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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Note: This is a 2 week intensive.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
