending. Why?...

Helpers

by Marla McLean | Apr 16, 2013

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Mr. Rogers I saw this quote after the Newtown tragedy and now once again I see it today after the Boston...

The Intent, the Process, and the Beauty

by Marla McLean | Mar 15, 2013

This post is a continuation of my last post The greatest small gift, (March 6th.) I like to think of it as a continuing conversation or an opportunity to share documentation in a different "language." It is my hope that through the two posts a deeper and...

The greatest small gifts

by Marla McLean | Mar 6, 2013

Last month I attended a tremendous conference in San Francisco called Educating for Creative Minds: Using Brain Science to Ignite Innovation and Imagination. From the conference I have a long list of books to read and pages of notes to refer to, and inspiration and...

Hopeful

by Marla McLean | Jan 21, 2013

We the people declare today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung,...

Paths of light come in so many forms…

by Marla McLean | Dec 31, 2012

The 2012 new school year has been an exercise on how a community of people can truly make change. Personally, it has been both exhausting and extremely inspiring. Using our new space, neighborhood and place based learning as a framework for planning curriculum this...

“It is impossible work, and therefor, we must do it.”

by Marla McLean | Nov 23, 2012

The Annex as a new location has proven to be a wealth of provocations. So much so, that blogging has all but disappeared from my teaching routine. So how do I balance all this “newness” and the extensive work that comes with expansion with sustaining a place (my blog)...

Flying Teapots and the Wonder of Transformation

by Marla McLean | Sep 9, 2012

In the Spring of 2012, when I realized that our school was really leaving our historical Peabody building for a barracks type temporary building , I had to summon all reserve positivity. OK, I said, we will transform our new school space into the extraordinary. I...

Happy eARTh day!

by Marla McLean | Apr 22, 2012

(Yes, that's my car.) Happy eARTth day! Last month I had the pleasure of attending a workshop panel and presentations with an international group of researchers called Speak Out: Art and Eco Activism. This was at the National Art Education Association...

Wade in the water

by Marla McLean | Feb 26, 2012

The Anacostia River, a Kindergarten Project. The idea hatched from Kindergarten teacher Alysia Scofield's relationship with it, crossing it daily, venturing near it, on it, learning to love it. This major body of water running through DC is part taken for granted...

“…they scatter memories behind them like breadcrumbs…”

by Marla McLean | Feb 11, 2012

Sometimes life can feel incredibly complex to break down into small digestable bits. Many rich projects have been occurring in the studio during this time of my playing hookie from blogging. This causes me to feel overwhelmed on what to include. (I mean I’ve been told...

Some wisdom for 2012

by Marla McLean | Jan 7, 2012

Birthdays, solstice, anniversaries and New Years are such wonderful triggers for reflection, memories and storytelling. While many make resolutions, I tend to think about experiences that have inspired my thoughts and actions. Returning to these memories or ideas...

Not afraid of the dark

by Marla McLean | Dec 23, 2011

The darkness of this time of year, is actually our guide. How do I greet and introduce this shift of our natural world with my young children that I share the bulk of my time with in the SWS Art Studio? It is all to easy to shut out the natural occurrences with modern...

“Light is more than watts and foot candles”

by Marla McLean | Dec 11, 2011

Just a few weeks to winter break, and more than anything it is the change in light that seems so important. Light and dark literally change life in Washington DC in December. Street lights are on by 6:00pm, and the playground is deserted. Dinnertime is dark and...

“This”

by Marla McLean | Nov 28, 2011

I believe that theory and practice are indeed the pedals on the bicycle and you need both to move forward. (Loris Malaguzzi coined this phrase) It is a goal to share this belief within my blog. It is important. Today, however, I want to show ...

Marking time in the territory they are in

by Marla McLean | Nov 14, 2011

"I have found that my (art) work tells me what I'm interested in. It tells me what I'm doing in the territory I've landed in." -Carrie Mae Weems speaking at The Corcoran in conjunction with the 30 Americans exhibit, November 12, 2011. These words really resonated...

The Honor to Witness

by Marla McLean | Nov 2, 2011

This blog post is a collaboration between myself and Kindergaten Teacher Jere Lorenzen-Strait. In a whirlwind of adrenalin fueled by immediate happenings, we furiously and joyfully created this documentation. It is my hope you feel the energy of our shared dialogue....

Grit

by Marla McLean | Oct 17, 2011

Intent. Studio work has so much of this, in so many forms. There is poetic languages and memories made and found that offer new possibilities through creating, however, behind it all is intent. For my Kindergarten students working on planning, designing and...

The possibility of flight

by Marla McLean | Oct 2, 2011

A strange thing happened this September...no Monarch eggs or caterpillars were to be found on the Milkweed plants in the Peabody school garden. Every year, this is an important ritual. In fact most of the SWS teachers are part of the International Monarch Teacher...

Noticing the note of each bird

by Marla McLean | Sep 17, 2011

The year started, well...big. First there was an earthquake (in DC!?) and then there was a hurricane. Then it rained. Not just rain, but RAIN, for a week. I believe that this all happened within the first 2 1/2 weeks of school. The rain flooded the landing to the...

Some of the Ordinary Things

by Marla McLean | Jul 28, 2011

Last summer at this time, I was in Peru. This summer, I am home. What I decided to do was to name this summer “The Make Sacred the Ordinary Summer.” So let me tell you about some of the ordinary things: I attended a wedding in Boston and danced with my...

Seeing

by Marla McLean | Jul 13, 2011

"Seeing is like dreaming, and even like falling in love. It is entangled in the passions-jealousy, violence, possessiveness, and it is soaked in affect, in pleasure and displeasure and pain. Ultimately, seeing alters the thing that is seen and transforms the seer....

The Day the Kids Made God, and other urgent stories…

by Marla McLean | Jun 24, 2011

The end of the school year brings such urgency, for the children, the staff and myself. For some children, some type of recall memory emerges. The project they started and forgot about long ago, sudennly, MUST be completed in the last week of school. These children...

What makes me smile? What is important to me?

by Marla McLean | Jun 7, 2011

The Kindergarten Children with a community of support, finished their textile quilt at the end of May. It will be displayed for the month of June at The Textile Museum in Washington, DC. From there, it will be a gift to the school from the Kindergarten classes...

You Move Me

by Marla McLean | May 30, 2011

and Sasha (below) PS Here are the links to the above references: Creativity - Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention Sparks of Genious: The 13 Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People Washington Post article...

Everything in the World

by Marla McLean | May 13, 2011

Provocations

by Marla McLean | Apr 14, 2011

Wow, this is the first time in my blogging history that I let so much time pass between the last post. This fact creates stress because so many meaningful, powerful and surprising things have occurred since my last post. Where do I start? Chronological? Thematic? Most...

Marveling

by Marla McLean | Feb 19, 2011

"If aesthetics fosters sensibilities and the ability for connecting things far removed from each other, and if learning takes place through new connections between disparate elements, then aesthetics can be an important activator for learning." Vea Vecchi Since...

Ready for Rigor or Before this…This.

by Marla McLean | Feb 6, 2011

Lessons learned...for all of us.

As glorious and grand as the clouds

by Marla McLean | Jan 22, 2011

I love stories, especially stories that speak to insight and research. This year, I began the process of looking at the Anatomy of Mark Making. This is because so many people proclaim that our school seems to produce children who are prodigious at graphic...

Waiting for the moon

by Marla McLean | Dec 20, 2010

Actually, I am staying up late tonight to see the full lunar eclipse on this Solstice Eve. I have until 3:00 am to wait for the moon, what a perfect opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Solstice and share images from the SWS Solstice Celebration on Friday, December...

Perspective

by Marla McLean | Dec 6, 2010

I was working with Lilian Katz,Phd, in Lima , Peru last month. We were leading a RedSolare conference as well as meeting with teachers and administrators in their schools and giving feedback and inspiration. Everyone we met with was passionate about early childhood....

An awakening of sorts

by Marla McLean | Nov 23, 2010

What is a plan? “It’s when you decide whether to go to the park or do something else.” Josie “It’s something you think of and draw, and then make later.” Maya F. I initiated the Fairy House plans. It was after collecting and sorting natural materials, reading the book...

Back to Peru

by Marla McLean | Nov 5, 2010

Adinath's airplane Please send "presenting love" to me during the below conference dates. Whoooo, these things make me nervous. (Fun part-I get to tour Reggio inspired Peruvian schools in Lima!) Stories to follow...

You Change Them

by Marla McLean | Oct 21, 2010

The Art of Inspiration The Arcimboldo exhibit entitled Nature and Fantasy is on display at The National Gallery of Art. Last week I led a Kindergarten class (Ms. Rick's) on an exploration of his surreal paintings. For those not familiar, this is a painter from the...

Indestructible Wonder

by Marla McLean | Oct 8, 2010

“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life” Rachel Carson "We have to let it...

Necessities

by Marla McLean | Sep 23, 2010

I am continuing thought/research from my last post, The Evolution of Mark Making. A week after that post I had my younger PreK children in the studio to create their first self portrait at SWS. This year, I am also held accountable by the school system I work for to...

The Anatomy of Mark Making

by Marla McLean | Sep 10, 2010

So much. So exciting. So scary.

by Marla McLean | Aug 9, 2010

After a small summer break from blogging, I am back. I felt a bit overwhelmed on where to start, so a list came to mind. It is always amplified, this idea of seasons and cycles for a teacher. The end of the year is filled with urgency, rituals and reflection. (That's...

A Powerful Metaphor

by Marla McLean | Jun 19, 2010

When theories and imaginings merge

by Marla McLean | Jun 19, 2010

Mural Story

by Marla McLean | Jun 19, 2010

Good Eggs and Bad Eggs

by Marla McLean | Jun 19, 2010

Heads Together

by Marla McLean | Jun 19, 2010

Found & Lost & Found

by Marla McLean | May 13, 2010

Dove, By Elanor A few weeks ago a dove nested in the Arbor located on our playground. The kids found it, and soon they were enthusiastically watching the dove watch them, as she sat on her eggs. I decided to take small groups of children out first thing in the morning...

Truth found

by Marla McLean | May 6, 2010

Last Wednesday morning, I was walking my dog. It was 6:30 am, and it was garbage day in my neighborhood. As I went up the street, lo and behold, someone had thrown out an enormous mirrored disco ball. I went over to it, heart pounding and examined it. A few mirrors...

Caminante, no hay camino (Traveler, there is no path, the path is made by walking)

by Marla McLean | Apr 28, 2010

I just returned from Guadalajara, Mexico where I was honored to be a keynote and presenter at the RedSolare Mexico Conference, “En dialogo con el pensamiento creativo del nino” (In dialog with the creative thinking of children.) The American School of Guadalajara...

Before and Afters many times over

by Marla McLean | Apr 18, 2010

I have always been fascinated by before and after images, from fashion magazines to home improvements. I find it especially captivating to view in my school and other schools. Teacher Tom and his community in Seattle created an amazing outdoor area in a small space....

Last but not least

by Marla McLean | Apr 1, 2010

I am currently in Boston, visiting my son who is a student at Berklee College of Music. Last night we were talking, and he told me about this moment he had, where he was practicing flute, it had been hours of planned playing, and then, he didn’t even realize it but...

“Time is not around me, it’s only around my mother.” Jack, age 5

by Marla McLean | Mar 14, 2010

I returned last week from an inspired conference, Educating the Creative Mind at Kean College (where I presented.) The above title quote came from Sara Zurr, Phd, who presented her research on spontaneous music making and time. Her findings from 3 continents, Asia,...

Objects can tell stories, if you learn to read them.

by Marla McLean | Feb 25, 2010

(Warrior by Fredric R.) On 2/23 and 2/25 I led each Kindergarten class, with their teachers and parent volunteers to see The Terra Cotta Warriors at the National Geographic Exhibit Hall. On the metro bus back to school, teacher Hannah Birney asked me, “What made you...

Of “stuff”

by Marla McLean | Feb 18, 2010

(That's Miles, above) While work and life are intertwined, being snowed in away from the school place gave me an opportunity to work on some of my own "stuff." I will presenting at an International Conference on Young Children and Creativity in New Jersey March 3-5....

The calm and then the storm

by Marla McLean | Feb 6, 2010

On Friday, February 5th, we arrived at school knowing that a huge snowstorm was coming our way. The Federal government was on leave and DC Schools were closing at noon. On that same Friday, as anticipation grew, and flakes of snow began to fall, Swatantar Mann, the...

The parts without words

by Marla McLean | Jan 30, 2010

The children have finished their Dream Houses. I am in awe of each child. Utterly amazed at the brilliance evident in each piece. Here are a few to see: but the project continues... The K classrooms' continuous common thread has been story and the narrative. Inspired...

Small World

by Marla McLean | Jan 9, 2010

(detail from Khalisa's Dream House) January began with two new spaces. The Winter Garden and the Hideaway Space. The Winter Garden is a small square tactile table that is now filled with corse sand. Cat tails, shells, feathers, rocks, seed pods, small tree stumps and...

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” -Vincent Van Gogh

by Marla McLean | Dec 28, 2009

The Solstice Moon Ritual in the Art Studio was Singing This Little Light of Mine Dancing in the Moonlight Listening to The Moon poem Placing shooting stars around our necks Holding hands and making wishes Under the moon Listening to sweet music Illuminated by friends,...

High things

by Marla McLean | Dec 3, 2009

In Reggio and at SWS the role of teacher is as researcher. I have found, that when researching children, the researcher is equally the subject of the research. The Pre-K children sketched a self-portrait, and then sketched themselves transformed into...

In small places

by Marla McLean | Nov 15, 2009

What is imagination? I asked a group of 4 year olds. "When you wake from a dream and then you have to go back to bed." "It's when you dream and you're awake." "It's when you pretend." "It's what you think up." In the past two weeks I have been struck by the importance...

The space between “learning”

by Marla McLean | Nov 4, 2009

It's funny how culture and ritual can define a place. In my studio, I have always had an old phonograph player. Children know, in their free time, if they choose, they can make a whirly plate. For 13 years, it has become a daily act, again and again. Sometimes...

Looks Like Fishes and a Dance

by Marla McLean | Oct 24, 2009

I returned this week from an intensive week-long international study session in Reggio-Emilia. What a gift to be immersed in dialogue with such a diverse and passionate group of Atelieristas, Teachers, and Pedagogistas. (That's me, John, Alysia, Sarah and Margaret,...

…and it looks like all my dreams

by Marla McLean | Oct 11, 2009

"My house is me and I am it. My house is where I like to be, and it looks like all my dreams." -Mr. Plumbean Imagining, Planning, and Constructing The Dream House Project SWS Studio, Kindergarten Last June, I read the Pre-k children a cherished book, The Big Orange...

Evidence of a Memory

by Marla McLean | Sep 27, 2009

The art studio butterflies emerged last week. The week was filled with the combination of color, light, form, shape, & projection all inspired by the two fluttering Monarchs that filled the studio with a special aura. By Friday, it was time to set the last two...

Not a Remembrance

by Marla McLean | Sep 13, 2009

9/11 is huge for the staff at School-Within-School. We are located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The staff, on that day, has memories of chaos and fear (from our 3rd floor windows, it looked like the capitol was on fire, because the smoke from the pentagon had...

Becoming

by Marla McLean | Sep 6, 2009

In my chiropractors office hangs a small sign that reads, The Only Constant is Change. It is never more evident then now. The school year has started. It’s a flurry of energy, excitement, and anticipation, along with to-do lists, meetings, and curriculum development....

Reverse/Disperse

by Marla McLean | Aug 21, 2009

Margaret Boozer created an installation entitled Dirt Drawings, at the Katzen Art Gallery in Washington, DC. It’s an amazing piece. She dug up, lugged and painted and sculpted with raw clay directly on the gallery floor. With time, this live clay changed color,...

Those who can do more

by Marla McLean | Aug 14, 2009

"The fairies are going to a party. It’s at their friends house in the woods. They are going to fly there. There’s berries in the tree. They are going to pick some to bring to their friends house. There’s a chrysalis on the tree. A butterfly will come out. " Sofia,...

Shaping the Soul

by Marla McLean | Aug 5, 2009

Yesterday, I took a walk in Brookside Gardens, in Maryland. It was a phenomenal treat for the eyes, ears, & nose. Fountains sprayed water and kinetic sculptures danced in the wind. Flowers as dragons and tree trunks as houses. Every color flower, butterfly and...

Everything is Connected

by Marla McLean | Jul 29, 2009

24gjp3derm This is page 5 from my sketchbook. I am participating in The Sketchbook Project through art-house co-op. Here's how it works, I receive a blank sketchbook with a random theme. Mine is Friends of friends of friends. I interpret and fill the book and then...