Open Studio: Personal Monuments [August 10] Free Community Artmaking Thursday, August 10, 2023 3 PM to 5 PM Pier 57 Pier 57, 11th Avenue, New York, NY, USA Media Inquiries: adam@culturalcounsel.com RSVP Kids will take inspiration from two beloved NYC sculptures dedicated to prominent figures in both literature and life — Allison Saar 's Swing Low memorial of Harriet Tubman and Jose de Creeft 's Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park. They’ll use recycled materials to create a monument of someone or something they admire. About Open Studio at Pier 57 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 Inclusives 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. What To Expect Sessions are led by CMA Artist Instructors Emma Waldman and JT Baldassarre and are inspired by historic and contemporary New York City art and artists. 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. 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, First Republic Bank, The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Google Community Grants Fund, Amazon, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harriet Ames Charitable Trust, The Cowles Charitable Trust, Hammitt, and the Viniar Family Foundation. Donate Now

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10/5/23 Interviews "My first sculpture class got me hooked and I haven't looked back since." Artist Gracelee Lawrence on seeing art with her grandmother and following her creative impulses. Click to expand media gallery. Great artists make artists. And to prove that point, over 70 of today's greatest have contributed their work in support of Children's Museum of the Arts' Emergency Arts Education Fund , establishing utterly ambitious art programs in New York City schools that need them most. Bidding for the online auction concludes Thursday, October 19 at 12 PM EDT . Bid now. Bid often. Bid here. Below, meet auction artist Gracelee Lawrence. Gracelee painting in the kitchen; Sanford, North Carolina When did you first know you were going to be an artist? I never questioned my creative impulses but didn't know that I would be an artist until I was in college. Even though I had been an avid maker (primarily ceramics) since early middle school, it took the guidance of an incredible educator to help me understand the possibilities. My first sculpture class got me hooked and I haven't looked back since. Can you describe a formative experience visiting a museum or gallery? I was so fortunate that my parents and grandparents valued the experience of seeing art. As a child, my grandmother and I would often visit the North Carolina Museum of Art as our special activity together. Spending time with her looking at art is truly one of my most beloved memories and gave me the invaluable perspective of how art can live in the world. Gracelee Lawrence Precarious Carnation 3D printed PLA bioplastic Bid Now NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

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Open Studio [April 24] Free Community Artmaking Monday, April 24, 2023 3 PM to 5 PM Pier 57 Pier 57, 11th Avenue, New York, NY, USA Media Inquiries: adam@culturalcounsel.com RSVP Open Studio invites children to explore hands-on projects across a wide range of artistic disciplines. Each month, CMA artists will bring special programming geared for children while caregivers are welcome to enjoy the extraordinary setting of Pier 57 in the adjacent Family Living Room. This program is recommended for children ages 7-11. Registation opens each Friday for the following week's classes. 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, First Republic Bank, The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Google Community Grants Fund, Amazon, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harriet Ames Charitable Trust, The Cowles Charitable Trust, Hammitt, and the Viniar Family Foundation. Donate Now

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 12/22/23 Artists in Schools Movie Posters and Mixed Mediums Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Noormah Jamal's fifth grade class at Children's Workshop School. NEXT IN

5/29/24 Classroom Visits In the Classroom with Niousha Kiarashi CMA Resident Artist Niousha Kiarashi shares how she fosters freedom of expression in special needs students. Click to expand media gallery. As part of CMA's Residency for Experimental Arts Education, Niousha Kiarashi leads art classes for elementary school students at Sid Miller Academy , a District 75 school serving students with disabilities in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Below, visit Niousha in her studio and get a glimpse at her artistic process. On the Freedom of Expression. My students know that it’s art class when they walk in the room. Some of them will enter the room and immediately give me a hug. One or two will even say “art class.” They have so much more freedom in my class compared to their other classrooms. I try to explain this to the paraprofessionals as well. Of course students need discipline and routine, but I want to give them the freedom to get creative and choose what they would like to do in my class. Sometimes the paraprofessionals will stress to students that they need to follow certain steps to complete an assignment. I always let them know that the steps don’t need to be followed exactly; it can be looser, they can experiment with different materials to see what fits their vision. The big takeaway that I want my students to get out of this school year is freedom of expression. As students with special needs, there are innumerable rules that they must follow, every minute of the day. I want them to learn that even though their days are very disciplined, there is always time for freedom of expression. With art, they don't have to stick to the rules. They can get outside of that framework and create works on their own. Sometimes my students come up with great ideas that I had never even thought about. I’m in awe of how free and creative my students are, even though many of them are not verbal. They may not make eye contact, but they can create amazing things. On Students Helping Other Students. It’s very satisfying to see students become really engaged in a project. Sometimes they go even further with the assignment than I could have expected. I have students who clean up all by themselves or help me without having learned about it. My heart melts when that happens, because even my youngest students will do it. They’ll come up to my table and just say “help.” I’ll give them the art materials and they go around to other students’ tables and hand out the supplies. They want to get involved; they want to help. It’s great. On Students' Favorite Materials. One of my students is non-verbal and doesn’t interact much with others. But when he makes art, it’s magic. Today he made a beautiful abstract sculpture that looked like marble. I was shocked by how well he mixed the clay to get a smooth and dreamy color combination. When I give students crayons and markers, most of them just scribble on the paper, but a few of them will actually draw a face, a character, or creature from their imagination. I’ve noticed that when I give the students sensory materials, like play doh, they’ll start to make realistic sculptures. The puppet project was very exciting to me. At that point in the school year, students already learned the fundamentals of art and completed assignments where they had to follow specific steps to get to the outcome. With the puppets, it was the first time that they were free to use whatever material they desired, and that produced a lot of interesting work. I also enjoy assignments where students don’t have to create the same thing as others. For example, these flowers are all different from each other, even though they came from the same lesson. Or how the fish differ in color composition, but have the same form. With the snowflake project, they came up with compositions that I could not have even imagined. On Relating Her Art Practice to Her Students. In my own art practice, I’m very focused on the details, so it’s interesting to see the students pick up on small details as well. One student had glue on his hands and was squishing his fingers together to see textures that had been imprinted on his skin. He was fascinated by it. Similarly, many of them spend a lot of time focusing on how glue and sponges create patterns that you don’t notice unless you look very closely. On Paraprofessionals. When I explain the lesson to my students, the paraprofessionals get to learn about it too. For example, the paraprofessionals were amazed to learn about mixing primary and secondary colors to get complimentary colors. It was new to them as well. They had some fun mixing the colors and then transferring what they observed to students. It was amazing to see. Interview and photography by Kerry Santullo for Children's Museum of the Arts NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 10/13/23 Interviews "The unbridled creative energy that runs through children is contagious." Artist Carole Seborovski on buying her daughter her first set of watercolors and drawing inspiration from postcards. NEXT IN

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