Library to show off community artwork

Betsy Burns, of Flutterby Childcare, is working with Michelle Johnson to give kids and adults another place to display their artwork, besides the refrigerator door. The new Community Rainbow Art Program will display the artwork of local children and adults at the library.

“I want something where…people can come to the library and enjoy the beauty of adults and children’s art,” Burns said.

Burns said there is a theme for the artwork each month, winter for January, jungle animals and Valentines for February, St. Patrick’s Day for March, April showers for April, spring for May, summer fun for June, Fourth of July for July, bugs and beach for August, nursery rhymes and Thanksgiving for November, and circus and Christmas for December.

Burns said the idea is that children and their parents can do art projects and bring them in to be displayed at the library for the community to see. She said she also hopes to promote creativity.

In school, she said many teachers have specific ways they would like children to create artwork. Burns said she just wants the children to be creative.

“It’s their project. If the head is at the feet and the legs are up top, I think that’s wonderful,” Burns said, “because that’s how they think the project should look.”

Burns said she called the program “Community Rainbow Art” because of the amount of color children tend to use in their artwork.

“It’s just what came to my mind as I was thinking of doing something like this,” Burns said.

Burns said she hopes the artwork will also draw more people into the library so they can see the art.

Burns has been running her own childcare service, Flutterby Childcare, for more than four years. She’s been doing daycare for about 10 years, and has three children of her own. She said she does artwork with her own children as well as her daycare kids.

Tags: communities, hammond, books