Family Art Lab
Find all listed events on the Birdcage Heights Events Page .
Family Art Lab
📅 Saturday, November 8, 2025
⏰ 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM (PST)
📍 Sylvan Oaks Library
6700 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights, CA
➤ Directions
Process-based art for all ages — materials provided, dress for mess!
An all-ages, hands-on art program where creativity takes the lead. Explore process-based art together every second Saturday at Sylvan Oaks. We provide the materials—just bring your imagination (and wear something you don’t mind getting messy)!
✅ Materials provided • No experience required
✅ Process-based projects that encourage experimentation
✅ Family-friendly, welcoming environment
✅ Dress for mess and have fun!
AGE GROUP: Teens • Kids • Adults
EVENT TYPE: Social • Art, Hobbies & Crafts
About Sylvan Oaks Library Tap to expand
Sylvan Oaks Library — 6700 Auburn Blvd, Citrus Heights, CA 95621
Nestled among native valley oaks near Crosswoods Park, Sylvan Oaks Library offers a scenic, tranquil setting with robust services for families, students, and lifelong learners across Citrus Heights.
Operating Hours
- Sunday & Monday: Closed
- Tuesday–Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Hours current as of February 2025. Check the site for holiday updates.
Services & Amenities
- Collections: Books, periodicals, e-resources, and databases.
- Technology: Public PCs with internet/MS Office, Wi-Fi, and assistive devices.
- Children’s Area: Kid-friendly space with a wide selection and a fish tank.
- Programs: Storytimes, STEAM activities, teen movie nights, adult book groups.
- Spaces: Meeting and study rooms for groups or individuals.
Generative AI + Human.
Process-Based Art Tap to expand
🎨 Process-Based Art: Create • Explore • Discover
Process-based art centers the act of making over a polished end product. It invites experimentation, play, and spontaneity—letting you explore materials, techniques, and movement without a fixed outcome. The goal is the journey of creating: try, layer, react, repeat.
Key Characteristics
- Process first — outcome is secondary to exploration.
- Freedom from rigid rules — embrace happy accidents.
- Mix & layer media — paint, ink, collage, fabric, found objects.
- Follow intuition — gesture, rhythm, and movement guide the work.
- Personal & expressive — process becomes a record of thought and feeling.
Why Artists Love It
Reduces perfection pressure, builds creative confidence, and sparks original ideas through playful iteration.
Why Educators Use It
Supports multiple ages and abilities, encourages risk-taking, and builds reflection skills (what worked, what changed, what’s next).
Why It’s “Messy”
Layering, gluing, scraping, splattering—materials in motion. The “mess” is part of the magic and the documentation of process.
Quick Tips
- Start with loose marks (no erasing—respond instead).
- Layer three+ materials (e.g., watercolor + ink + collage).
- Set a time limit to stay playful, not precious.
- Pause, rotate, and react—let the piece tell you what’s next.
Influences & exemplars: Jackson Pollock (action painting), Eva Hesse (material/structural experimentation), Lynda Benglis (poured, textured media). Today, this approach thrives in contemporary studios, art therapy, and education.
Generative AI + Human.