Reading the World Conference
UPDATE February 16, 2010: Unfortunately it looks like the economy continues to take its toll. Due to low registration for Reading the World this year, the conference has been cancelled. We are disappointed as Maya was looking forward to presenting at what has been in the past a very enjoyable event. On a positive note, you can still find us at The Early Childhood Conference at Chabot College in Hayward, CA, March 13th and also at the Día de los Niños / Day of the Child event in April at the JFK Library in Vallejo, more information on these events coming soon.
***************
The University of San Francisco’s School of Education sponsors a yearly conference called Reading the World, A Conference Celebrating Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults. Maya has presented at this conference in past years and will again be presenting at the 2010 conference that will be held March 6 and 7th in San Francisco. Her presentation will focus on the importance of reflection and bringing creativity into the classroom as a tool for empowerment.
The Reading the World conference brings together educators, students, illustrators, authors, Continue reading »
Filed under Conferences | Tags: conference, presentations, Reading the World | Comment (0)A Heart in the Dark: Wintertime
Monday was the darkest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. We are now at the deepest point of winter. I love knowing that. I can feel the season turning. 
At our house we’ve been filling our dark hours with Christmas crafts and keeping our windows steamy with lots of baking. Our tiny apartment is severely, profoundly decked out and we’ve got 6 different Christmas radio stations on our Pandora. Although I love absolutely any excuse to make things and decorate, it’s taken me a few years to fully receive 
the gift of Christmas brought to me by Matthew and his father and their profound love of the holiday. I’ve needed to go on a little Christmas journey.
When I was 20, my family disowned me at Christmas for being queer. Now so many years later, I rarely ponder on it. We have very little contact. But for years, Christmas served as an anniversary and was re-colored by the experience. The whole season became bittersweet. Over time, I looked for ways to finally Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: celebration, Christmas, family, festive, fun, holiday, light, season, Solstice, winter | Comment (0)Last Minute Gift Ideas
Give the gift of art this holiday season. Is there someone on your list that still needs a gift? We’ve assembled special holiday packages of our archival art prints. Buy them as a package and save $20 than when purchased separately plus save on shipping costs. Perfect as a gift for a special someone or share the love (and art) with three friends.
My Colors, My World:
Can you find the colors in your world?
This holiday package contains the three images: Open Eye, I See; Mud Pie Extravaganza; and Iris Tea Party
I Know the River Loves Me:
Do you have a special relationship with the river or know someone who does?
This holiday package contains the three images: Beginning the Journey, Standing in the River, and Floating Free
Nana’s Big Surprise:
Can you spot all of the hidden treasures within these images?
This holiday package contains the three images: Grandma Dancing, Kids with Chicks, and Grandma Hugs
Visit our Etsy Shop for more great gifts for the holiday season, including a print of our delightful Solstice Fairy. Order by December 15th to ensure Christmas delivery. Special holiday packages available now through December 31st 2009. Start shopping>>>
Happy Holidays from Reflection Press!
Filed under General | Tags: Etsy, family, holiday, illustrations, season | Comment (0)Take Our Educator Survey
Perhaps you have read about our Claiming Face curriculum and educator packets on our main website? We’ve been working hard over these last few months to assemble it into a valuable resource for teachers who are interested in using creativity as a tool for empowerment in their classrooms.
As we develop these packets, we want to look to educators to ask what is helpful to you around creativity in the classroom. Do you value it? Do you feel confident bringing it into your classroom? Do you have the resources to support you? What would be the most supportive? We’ve assembled a short educator survey of 9 questions to find out. To thank you for your participation, you will be entered to win a 11×17 archival art print of your choice from our available art illustrations. We’ll choose random winners on January 1, 2010 so feel free to pass the survey link around to other educators. The more responses the more winners.
Help us develop our curriculum: take our educator survey>>>
About the Curriculum: Our Claiming Face curriculum uses reflection and creativity as a tool for self knowledge and empowerment. It is created by the artist, Maya Christina Gonzalez, through her years of working in numerous classrooms across the country. The goal is to instill an internal perspective first. We know ourselves most deeply from the inside. While reflection in our environment is vital to a sense of belonging and is part of a developmental process, the aim of our curriculum is to provide children with the form and skill to know themselves especially when those external reflections do not exist. Our curriculum is unique in that it is both artist-based and kid-tested. The exercises and perspectives have literally been used with hundreds and hundreds of children and adults throughout the years. Read more on our site.
Filed under General | Tags: creativity, educators, empowerment, reflection, survey | Comment (0)
