A 5 year old boy while drawing with a red marker on a red piece of paper observes:    “Look, the red on the red still happens!”

Gail Tarantino

Ryan, a 5 year old boy commenting on the voices of the other children in the class:

“Jack has a very light voice…the bigger you get the lower your voice.  Teacher Gail has a medium voice.”  After pausing a moment, he continues his observations:  “Toddlers, the little, little guys have high voices”

He furthers the conversation by talking about the sounds in the classroom remarking on what  he hears first:
“The first sound is the chair, the 2nd sound are the lights, the 3rd sound is the clock and the 4th sound are people’s hands on the table but first you have to bong the table.”  He takes a breath and then finalizes the list with the 5th sound.  “The 5th sound is the door…squeak!”

Gail Tarantino

Children often describe something in a most remarkable way.  Their poignant use of language is something I treasure hearing in our studio.

A child listening to someone speaking another language:  “He speaks far away” (Rana 3 1/2 years)

Gail Tarantino

Discussions revolve around the newly elected president being the 2nd President of the United States.  When I ask, “Who was the first President” to a group of nearly 5 year old boys,  they immediately  reply that it is George Bush.  When we discuss that Obama is the 44th President and another George was the 1st, they immediately say in a chorus, “George Washington!”  I then ask, “Who do you think is the 16th President?”  Alex, age 5 thinks about this and asks, “Was it you?”  I tell him that perhaps I could be the 16th Art President of the United States!  Baker, shy of being 5, excitely says, “The next Election will be in 2000 and Paint!”

Gail Tarantino

Held in October at 111 Minna Gallery, our 5th Annual Benefit Art Auction proved to be the most successful Art Center auction to date – generating nearly $5,000 in revenue for our scholarship program and for general operating expenses. These much-needed funds help to close the gap between tuition fees and actual Art Center operating costs.
The art looked better than ever on the Gallery’s new temporary walls; and, as the 30th anniversary year comes to a close, we were delighted to have work contributed by two SFCAC alumnae – Sarah Farmer and Tauba Auerbach. The highlight of the evening was the raffle of baskets of wine, entertainment tickets, and gift certificates. Every dollar in raffle ticket sales goes to support scholarships for children to attend Art Center classes. This year’s raffle proceeds were triple those of last year – great news for bringing children to our classes who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend!
Many, many thanks to everyone who contributed to the event’s success:guests at the event—including surprise guest Matt Gonzalez, contributing artists, raffle and food donors, wonderful volunteers organized by One Brick, the 111 Minna Gallery staff, SFCAC Board members and staff, and especially our event partner Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Fernandez, Lyons, Farrise & Greenwood Foundation, Inc.

Special thanks to Andrea Ismert who photographed the event! View photos