Yayoi Kusama's art is so appealing to young ones. The colorful patterns, created through her obsessive art making practices, are just joyful. But there's so much more to Kusama than dots. She had so many great ideas, that many of them were "borrowed" by her contemporaries.
Kusama also has an inspirational story that's worth hearing about. This was a woman who has overcome professional and personal obstacles while battling mental illness her whole life. She always listened to her heart and that's what made everything possible.
If I had one wish for Rémy and Sierra (and all children) as they grow up, it would be to do the same - to listen to their hearts. So I created a storytime that centered around young Kusama, as she learned to follow her own path.
STORYTIME
ACTIVITIES
We perform the same story a few times within the span of a week. This gives the kids a chance to really learn the story, and often times become active participants in the retelling. After each telling this week, we did one Kusama activity, all of them quick wins in my book.
Kusama Play-Doh
I presented the kids with a large slab of play dough (this was two containers that had become mooshed together previously). With the dough, I also placed out a box of plastic lids. I had collected the lids from milk cartons, squeezer snacks, and other random items.
Once Rémy rolled out the play dough, they both took turns pressing the lids into the dough. When they had finished pressing everything in, it had the look of a colorful Kusama painting.
Then they removed all the lids, and the final product was a more subtle, but beautiful work. They loved their creation so much, they wanted to do it again in different play dough colors.
Kusama Finger Painting
This was a basic finger painting set up. I laid down a drop cloth, clipped up paper on each side of our double sided easel, and gave them red paint. That was the entirety of the set up.
When it was time to paint, we talked briefly about how Yayoi Kusama painted patterns using dots. Then I demonstrated how to make dots with my finger. After my brief demonstration, the kids started creating their own masterpieces.
After about 7 or 8 minutes, Sierra started to move from dot painting to more traditional finger painting, and then Rémy joined her. Your preschooler or toddler will probably do the same. That's more than ok! They get to practice the Kusama mark making technique and then can stay engaged with the art in a different way.
Kusama Fruit Painting
We took a moment to look at some of Kusama's work involving pumpkins. I've always loved these pieces because of the way her dots play with the organic form. I thought it would be fun for us to try out her approach on other foods.
I placed out fruit that had peels (bananas, oranges, grapefruits, and limes), with markers, round stickers, and finger paint. The kids then were able to choose what fruit and materials they wanted to work with.
These three activities just scratched the surface. My guess is we'll do a few more things before moving on to the next artist. Perhaps an immersive environment with cardboard boxes reminicent of works like Infinity Mirrors, or maybe some large scale collaborative piece. Whatever we end up doing, I'm sure it will be a colorful, dot filled mess.
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