Girls and Fairy Tales

I teach a class of preteen girls in my studio on Monday afternoons. What a great age this is - they have such a strong sense of themselves. For the first assignment this semester I invited the girls to put themselves inside a fairy tale, as any character, and to tweak the story however they wanted. They are making illustrated accordion books using a variety of drawing media (the most popular implements are the silver and gold markers!) and have been working on the books for several weeks. The girls told me that they do not get to spend alot of time on art projects at school because of the fast pace of their schedules there, and that many of the students at school just aren't into art. So to spend this hour and a half each week focused on their art with like minded peers feels luxurious. The accordion books are wonderfully rich and detailed!
The topic of fairy tales has sparked some great conversations - it's been very interesting to hear the girls discuss their views and opinions on cultural mores and societal expectations.