Mickalene Thomas and Priscilla. Photograph by Tribble and Mancenido.

We're very excited to announce our latest collaboration with two very big names in the art world (and one smaller, but no less important, one!) For this special project the artist Mickalene Thomas has created an exclusive limited edition print just for kids entitled Portrait de Priscilla Petit Chien. This portrait of Thomas' long-haired dachshund Priscilla is available only through the MoMA Design Store and only at 11x14 inches, framed in white wood. All proceeds from the sale of this print will be donated to the Museum of Modern Art.

Says Thomas, "When I was invited to participate in the LittleCollector project I started thinking about what kids would be interested in and what they would like to collect.  I have a miniature dachshund named Priscilla and thought that maybe she could help me come up with a good image. She has already seen many photo shoots at my studio with human models, and she ended up acting like a real professional who loves the camera!"

About Mickalene Thomas: Mickalene Thomas is an American-born artist whose mixed media work incorporates painting, photography, collage, and video. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum and the Smithsonian, among others, and she has won numerous awards and has exhibited extensively in the United States and internationally.

Portrait de Priscilla Petit Chien available here.

We sat down with Mickalene and Priscilla to talk about their time in front of the camera:

LittleCollector: Mickalene, how did Priscilla come to be part of the family? Did you raise her from a pup or adopt her?

Mickalene Thomas: In 2003 Kehinde Wiley gave Priscilla to me as a gift.

LC: You both love to be around lots of color and texture, as seen in Portrait de Priscilla Petit Chien. Can you each tell us your favorite color?

MT: Priscilla's favorite color is light blue and my favorites are gold and white.

LC: What sort of walks do the two of you take around your neighborhood in Brooklyn? Any favorite parks or watering holes?

MT: We live in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn and Priscilla loves to stroll around in Fort Greene Park.

LC: Priscilla, how does it feel to be in front of the camera?

Priscilla: I love it!

LC: Did you always know you had a talent for modeling?

P: Absolutely! I have watched my mother for so many years, and I knew I could be the first supermodel dog!

LC: Priscilla, if you went to MoMA what do you think your favorite piece would be?

P: I loved seeing my mom's painting in the window of The Modern, "Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires", although right now I really like all the Jacob Lawrence paintings.

LC: Are you a fan of abstraction, photography, painting, sculpture?

P: woof woof woof... woof!

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Who says blue is just for boys? We're over outdated ideas about gendered colors and love the dreamy use of blue in this little girl's room. This shade of robin's egg or Tiffany blue is both soothing and sophisticated and we love how it plays off against the stripes of the bedding - it's a very clean, Scandinavian feel.



We also love this sweet leather mobile with it's simple shapes and earthy colors. It's not too babyish but would be soothing and comforting above a baby's crib. Plus the soft leather shapes will twirl softly and don't have any hard edges.

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The Mountain

Mountains and robots and sea creatures, oh my! Argentinean-born, Brooklyn-based artist Sonni has been on our radar for a while and we're very excited to launch 3 new images created by Sonni just for LittleCollector. Sonni's world is a happy, shiny, playful place where anything can happen and friendship is everywhere! We really believe in Sonni's positive message and never get tired of his wonderful, exciting artwork! Now we wonder what the whale is listening to on his headphones...

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Robotsonni

Things at the Sea

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Today Pablo Picasso would have been 130 years old. We salute one of the great masters of the 20th century who was a also a dachshund lover! Above is Picasso and his dachshund Lump. One day Picasso realized that Lump did't have his own bowl so he made and decorated one for him.

We asked office dachsie Brian which work by Picasso is his favorite and he chose Woman and Dog Under a Tree from 1961. Great choice Brian!

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We had tons of fun this weekend leading educational art tours of the NADA fair. Thanks to all the creative and wonderful kids who came by and joined art educator Grace for an exploration of how the 5 senses come alive when we're looking at art! The group finished with polaroids on the roof and everyone went home with adorable LittleCollector backpacks and coloring worksheets.

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Join LittleCollector's own Yukie Yasui for an adorable Mother's Day event at Bloomingdale's! Yukie's workshops are always super fun and the project is sure to be a hit with mom!

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Artist Darlene Charneco speaking to kids about her work at LittleCollector's Preview Party in 2011.

We were thrilled to speak with ArtInfo the other day about our kids tours of the NADA art fair which they wrote about in this great article. There are still a few spots remaining! Join us on either Saturday, Sunday or Monday May 5-7 from 2-2:45 for a super fun, art-filled tour that will explore the 5 senses.

RSVP to hello@littlecollector.com

Koons for Kids: NADA will Train Precocious 4 year-olds in Art Appreciation, Thanks to Little Collector.

By Shane Farro.

How young is too young to become an art collector?

The children's art print Web site Little Collector is making a business out of the argument that you can never be too young. "We start with a little talk about hands in pockets, how to act in the group, and just how to be respectful with the art," Chrissy Crawford, the site's founder, told ARTINFO about the upcoming children's tours of NADA New York, which will take place over the coming weekend (the 45-minute tours will be conducted on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at 2pm). "Then we will take them around and teach them about the different works and different movements in art history," she added.

Little Collector is primarily a print-sales site, and like many of its more adult-focused counterparts it is "committed to inspiring the next generation of art lovers through the presentation of accessible contemporary art." It is different in that by "next generation" it means the generation that has just recently graduated from diapers. As such, it focuses on exposing children to art, from offering them prints of toy cars to art fair tours led by professional art educators.

The NADA tour is the first of its kind for Little Collector. One of the company's art educators,Grace Johnstone, will be leading around 25 children, ages four and up, around the fair for 45 minutes while chatting about art, playing games, sketching, and even giving the budding aesthetes some time to converse with dealers. "The tour will probably incorporate the five senses, ideas about colors, shapes, how colors make us feel, texture, and different materials that will appear in different artworks," said Johnstone, who emphasized that it won't be too much of a lecture.

Why NADA? Well, for one thing, NADA's director Heather Hubbs just had a child of her own, and many of the fair's dealers have kids. Crawford noted that this made many of them receptive to having kids come to the fair. Which galleries do they plan to visit? Crawford said she couldn't be sure until seeing the preview, but had high hopes that some dealers would love the kids.

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These 2 very different bedrooms are great examples how light and dark colors can each be used to make unique and unexpected spaces that are perfect for young teens who are transitioning out of traditional kids rooms. The above space uses a lot of whites and neturals but incorporates geometric patterns on the zig zag bed covers and in the surprising pop of dark color on ceiling. The arabesque of the carpet and the salon style tiles on the wall gives the room a Middle Eastern flair  and whimsy while also keeping the room from being too severe. We love how sophisticated and dreamy the overall look is!

The below room is perfect for a young teenage girl or boy in its use of dark slate with a hint of purple, muted colors and fabrics in the star wall hangings and the fun chartreuse lamp We also love the industrial latter on the wall and the fun repurposing of birdhouses for wall sconces. The bed is covered with girly fabrics to keep the bed cosy but keeps the room from being too kid-y. Which room is your favorite?



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We love the way these mixed frames are hung salon style on a lilac wall. It's an excellent example of how a bright neutral like lilac can bring a diverse group of frames together and the salon style grouping shows how wonderfully small pieces can come together into intriguing groupings.

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Little Art Lovers with David Levinthal

Children's Tours of the NADA Fair Hosted by LittleCollector

We are very excited to announce that LittleCollector will be hosting a tour designed just for kids during the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) fair, May 4-7, 2012 in New York City. For this very special tour kids will accompany an Arts Educator through the fair and will learn about how each of the five senses comes alive when looking at art! There will be games, activities and demonstrations at different booths as kids explore what it means to be an artist and discover all of the different materials used to make art. Concepts of complimentary colors, symmetry, pattern and storytelling will be introduced. Join us for a fun, inspiring and art-filled afternoon!

Dates: Saturday May 5th, Sunday May 6th & Monday May 7th
Time: 2 - 2:45 pm
Duration: 45 mins
Please RSVP to hello@littlecollector.com as space is limited!

Ages: For children 5 and up. There will be 4 adults supervising the tour so parents can view the fair at the same time. However, children must be promptly picked up at 2:45.

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