It’s time to CLAY! Explore the fascinating process of claymation as you learn the tools necessary to make your own films. Experimenting with materials like wire armature, paper, fabric and clay, students will flex their creative muscles on a series of films, using iStopmotion software to capture stories ranging in the genres of abstract to short narrative.
Splatter, scribble, arrange, and innovate! This class will focus on the imagination rather than reality. Wouldn’t it be fun to take an ordinary object and turn it into something else? Or, you could draw a portrait with straight lines only! Abstract art means endless possibilities. Explore drawing, painting, mixed media, and large-scale sculpture both individually and collaboratively as inspired by Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, and Jackson Pollock.
Learn how to create an animated film using a variety of 2D and 3D stop motion techniques. Experimenting with iStopmotion software, you will discover how to make toys, clay, found objects, and paper come to life on the screen. Develop skills in narration and story development as you brainstorm and storyboard ideas for each short. For those who enjoying stepping in front of the camera, you will have a chance to do so as you animate yourself.
In this class, you will explore the themes of still life, portrait, and landscape art through the almighty paintbrush. Using different paint mediums such as watercolor, acrylic, collage and mixed media, this class will reinforce your observational and collaborative abilities as you work with the group to create one large mural that celebrates both abstract and realistic forms of mixed media paints. You will also use these acquired skills to create your own works of art.
Spend a week creating magical short films that involve a variety of giants, princes, princesses, trolls, wizards and castles. You will examine and celebrate these themes using various techniques in puppet-making and stop motion animation. Collaborate with other campers to storyboard, develop characters and design the sets for your magical stories.
Create an adventure film of epic proportions. Build skills in construction, design and narration as you experiment in both film production and performance. In this class, you will design and create your own costumes, large-scale puppets, and sets out of recycled objects. Using iStopmotion software, you will bring your creations to life in a series of animated and pixilated shorts! Go behind and in front of the camera as you animate your ideas against the beautiful and dramatic island landscape formerly known as “Pagganck”. All swashbucklers, rogues and dragon slayers welcome.
Make an extraordinary sculpture as you develop essential skills in hand work and ceramic design. After completing a series of free-draw and brainstorming exercises, you will be ready to experiment with traditional techniques in ceramic-making, including pinch, coil, and slab methods. Learn about the process of adding textures and glazes to your work as the piece begins to dry. Then using the skills and methodologies you have learned along the way, work with the group on one collaborative piece that will be fired and finished in a kiln.
Escaping the busy sights and sounds of Manhattan is just one 8-minute boat ride away. Explore a variety of 2D and 3D mediums such as watercolor and acrylic painting, monotype printmaking, and 3D landscapes with the natural surroundings of Governors Island as your muse. The week’s lessons will help you to develop your composition skills as you learn about sculptural relief, observational techniques, and perspective.
Learn the fundamentals of the art of the print. Explore a variety of printmaking techniques like block printing, monotypes, and silkscreen. Inspired by exceptional printmakers throughout the ages, this class will develop your design and technical skills. From design conception to the final edition, you will use a variety of mixed media and materials, exploring the concepts of transparency and layering, color mixing and alternative printing methods. The class will culminate with a completed edition of your own prints.
This class is meant for brave young artists with a taste for ghouls and goblins! In Tales of the Supernatural, you will create films, comics and podcasts about ghosts and the eerily unexplainable. Explore the art of scary storytelling while honing your skills in illustration, sculpture and character development. Using iStopmotion software, you will bring your story to life through the medium of animation. You will also create haunting sounds recordings in the Sound Booth.
This is a great class for the young filmmaker with a flair for zoology. In Animal Animation, you will work with mixed media materials like clay, wire, fabric and paper to build your favorite creatures and their surrounding habitats. Using iStopmotion software, you will learn basic stop motion techniques to help bring your creatures to life. Develop skills in design, character development, and narration as you explore your chosen subjects. From the highest mountain top to the bottom of the ocean, no beast-filled region will go unturned in this class.
This class looks at the art of collage on a large scale. Take a little inspiration from artists like Richard Hamilton, Robert Silvers, and Lewis Lavoie as you create collaborative and individual collages from a variety of materials including textured paper, magazine images, buttons, foil, and stickers. As you work with other campers to lay out, assemble, and decorate your mega collage, you will also be gaining a working knowledge of fundamental art elements such as design, composition, and visual balance.
Take a piece of paper and bring it to life! In this class, you will learn how to use iStopmotion software to create your own animation shorts. Delve into the concept of design, building skills in illustration, light and color play, and set design. You will also develop narrative skills through storytelling, character development and collaborative art production. By exploring animation innovations like multi-plane camerawork, you may never look at a simple piece of paper the same way again.
Explore the fantastical world of Egyptian art! In this class, you will examine how this ancient society used their art to depict the human form, create symbolic language, and interpret the afterlife. Using a variety of mixed media materials, you will work in both 2D and 3D, creating replica artifacts like mummy cases, hieroglyphic messages, and small scale sculptures.
Drawing inspiration from artist Claes Oldenburg’s large-scale food sculptures and Yayoi Kusama’s polka dot balloons, you will explore the craft of three-dimensional art making, using materials like paper, fabric, yarn, industrial twine, and foam to create a range of unique soft forms sculptures. You will also be introduced to the outrageous designs by Alexander McQueen as you fabricate your own sea-inspired wearable objects. Develop your skills in sewing, painting, and construction as you complete your final pieces.
Learn how to make your drawings move! In this class, you will be drawing inspiration (pun intended) from the likes of Hayao Miyazaki, Walt Disney and BLU to bring your images to life . Experiment with materials like pencils, chalk, charcoal and sand to create your films. Using iStopmotion software, you will also record and compile these drawings into a series of short films that you can share with your family and friends.
Are you a visual storyteller? Learn about the tradition of sequential art used in comic books, and explore the possibilities writing your own graphic novel. You will learn techniques in cartoon and perspective drawing, character design, and storyboarding as you work on a chapter of your comic book. Learn how to work with traditional pen and ink drawings to design your own cover art, and edit the final colors and images of your comics in Photoshop.
Calling all budding filmmakers! In this two-week intensive session, you will study and employ the fundamental tools needed to make an animated film. Build character development skills as you brainstorm your story, write a screenplay and create concept designs. From there you will illustrate storyboards, perform and record voice overs and collaborate with a composing Teaching Artist to score for your film. You will construct your puppets and sets, light them, and using cameras, computers and iStopmotion software, animate them. This is a great class for the intensely focused artist who enjoys collaboration. Films from Media Lab programs have been featured in the Tribeca Film Festival, Big Movies for Little Kids, and the New York International Children’s Film Festival.
This is a two week class.
Design the next outfit in your closet! In this class, you will learn the fundamental techniques of sewing and patternmaking using a variety of fabrics and textiles. Experiment with fabric printing and marbling techniques, and create a mood board. Then try your hand at a garment your choice. From sketch book drawings to the presentation of your own collection on our mini runway, you will learn the necessary technical and creative tools needed to start your own fashion line.
If you could have any pet in the universe, what would you choose? This class will give you the opportunity to create the fantastical critter of your dreams! Experimenting with techniques in illustration, narration, and sculpture, you will construct puppets complete with wire armature, fur, scales, horns, whiskers and more. Feature your new pet in stop motion animation films using iStopmotion and set up a radio podcast in our Sound Booth to document its behavior.
Roll up your sleeves and prepare yourself for this hands-on building class. Using wood, newspaper rolls, wire and other found objects, this week’s lessons will delve into the fundamentals of building and structures. Inspired by artists Charles and Ray Eames and Andrea Zittel, you will strengthen your brainstorming and illustrative abilities as you collaborate on exotically-designed geometric structures. Experiment with scale and learn the tools needed to build a sound and sturdy construction. You will leave the class with a collection of magical structures, big and small!
Discover the many ways to represent a character’s persona through symbolic reference and design. In this mixed media class, you will be challenged to depict a character through a variety of 2D and 3D art projects. After a series of brainstorming and sketching exercises, you will experiment with art’s fundamental elements including scale, color, and texture to bring your character to life. As the week progresses, you will explore color theory and paint mixing. This class will help you to develop techniques in self portraiture using various media.
Food lovers unite – your favorite treats come to life on our animating table! Using iStopmotion software, you will learn how to create imaginative short films that pay homage to the culinary arts. Hone your skills in script writing, interviewing, set design and character development as you watch your dream cuisine comes to life.
Taking inspiration from ceramicists such as Peter Volkas and Andy Grimm [link these], this class will help you develop skills in the art of ceramic handbuilding. Teaching Artists will instruct you in pinch, coil, and slab construction with the aim of building a site-specific piece on Governors Island. In addition to hand building techniques, you will learn how to mix plaster and create molds to add depth and dimension to your work. Please note that the work from this class will not be fired at the end of the week.
This class is for those with steady and experienced hands. Inspired by the fiber-crafts of Sheila Hicks, Petra Borner and Christine and Margaret Wertheim, you will make you own simple back-strap loom and weave a long textile on it. You will also learn to crochet, tie dye, and marble fabric with precision. Finish this class with a collection of crocheted pieces, weavings, and even your own simple sewn bag.
Ever wonder what it takes to put on a great TV series? Join CMA’s first ever TV Production class, where you collaborate with other campers to create a late night variety show. This two week class builds skills in creative fields including script writing, set building, puppet construction, stop motion animation, sound recording, live action film, and physical comedy. The week will culminate with a live taping that will be edited by Teaching Artists to serve as our online pilot episode.
This class runs two weeks.
This class not only introduces you to the process of video game design, but completely immerses you in a digitally interactive experience. In addition to testing popular video games of the past and present, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with other campers on an original game that can be shared online. Hone your analytical, technical, and composition skills as Teaching Artists introduce you to narrative concepts, graphic design techniques and user-friendly game design software like Scratch. You will also work with other campers to construct props for an interactive arcade that your friends and family can enjoy on the last day of class!
Inspired by Chuck Close and other exceptional printmakers throughout the ages, this class will develop your design and technical skills as you experiment with various processes like block printing, monotype, linocut, and silkscreen. From design conception to the final edition, you will use a variety of mixed media and materials, exploring the concepts of transparency and layering, color mixing, and alternative printing methods. The class will culminate with you completing an edition of your own prints.
Documentary films give a behind the scenes perspective on unusual and remarkable stories. Now it’s your chance to tell your own tale. Through research, stop motion animation, live action film and sound recording, you will compile footage about a topic of your choice. This will be edited into a final collaborative documentary film.
In the words of Tim Gunn, learn how to “make it work” in this unconventional costuming class. Using found objects and materials, test your creativity in a series of challenging assignments such as draping a costume with only one fabric or styling traditional garments for cultures around the world. Become familiar with a variety of textiles and develop your sketching skills as you brainstorm ideas for the final pieces in your collection.
You call the shots in this hands-on live action cinematography workshop. Learn how a Director of Photography tells a story on a film set as you try your hand at lighting control, camera angle, and picture composition. Use professional SLR cameras to explore the fundamental elements of camera operation including a series of test shoots. Collaborate with other artists on several short original scenes which will be screened at the week’s end. This class is recommended for the serious budding filmmaker.
Vincent Van Gogh, M.C Escher and Leonardo Da Vinci all had one thing in common- they got their big break from drawing! This class will focus on the diversity of drawing, from traditional to non-traditional techniques. It will emphasize the importance of observational drawing skills as well as working from the imagination. Develop techniques in perspective and compositional sketching as you observe and explore the beautiful landscape of Governors Island. Then using a variety of materials including Sumi Ink, string, charcoal and pencil, you will learn how drawing translates across different genres such as painting, sculpture, and installation.
It’s time to CLAY! Explore the fascinating process of claymation as you learn about the tools necessary to make your own films. Experimenting with materials like wire armature, paper, fabric and clay, you will flex your creative muscles on a series of films, using iStopmotion software to capture stories ranging in the genres of abstract to short narrative.
Alexander Calder is probably best remembered for his bold yet elegant mobiles, but did you know that he also made jewelry, paintings, drawings, and toys? This class will investigate the many making modes of Calder. Explore both 2D and 3D mediums in this class by drawing, painting, and sculpting with wire. Using a multimedia based approach, you will create projects inspired by Calder’s many works. At the end of the course you will have created unique wearable art pieces and your very own mobile!
Create a movie trailer filled with mind-blowing special effects! Try out simple pyrotechnics, model making and miniatures, special effects makeup, lighting, and post-production effects. You will be introduced to After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Dragon Stop Motion, and HDSLR cameras in this collaborative filmmaking class.
There are three words to remember this week: cut, fold, and transform! This class will explore the history and techniques of Origami. Inspired by this process of traditional Japanese paper folding, you will create a series of individual 2D and 3D paper art projects, enhancing your skill in precision paperwork. You will also collaborate with other students on a large-scale paper folding. By the end of the week, you will have created your own bowls, boxes, and more; who knew that there was so much to do with a piece of paper?
Drawing inspiration from experimental animators like Stan Brakhage, William Kentridge, and Jeff Scher, you will invent new techniques, animate with unconventional materials, and create an original anthology of experimental short films using professional stop motion software.
Forget covering up your old notebooks with stickers, in this art colony, you get to create your own handmade books from cover to cover! Work with Teaching Artists to paint, dye, print, and marble your very own paper. You will be also introduced to various bookmaking techniques such as stitch binding and stab binding, as well as pop-up, flip, and accordion bookmaking. Show off your final book in class or keep it as a secret journal.
Have you ever wanted to write and record your own songs? Now you can! Learn the fundamentals of multi-track recording in the CMA’s Sound Booth. Create a collaborative concept album by studying different musical
genres, writing original lyrics, and experimenting with keyboards and guitars. Learn fundamental recording techniques using ProTools and GarageBand software. You will also create your own album artwork. This class is great for music lovers – no previous experience required.
Join us for a serious exploration into the silkscreen process. Inspired by Chuck Close and other exceptional printmakers, this class will develop your design and technical skills as you work through a variety of methods using the silkscreen frame. From design conception to the final edition, you will use a variety of mixed media and materials, exploring the concepts of transparency and layering, color mixing, and alternative printing methods. The class will culminate with the completed edition of your own prints, shirts, and more.
This week will teach you how to step behind the camera. Inspired by your surroundings on Governors Island, you will learn about photography techniques such composition, lighting, and more. Arm yourself with a digital SLR camera and explore the unique beauty of Governors Island through your lens. After capturing your images, you will have the chance to experiment with elements such as color, texture, layering, and special effects as you manipulate each image in Photoshop.
Motivated by the commercials, billboards, and street art we encounter in the city each day, this class will examine the many moments when popular culture and art intersect. You will reinvent literal interpretations of commonly used products through painting, collage, sculpture and printmaking. Recreate your own version of Warhol’s “Soup Can” or Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” campaign slogan. By the end of the week, you will have amplified your awareness of strategic advertising tactics and developed the ability to produce dynamic and compelling messaging through art.
Collaborate with a real NYC-based band on their next music video! Develop your editing skills as you design and arrange original footage to match the rhythm of the song. Music lovers and filmmakers alike will collaborate across a series of brainstorming, drawing, and storyboarding sessions, before delving into the exciting process of production. Experiment with stop motion animation equipment, work with live action video, and choreograph your dance moves for the whole performance. After the video is edited, you will have the opportunity to share the final product with the world through CMA’s Blog. Past CMA music videos have been featured on popular music blogs such as Stereogum.
Jump into an fantastical art-making menagerie! Through mixed-media, drawings & paintings, mosaics, and sculpture you will have an opportunity to play with both real and mythological animals of the past, present, and future. Inspired by artists Deborah Butterfield, Pablo Picasso and their love for furry friends, you will have the chance to make paper mache animal masks, clay and mixed media sculptures and much more.
Forget covering up your old notebooks with stickers, in this Art Colony, you get to create your own handmade books from cover to cover! Work with Teaching Artists to paint, dye, print, and marble your very own paper. You will also be introduced to various book-making techniques such as stitch binding and stab binding, as well as pop-up, flip, and accordion bookmaking. Show off your final book in class or keep it as a secret journal.
Learn how to create a print on any surface. Inspired by Chuck Close and other exceptional printmakers throughout the ages, this class will develop your design and production skills as you work through a complete silk screening process. From design conception to the final edition, you will use a variety of mixed media and materials, exploring the concepts of transparency, layering, color mixing, and alternative printing methods. You will leave this class with your own printed shirts, cards, and more.
