Ok, I realize that it is going back in history, way back, but around 1970, Parker Brothers came out with a game about art. Yes, I have seen this game, tattered as it may be, with age, and some of the masterpieces represented on those little cards have embedded in my memory and actually helped me with art history and recognizable artists and their style of art. It served as a sort of pre-cursor to further art education. Now, remember, I am a lover of art, and not an art student. Maybe a better way to put it is a life student of art, and this game played a part, no matter how small, or how big, in that life study of art.

For more information, see this Wikipedia article on the Parker Bros, now Hasbro, Masterpiece art auction game.

There are some fascinating aspects of the game, including forgeries, interesting characters, experiencing the "art auction" and cards with pictures of famous (real) artwork.

I guess I didn't realize what value this game had until I started attending art auctions, myself, and frequently visited museums and I wondered how I recognized different styles of art and the "greats." Why? Because some game designer, "back in the day," had the foresight to create a game that was fun for kids, and educational at the same time, benefitting the child for years to come.

Now, I am on my way to search out other art education programs and games that open our children's eyes into the great expanse of creativity that they can see, hear, touch, and experience... this thing called, "Art."

Recently, I read about Rebecca Burghardt and was very moved by her art, her life, and her challenges with that life and the art that was birthed in her, to be shared with the rest of us, in spite of those challenges.

I was reminded of a curator talk that we attended at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art a few years ago and learned about Salvador Dali. I will never forget a question from a group, asking about the pain in the lives of artist and whether or not that inspires their art even more. I have been keenly aware, ever since, of not only an artist's work, but their lives and what shapes them to be who they are, and, as a result, the art.