On any given weekend Dallas residents make the tough decision of which activities will fill their leisure hours. There is something for everyone and for residents that love the visual and performing arts there is no shortage of happenings. On Sunday, April 28th Pure Sculpture artist and co-founder, Brad Oldham shared his passion for the arts with children from across the metroplex at The Great Create.
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| The Great Create at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas |
A sold-out, family-centered fundraiser benefitting the educational programs produced by the Nasher Sculpture Center, The Great Create focused on engaging the artistic talents of children age 12 and under. The day was filled with workshops conducted by world-renown artists, giving children the opportunity to learn and exercise their creative muscles. The Nasher Sculpture Center described the event as their first-ever family fundraiser and art discovery day. Each year, over 45,000 people visit their facilities and participation in this event allows the Nasher to continue offering the highest quality of educational initiatives and programs to its visitors. The day not only included artist and community partner projects but also live music and animated shorts courtesy of the New York International Children’s Film Festival Kid Flix Mix.
Throughout the event, children worked with esteemed artists on everything from 3-D constructions to printmaking, digital photography and of course, sculpture. In total there were 10 stations, each with a different artist and activity. Oldham, led the children in a collaborative clay sculpture project that yielded a 4 feet-tall sculpture of a dog, covered in the creative marks and carvings of the participating children. In the weeks leading up to the event, Oldham created the life-sized clay based on his favorite canine friend, Pete. He documented this process on the project’s blog. On the day of the event, children learned about making art and the sculpture medium while contributing to the sculpture’s creation with the addition of their etchings in its surface.
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| A photo of the dog sculpture taken by artist Brad Oldham |
By the evening children, parents, volunteers and artists had spent the day absorbed in creativity, their imagination ignited and it benefited a great cause. In our books, that’s a pretty swell way to spend those weekend hours.
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| Pure Sculpture Artist and Co-Founder Brad Oldham with the dog sculpture in his Dallas studio. |
To learn more about the dog sculpture created at The Great Create, visit http://brad-oldham-dog-blog.tumblr.com
