{"id":34789,"date":"2026-01-18T00:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=34789"},"modified":"2025-12-20T08:47:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T13:47:04","slug":"lets-create-the-power-of-process-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2026\/01\/lets-create-the-power-of-process-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Create! The Power of Process Art"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you walk past the Mountain View Public Library<\/a>\u2019s program room on a Thursday afternoon, you might hear something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMom! Look! It\u2019s\u2026 uh\u2026 well, I\u2019m calling it a rocket-octopus-robot!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to Let\u2019s Create, our process art program where anything goes, everything is a potential art supply if you look at it long enough, and the only real rule is to have fun making something that feels like you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s Create isn\u2019t a step-by-step craft program. There are no dotted lines to fold or patterns to trace. I simply set out craft materials, along with a generous helping of upcycled treasures from our supply closet, and offer a few sample creations as springboards rather than instructions. Kids take what\u2019s there and sprint with it in directions I never could have predicted.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Upcycled calendar made into a paper lantern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of the most delightful surprises has been how this program has organically become a family art studio. Caregivers stay in the room, not because they have to, but because they genuinely want to join in. I\u2019ve watched parents glue pom-poms with the same concentration their kids have. I\u2019ve seen a grandfather quietly compete with a seven-year-old over who can build the taller pipe-cleaner tower. I\u2019ve even seen toddlers firmly declare \u201cNo! Mine!\u201d<\/em> when an adult tries to borrow their glitter glue. The dynamic is playful, collaborative, and wonderfully intergenerational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s something I never expected to say as a youth services librarian, the behavior in this program is some of the easiest I\u2019ve ever managed. Maybe it\u2019s because the kids feel free to make what they want. Maybe it\u2019s because the adults are happily crafting right alongside them. Or maybe everyone is simply too focused on deciding where the googly eyes should go to get into mischief. Whatever the reason, the room feels joyful, calm, and creatively buzzing every single time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something powerful that happens when we take away the pressure to make something \u201cright.\u201d Kids discover that the process itself matters. Experimentation becomes exciting instead of intimidating. Their ideas start to guide them rather than the other way around. I\u2019ve seen children who rarely speak light up while explaining their creations. I\u2019ve watched shy kids confidently offer design advice to grown-ups. Families linger long after cleanup time because they\u2019re still adding \u201cjust one more detail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An old DVD case repurposed as a frame for a paper collage or paper dollhouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Young artist hard at work during a hands-on craft program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s Create has taught me to embrace the beautiful chaos of open-ended programs and to trust children to lead their own creative process. It has reminded me that materials don\u2019t need to dictate outcomes, and that sometimes the most meaningful thing I can do is step back and let relationships and imagination shape the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libraries are not just places to consume stories, they\u2019re places to make them. And sometimes those stories are told entirely with glue sticks, cardboard scraps, and an impressive number of sequins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a program that invites families to slow down, make something together, and rediscover the joy of simple creativity, process art may be the perfect place to start. Just be prepared for the occasional rocket-octopus-robot. Those are part of the magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to Try a Let\u2019s Create Program at Your Library?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to get started, no rocket-octopus-robot required:<\/p>\n\n\n\n