In honor of today’s focus on freedom of speech and the internet, many large websites are protesting by blocking their sites. Wikipedia has gone blank, and Google has covered up their name for the day as an outcry to the discussion taking place on Capital Hill about setting limits on the internet. For today’s art project, we will explore our own freedom of speech through a small art exercise. Draw a stick figure ( or a more elaborate version if you are feeling creative) of yourself and a word balloon above it. Can you write something that you have wanted to share but haven’t felt comfortable doing? Feel free to write it and then tear the sheet up if you are still not ready to share this information, but please be aware of your feelings as you write the words you would like to share.

Yesterday’s drawing: A Mandala is a Sanskrit word for circle, but incorporates an idea of wholeness and our connection to the world. This brief paragraph is not enough space to truly define the meaning, and if you are interested, please research Mandalas on your own. The powerful symbolism of creating art within a circle can be found in many cultures. What did you create in your own circle? What kind of mood does the image convey? Were you able to add words to the outer part of your Mandala to make better sense of what you created on the inside?