One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation.
To those of you who will be singing this song for the rest of the day: you’re welcome. To those of you who don’t know the song yet, it is sung by the most prolific purple dragon recording artist of our times: the Figment of Imagination. He is cute, he is creative, and by golly, he’s a motivational mastermind. He’s also the fanciful figurehead of Epcot’s annual Festival of the Arts, running through February 21 this year.
If you, like me, live in a part of the world where winter threatens to never end; a visit to sunny Florida this time of year is a true delight. You can trade your snow boots for sandals, don your sunglasses, and see plant life in full bloom again. What’s more, the crowd levels in Walt Disney World at this time of year are typically some of the lowest. So, while I don’t expect you need much convincing that this is a great time for a Disney vacation, I’ll submit to you: The Festival of the Arts.
This newest addition to the Epcot festival lineup celebrates the creation of art and cuisine. It’s a feast for your eyes and for your stomach. You can enjoy concerts from Disney’s Broadway repertoire, and also engage in creating art yourself. Or maybe you’d like to be the art: photo ops allow you to be the central figure in such famous works as the Mona Lisa, or Washington Crossing the Delaware. You can peruse well curated collections by gifted artisans, and even bring home creations from some of your favorite Disney artists.
Jack and Rose Washington My Parents Crossing the Delaware
As always, I would recommend planning your festival visit on a week day, if possible. Guests local to Walt Disney World tend to increase festival attendance on the weekends. Also, make sure to pick up a Festival Passport just inside the entrance to Epcot, or at most merchandise locations. These free passports make great souvenirs to remember your festival experience, and can also help you navigate the available exhibitions and food booths. We like to note which menu items we tried, and especially any funny thoughts our kids had about them (kids never seem to run short of food opinions, after all).
In addition to all of this, I am consistently impressed by the chalk art that pops up around the park. Much like the beloved scene from Mary Poppins, these works of art are so convincingly three dimensional you could easily imagine hopping right into them. The Festival of the Arts is a true celebration of beauty in many forms. What a delight!
If you’re not able to visit the Festival of the Arts this year, though, I’d like to propose that you host one of your own. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but I think we could all use a little extra beauty at the moment, right? Here are some ideas for you, based on our own recent art exhibition at home.
As you may know, I am a mom of four, and I have my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. I’d like to take a moment to sincerely applaud those of you who are teaching right now: God bless you, truly. You are doing difficult and significant work. While my career path has obviously taken me in a different direction, my abiding love of educating small humans is one of the reasons we chose to homeschool our kids.
Just before Christmas, the kids and I reviewed their artwork from the fall semester, and chose four pieces to display in a family gallery where Dad would be our Guest of Honor. He is a man of discerning tastes, indeed. The kids and I mounted their chosen pieces on construction paper in a complementary color palette, and included a plaque with the artist’s name (I liked that they all chose to use their first, middle, and last name), date, and media. I was also delighted with the titles they gave their work and their varying subject matter.
In August during our first watercolor session, I happened to play some French cafe music on YouTube. As it happens, my children now require French music in order to create art. So, it was only natural that we employed our favorite tres chic playlist for the opening of our family gallery, and we also had snacks in crystal bowls, and toasted our accomplishments with sparkling water (the height of fancy beverages, obviously).
Watching them present their artwork to their Dad, explaining techniques and color choices, I couldn’t have been more proud of their accomplishments and their newfound creative joy. I have witnessed as they developed from tentative to enthusiastic, from being frustrated with their abilities, to celebrating their own progress and happily trying out new techniques. It’s a memory I’m so happy we took the time to make together, and an occasion we’ll continue to mark in the future. If you’d like tickets to our Spring exhibition, do ask. We’d be delighted to share our work with friends.
If your children bring home artwork from school, I think a celebration like this could make a happy winter activity. Or even if you don’t have children in your home, why not take time to share something you have created, like those funny doodles you make while you’re on the phone, or the surprisingly arty photo you took of a bird the other day. Whatever form it takes on, I hope you’ll set aside some time to enjoy something beautiful with the people you love, and to show appreciation for the person who created it.
