Tickets are now available for a new Westford tradition, a community Christmas concert stemming from eras past.  This year, we celebrate the 19th century with music, poems and readings performed by a talented group of musicians and orators.  This year’s show will remind us of the old-fashioned Christmas concerts put on at local schoolhouses to celebrate Christmas.  These were often the main holiday event for a town.  Children would decorate the schoolhouse with greens and ribbons, put on their Sunday best, and perform songs and poems for their loved ones.  Father Christmas would often be an honored guest handing out horehound candy and oranges.  This is the same spirit we hope to create at the Parish Center for the Arts on December 18th and 19th at 8pm.  And, as an added treat, the hall will open at 7pm for a go-local Christmas market co-sponsored by the Westford Farmers’ Market.  Local art, holiday greens arrangements and food will be available for purchase to complete your holiday preparations.

Tickets are affordably priced at $10 for adults, $5 for students and $25 for a special family ticket (parents and children).  To order yours, please e-mail Emily at tickets@creativityunhinged.com or call 978.995.7002.  Tickets will also be available at the door at 7pm on the nights of the show.  We look forward to having you join in our celebration!  Please click on EVENTS to your left for more information.

Congratulations to the McElligott Family for successfully completing a two-year playground project in memory of their young son, Ronan.  After losing Ronan, they realized that if he had lived, he would have been permanently disabled and unable to play on a playground like his big sister, Bryn.  So, they took their grief and plunged into creating a beautiful, handicap-accessible playground at Edwards Beach in Nabnasset, Westford.  It is an amazing playground and the only one of its kind within a forty-mile radius.  The ribbon cutting ceremony was so much fun.  While the kids caught their breath from swinging, jumping and climbing on the new structure, they came over to me to make a Thanksgiving craft- a Native American Trade Necklace.  The event was a big success.  What a wonderful way to celebrate a life.

What do you do to find inspiration?  Being creative is basically what my job is all about- and it is hard to feel inspired when there is a house to be cleaned, bills to pay and errands to run.  And, it can be tricky for kids to also feel inspired when they go to art class after a day at school.  So, last week, we explored ways to unwind from sitting in a desk for most of the day and to gear up our imaginations in order to create wonderful works of art.  We listened to Saint-Saens, Vaughan Williams and even music from Singin’ in the Rain.  We also played fun theater games that encourage interaction.  We discovered there are so many ways to feel inspired!  My favorite, though, is a wonderful walk with my big dog, followed by a cup of tea and some great old-timey folk music.  It always revs me up for a day of creativity.  Another great way to get me inspired is to spend an hour with incredibly inventive kids.  World Art students, you never cease to inspire!  In this picture, Nicholas listens to the Danse Macabre and records his inspirations!

Making junkbox puppets is fun for all ages, but there is a very special type of young imagination that makes junkbox puppetry an even more creative artform!  Just when you think your puppet dog looks like a dog, a young voice shouts, “Where are his spots?”  Yes, where are those spots?  Young children have an uncanny knack for adding those oh-so-important details that make creating puppets from garbage so much fun and that make the puppets truly come to life!  Here, our spot expert, Tess, cuts and glues and cuts and glues to give our dogs just the right number of spots!

What would every young Prince and Princess love for their very own sculpture garden?  A series of sculptures of their stuffed toys, of course!  This cuddly creature was created by Jasmine.  Check out our flickr photostream for more!  Great job, everyone!  I love the wonderful collection of clay sculptures you have created.  From rocket ships to giraffe busts, you are all so creative.  I especially love it when you sculpt something you didn’t think you could.  With a little bit of focus, guidance and effort, you have all let out your inner artists!!!

Well, I do talk about my animal family a good bit in class and with new acquaintances.  So, I have decided to do a bit of a Meet-the-Piper-Family series on my blog.  I am beginning with Wallace, our big Southern mutt.  We adopted him this Spring from Big Fluffy Dog Rescue of Tennessee.  He is a big fella and is all heart.  We love him to pieces.  His “pedigree” is Great Pyrenees, St. Bernard and Hound.  He is both elegant and ridiculous.  He loves to lay on the porch on my fancy pillows and strike poses to please the passersby.

A new session of World Art has begun!  We are now European Sculptors!  We welcome our new students and welcome back our returning ones.  We would also like to welcome Jason Tu, my assistant teacher, a student from Westford Academy.  Our current project is creating sculptures for the make believe sculpture garden for the birthday party of Prince Isaac and Princess Elizabeth Antorio, the royal children of the Kingdom of Westford.   We are the royal sculptors for the Antorio family.  Please check out more photos on flickr.  Just click on the icon to the left.