Mehndi Moon - Henna Artist Judy Ostrowski
Patrons will learn the history and significance of henna body art. Patrons may learn how to paint henna body art and what is used for materials. They may find out what henna is, why it was and is used, and learn something new about themselves in the process. I hope attitudes and beliefs will change as a result of being open minded and learning about the art of henna and the cultures where it began. Patrons may decide to try the art of henna themselves after seeing Judy's beautiful designs. Participant evaluation/surveys will be collected.
The teens asked great questions about the meaning of henna in different cultures, what some of the symbols mean, and where henna comes from. Judy discussed the many cultures who use henna, the meaning of the designs, and that henna is used for love, death marriage, etc. in different cultures. She also discussed at length the kinds of henna and not to get a black henna, which is made from dye. The local high school art teacher is very interested in learning henna techniques as she would like to do this with some of her Art 3 students. Patrons seemed to enjoy watching the artwork develop and learned about many cultures and customs.
Friends of the Library provided snacks for the program.