Crystal Bridges crafts winter-break program

STAFF PHOTO BEN GOFF  @NWABenGoff -- 12/27/14 Lindsay Dover and daughter Kylee Dover, 12, of Bentonville decorate animal cutouts during the Winter Break Wonders: Winter Animals free drop-in program at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville on Saturday Dec. 27, 2014.
STAFF PHOTO BEN GOFF @NWABenGoff -- 12/27/14 Lindsay Dover and daughter Kylee Dover, 12, of Bentonville decorate animal cutouts during the Winter Break Wonders: Winter Animals free drop-in program at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville on Saturday Dec. 27, 2014.

BENTONVILLE -- Sophia Tipton, 4, glued a googly eye with eyelashes onto a dark-pink, paper moose Saturday inside a studio at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She added jewels of blue, green and red and colored the legs with blue and light-pink pencil.

"It's my birthday," said Sophia, of Austin, Texas. "I want to do something fun like this."

Sophia turns 5 on Tuesday. She and mom, Tasya Tipton, arrived in Bentonville on Monday and are due to return home today, so they began birthday celebrations a few days early with a visit to the museum with their cousins, who live in Bentonville.

"She loves art more than anything in the world," Tipton said while decorating a bear.

Crystal Bridges organized a series of crafts, family tours and performances for families with children out of school for the long winter break. The free daily activities offered as part of Winter Break Wonders take place between 1 and 4 p.m. on days the museum is open. It is closed Tuesdays.

Today's activities are making "itty-bitty" igloo sculptures with Crayola Model Magic and a 2 p.m. performance by the Ozark Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in the Great Hall. Monday's activities involve making antlers with pipe cleaners, yarn and headbands and making paper-bag pinatas for New Year's celebrations.

Saturday's winter animals activity initially drew about 30 children and adults into the museum's Durand Studio. Each person received a paper cutout of a wintry animal. Bowls on tables provided sticks of tempera paint, glue, jewels and googly eyes for decorating.

The activities provide an option for parents while children are out of school, said Moira Traw, an art instructor for the museum.

"It connects the public with the museum," she said.

Sophia's cousin Avery Rupp, 11, chose a green bird for her winter animals craft. Avery, a fifth-grader, started with a silver square jewel and a gold square jewel.

"I thought it needed more color," she said.

Before long, she had nearly every color of jewel: red, blue, green, pink and purple.

Being at the museum with her Austin cousins was a special time, she said.

"They live all the way in Texas, and we haven't been with each other in a while," Avery said.

Avery's aunt, Lindsay Dover, sat across the table with a gray bear decked out in gold, silver and green. She explained that Sophia's love for the movie Brave inspired her design. The movie is about a young princess who accidentally turns her mother into a bear. It is set in Scotland, which inspired Dover's color choices, she said.

Ben and Danielle May of Bella Vista also stopped in to make winter animals with their children Bella, 8, and Hunter, 6, and Danielle May's brother Anthony Gallion, who was visiting from Dallas. Bella started with a blue horse, painting on a brown mane and black hooves, and then moved on to a seal. Hunter painted a bear solid brown.

"It's nice to be able to have time off together," Danielle May said. "We saw they were having all the different activities and decided to come."

NW News on 12/28/2014

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