Artists such as Betye Saar and Joseph Cornell use assemblage to bring new meaning and life to objects and symbols of personal significance. Using the notion of an enclosed box, students will sculpt, draw, and collage their own shadow boxes to represent their diverse identities, interests, and desires. At the end of the session, we’ll “seal” our boxes in a symbolic gesture.
About Open Studio
Taking place Mondays and Thursdays, Open Studio at Pier 57 invites children to explore hands-on projects across a wide range of artistic disciplines.
Specially designed for children on the Autism Spectrum but welcoming to all, each session is multisensory focused. Participants will explore art materials (such as clay, paper, or textiles) at their own pace alongside movement breaks and ample time for storytelling and social interaction. Open Studio is recommended for ages 12 & under.
What To Expect
Led by CMA Artist Instructors Emma Waldman and JT Baldassarre, each session introduces children to the elements and principles of art while surveying artists across generations.
The program’s curriculum is rooted in accessible artmaking practices and Children’s Museum of the Arts’ pedagogy of Look, Make, Share. Take a peek at one of our virtual Inclusives lessons, catered to children with Autism, that families can try at home: here!
While caregivers are welcome to stay with their children, families are encouraged to enjoy the extraordinary setting of Pier 57 in the adjacent Family Living Room for the duration of the session.
Image Credit: Betye Saar, Black Girl's Window, 1969, Wooden window frame with paint, cut-and-pasted printed and painted papers, daguerreotype, lenticular print, and plastic figurine, 35 3/4 x 18 x 1 1/2" (90.8 x 45.7 x 3.8 cm). Gift of Candace King Weir through The Modern Women's Fund, and Committee on Painting and Sculpture Funds. © Betye Saar, courtesy the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles.
Children's Museum of the Arts' Open Studio at Pier 57 is generously supported by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, William Talbott Hillman Foundation, The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Google Community Grants Fund,, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harriet Ames Charitable Trust, The Cowles Charitable Trust,, and the Viniar Family Foundation.
Additional support is provided, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Additional support is provided, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.