Hello! I'm not really the bloggy type, and am not quite sure how to get this started, but I'd like to use this page to document and archive the creative projects I do with kids. I started this past May with a creative Summer camp for 6 - 12 year olds at Artisphere called ART BRAINS, and am now teaching (and loving) two Fall ART BRAINS camps - one for 5-6 year olds (kindergARTen Brains?) and another for 7 - 12 year olds. Additionally, I plan to launch my new ART AFTER SCHOOL program at Comet PingPong at the end of October, and aim to continue that in the Winter of 2012, along with an AAS program at BloomBars in Columbia Heights at the same time.
Here are quick descriptions of each of these programs:
ART BRAINS at Artisphere: Children will be led through lands of imagination and memory in nine art making Saturday afternoon sessions led by artist Marissa Long. Working both independently and collaboratively, participating youth will utilize painting, drawing, installation and video practices to create original works of art. The workshop will culminate in an exhibition open house for both sessions on November 20 for family and friends.
Led by DC-based artist and creative camp director Marissa Long, ART AFTER SCHOOL is a fun and engaging, artistic after-school activity that stimulates imagination and prompts independent thinking. Rather than focusing on pre-prescribed or “how to” artistic activities, AAS invites youth of all skill levels and interests to imagine and create with a variety of accessible materials. This Fall series of ART AFTER SCHOOL is offered in partnership with award-winning Comet Ping Pong, who are recognized not only as one of Washington, DC’s most beloved restaurants, but also as one of its biggest supporters of art, music, and DC schools. Using the outer space theme of Comet Ping Pong’s new, private back room as inspiration, this ART AFTER SCHOOL mini-series employs themes of space, science fiction, and time travel. An extended ART AFTER SCHOOL at Comet Ping Pong series will be offered again in Winter of 2012.
I'll write more about each of these programs in posts to come. For now, I'll just say that I am thrilled to be working with kids in this capacity. It's been a blast so far, and I've also learned a lot. With both of these programs, I have essentially the same goals - my biggest being to encourage the kids to think independently and exercise their imaginations while they experiment with new approaches to art making and creativity in general. As stated in the AAS description, I'm less interested in "how-to" types of instruction (although students are continually learning about new materials and methods), and instead tend to focus on providing concepts and challenges that prompt original, personal ideas. Oh, and I also intend for the projects to be fun! That too. So far, so good...
