Historical Art, Picture Book Illustrations, Landscape Paintings
School, Library and Historic Site Visits
David Geister and Patricia Bauer enjoy meeting and talking with students of ALL ages in classrooms, libraries and historic sites. One of the hidden joys of being picture book illustrators and authors is getting the chance to spend time with fellow book lovers, artists and history enthusiasts.
What type of experience do we offer students?
We give a variety of presentations, geared towards the age of the student as well as the school's needs.
“Making Minnesota Visit” - This visit focuses on sharing the stories and activities found in our “Making Minnesota” activity book, geared towards students from 2nd grade to 6th grade. Students will write and draw during this visit.
"Illustrator/Author Visit" - This is our most common visit. We show slides and talk about our childhood passion for history, drawing, writing. We then give a detailed, step by step look at the creation of the story and artwork in our books. We always end by drawing a sketch that the class keeps, we always show up with original paintings, and we always stress the importance of creativity in one's life.
"B is for Battle Cry Visit" - This visit is a popular interactive, costumed experience where students - and even teachers - help us act out various scenes from our "B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet" picture book. This presentation culminates in a look at the creation of the book, as well as my usual drawing for the class.
"Artist and Author in Residence" - This is usually a three to five day visit, during which students are guided in the creation of an illustrated history-themed page or project , which could be a poem, a postal stamp design, etc. We often have the students draw an object ( it could be a canoe or even a model of a dinosaur) "from life". As always, we adapt this to the needs of the school.
How much does it cost?
Fees vary depending on a variety of factors. The cost per individual presentation goes down with multiple presentations in a given school or venue. Travel and lodging fees may also be required in some cases. For visits lasting more than one day, the cost per day tends to go down slightly. Contact Dave directly for pricing information.
How do we start the process?
We encourage you to email us and we can begin to talk about what your needs may be - we are quite flexible and are sure we can create an experience that will be rewarding for all.
Go to the "Contact" page on this site (above) and send us a message, or email us directly at patricia.ann.bauer@comcast.net.
Here are some nice things folks have written about our visits:
Eric Bartosh, 7th Grade American Studies Teacher, Valley Middle School
"We had the pleasure of hosting Pat Bauer and Dave Geister at our school (Valley Middle School of STEM) before we started our Civil War Unit. The lessons and stories they brought out using the book “B is for Battle Cry” helped establish a foundation of knowledge for all of our students regardless of their background experience. They were also able to share their experience with the writing and illustrating process which resulted in greater engagement and encouraged students to apply a more inquiry-driven thought process to their learning.
Mr. Geister is incredibly gifted in story-telling, art and working with young people. Ms. Bauer brings exceptional music and incredible insight that kept the kids interested and engaged. She has 38 years of teaching experience and she thrives in a classroom setting.
Pat and Dave clearly have a passion for history, young people and creativity and our 7th graders loved their time with us. I whole-heartedly encourage everyone to have them out for a visit. "
Darcy J. Uppena, Principal, Royall Elementary Schools
"Good Morning Dave,
I wanted to thank you. This has to be one of the best experiences for the children in the 6 years that I have been at Royall. You have an amazing natural rapport with students that allows you to be able to reach them. We are truly the fortunate ones. Thank you for all that you brought to our students . . ."
Kevin Scroggins, St. Odilia Catholic School
“Dear Mr. Geister,
I want to thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful presentation . . . To say you inspired them would be an understatement. This . . . I noticed the class was a bit more quiet than usual. Then I realized why...they had all taken their seats (when they could have been playing games and visiting with friends before school!) and they were ALL sketching in their notebooks!!! I really had to smile! You are incredibly interesting and entertaining and I was amazed to note that an hour had gone by! That is a VERY long time to hold a second grader's attention, but you certainly did and they were not ready to leave when the time came for us to do so!
Thank you for sharing your talent and your gift with all of us! I wish you continued success!”
Bonnie S.
"Thank you so much for sharing your amazing new book with us! Your presentation was enjoyable and educational. It was the right length of time and your concept was perfect for fourth graders. I especially like the way you showed the process of getting your work published. Your original paintings are breathtaking!"