MY ART ON DISPLAY AT UCLA, at the Annual Silvia Winstein UCLA Arts and Crafts Exhibit

On Tuesday, May 20th, I was one of 27 artists exhibiting at the annual Silvia Winstein UCLA Arts and Crafts Exhibit. I showed prints of my cut-paper book illustrations. Many thanks to Chair Kati Radics and all the people who make the event happen. An added feature this year was Art for Fire Victims in which artists donated pieces to give to people rebuilding their homes after the terrible fires of last January. I donated an illustration from my book A Koala's World.

The tradition of the show began many years ago when Sylvia, the young widow of UCLA Chemistry Professor Saul Winstein, had a tea for some friends and displayed several paintings. 

 

Artistic emeriti friends and spouses were so enthusiastic that Sylvia organized and supported what has become a very special yearly celebration. 

 

The event is  jointly presented by the UCLA Emeriti Association, the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center, and the UCLA Retirees Association. 

 

 

ROCK ART BY ANCIENT AMERICANS: Activities for the Classroom

Rock art (petroglyphs) at Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada.

At Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada, and at many other places in the American West, ancient Americans created images on rocks.  Some are engraved on the rock surfaces. They are called petroglyphs. Others are "painted" on the rocks and are called pictographs. I saw both on my recent visit to Red Rock Canyon. Some of them are believed to be as much as 800 years old.

Hand prints at Red Rock Canyon.

Here is the link to activities to do with students to learn about rock art and gain appreciation of the rock art at Red Rock Canyon.

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/Nevada-Red%20Rock%20Canyon-Rock%20Art.pdf

You can learn more about rock art of the American West in my book STORIES IN STONE: Rock Art Pictures by Early Americans.  

EASTER ISLAND: The Perfect book to read during AAPI HERITAGE MONTH

The month of May is Asian American Pacific IslanderHeritage Month, celebrating the community’s contributions to the cultural, social, and political fabric of this country. It is the perfect time to read my book EASTER ISLAND: Giant Stone Statues Tell of a Richand Tragic Past (Clarion Books, 2000.)

You can find it as an ebook, EASTER ISLAND: Giant Stone Statues Tell of a Rich and Tragic Past is available as an ebook on Amazon. You can also look for it in your library.

Easter Island is the most remote inhabited place on Earth. It is located in the easternmost corner of the large triangle of Pacific Islands known as Polynesia. The first European visitor to Easter Island was a Dutch sea captain, Jacob Roggeveen, who landed there on April 5, 1722. In the tradition of his time he named his “discovery” for the day of his arrival which was Easter Sunday. Today the island is known both as Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) and Rapa Nui, a Polynesian name given to it in the 19^th century by Tahitian sailors. Both the people and the traditional Easter Island language are known today as Rapanui.

The scale of the Easter Island statues is enormous.

As we look at Easter Island today we see examples of humankind’s most amazing artistic achievements. We also see records of some of its darkest moments. Much remains to be learned about its earliest inhabitants who came to the island in about A.D. 400. We know that they were farmers and fishermen, and that as they shaped the land to fit their needs they gradually used up many of the island’s limited resources. In many ways Easter Island is a model for the world we live in today and is a reminder that natural resources must be used wisely.

Giant statues called moai were placed on platforms called ahu.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? A Visit with Mrs. Best’s Kindergarten Class, Haynes School, Los Angeles, CA

School Garden 2025, Haynes Charter Elementary, Los Angeles, CA.

In the spring of 2022, my book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6, the story of Mrs. Best’s kindergarteners and their school garden, was published by Charlesbridge. 

Last week I visited Mrs. Best’s to see how this year's garden was growing and to share some of my books with the students. The garden looked terrific with the peas, beans, carrots, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and a patch of white alyssum, all growing like gangbusters. Earlier in the week the children had harvested the radishes—always the first to be ripe for picking.

In the classroom, the students are hatching eggs, which were in their ninth day of incubation on the day of my visit. They are scheduled to hatch on May 13. I read my book HATCHING CHICKS IN ROOM 6, which documented the children of Mrs. Best’s class of 2015 as they hatched eggs. After reading the book we talked about feathers and eggs. I measured the children's wingspans--most were peregrine falcons--and showed them my ostrich egg.

The students will also be growing butterflies, the topic of my book BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6. Their caterpillars had just arrived in the mail and the students will watch them grow, form chrysalises, and emerge as painted lady butterflies.

Soon the children will be adding earthworms to their garden. I finished my visit by reading WIGGLE AND WAGGLE and having the children sing the Wiggle and Waggle gardening song with me. It was a fun morning.

It is always a pleasure to visit Mrs. Best’s classroom at Haynes School. I love the way she does so many hands-on science projects with her students and to see their enthusiasm for them. I can’t thank her enough for her cooperation and collaboration with my Room 6 books. 

Caroline and Jennifer Best