This month Andell Family Sundays is focused on We Live in Painting: The Nature of Color in Mesoamerican Art. This new exhibition explores how Mesoamerican artists created colors for their art by using natural materials from their everyday lives. Their vast knowledge of nature allowed them to make formulas for paints and dyes out of natural elements, which meant that these artists were also scientists. These traditions are still being carried out today, and you’ll have a chance to make your own artwork in our workshops inspired by the exhibition.
If you can, start your time at LACMA by visiting We Live in Painting in the Resnick Pavilion. You will see paintings, weavings, sculptures, and even ancient clay figurines that are actually whistles and learn how Mesoamerican artists created their five primary colors—white, black, red, blue-green, and yellow—to depict their world. There are even several paintings made last year especially for this exhibition by artists from Xalitla, Guerrero, in Mexico. These artist-scientists created all of the pigments following traditional methods that have been written down and saved. All these colors hold symbolic meanings and were made from flowers, minerals, insects, and other things found in nature. There is a beautiful film towards the end of We Live in Painting that shows the artists making the paintings in the exhibition using these incredible methods and techniques.
Are you ready to make your own art? Head outside to find the Andell Family Sundays workshops designed for all ages located behind the Resnick Pavilion. They are facing Levitated Mass, which is the name of LACMA's BIG ROCK!
Inspired by watercolor paintings in the exhibition that are made of natural pigments on tree bark paper, artist Eszter Delgado designed a fun painting workshop for you. You will use special watercolor paint made from natural powdered pigments on brown bark-like paper. Paint a scene from your life with Mesoamerican cosmic colors: white, black, red, blue-green, and yellow. If you make more than one painting, Eszter will show you how to turn your pages into a book.
If you walked through the exhibition and said “I want one of those!” when you saw the beautiful woven textiles hanging on the wall, then artist Julianna Ostrovsky has just the project for you! You’ll choose colored yarns from our stash and learn to weave on a cardboard loom with tools like plastic needles. It’s easy, fun, and relaxing! Julianna will ask you to think about what natural materials could produce the colors you choose. I talked to some young artists who told me that apples and sunshine make red and yellow, bananas make a darker yellow, and rivers and oceans make blues. Another artist told me not to forget that the sky makes light blue and the soil makes brown.
As always, our Fiber Makers Circle also takes place at Andell Family Sundays and is a great place to relax and work with things like yarn and fabric. You can learn embroidery or how to make a pom pom. If you want, bring your own project to work on.
Andell Family Sundays: Todos los Colores (All the Colors) takes place at LACMA this Sunday, September 29, from 12:30–3:30 pm. Keep your eyes on our full calendar of programs for even more fun activities.