See More Children's Museum of the Arts 6/3/23 Kids Art 6 NYC Skylines from CMA's Permanent Collection of Children's Art NEXT IN

5/15/23 Reflections Food, Foliage, and Raven’s Eggs Click to expand media gallery. Inspired by the recent warm weather and the stunning view of Little Island outside the classroom window, the artists at Open Studio at Pier 57 sculpted their favorite items — both real and imaginary — that grow out of the ground. Kids particularly enjoyed learning about color mixing as they blended clay together to create their own unique colors. In addition to food and foliage, kids stretched their imaginations to create solar systems, rocket ships, a pizza tree, and even a mysterious island housing hidden treasure. One artist even created a tree full of raven’s eggs. For her, “growing” meant raven babies that are born in the springtime. NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

Tati Nguyen Artist in Residence 2021-22 Children's Museum of the Arts New York City Tati Nguyen is an artist and arts educator who hails from Vietnam. Educated on three continents, her multicultural experiences have allowed her to develop a variety of arts curricula that span cultures, ages, and mediums. She holds a BFA from Cooper Union and an MFA from CalArts. She draws, paints, directs films and videos, writes and illustrates children's books, works in narrative film and television, and is a published songwriter with the band M Shanghai. Tati lives in Harlem with her husband and daughter. Donate Now Since 1988

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 11/28/23 Interviews "Trust your know-how and recognize that art is not simply something you do, but a way of living life." Artist Robert Buck on painting with his mother and almost missing the bus to NYC. NEXT IN

8/10/23 Reflections Curator-For-a-Day Dioramas Click to expand media gallery. Kids became curators and exhibitions designers for the day as they crafted miniature dioramas of museum and gallery spaces during Open Studio at Pier 57 . By using cardboard to create both walls and a floor, kids were challenged to think about how to place their artwork replicas within a multidimensional space. They even considered how the architecture of a museum can be artwork onto itself, such as the Guggenheim Museum ’s memorable spiral design or the brand new cave-like interior of the Richard Gilder Center for Science at The Museum of Natural History . The results were epic – one artist placed a living sea monster at the center of her museum (you had to pay admission to see it, of course) while another artist created a seriously impressive abstract sculpture garden. NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

11/28/23 Interviews "Young people's curiosity and unapologetic nature is what inspires me most." Artist Melanie Delach on drawing with her nana and the René Magritte book that changed it all. Click to expand media gallery. CMA's end-of-year artwork sale raises essential funds for free arts education in NYC schools whose arts programs have been decimated by recent budget cuts. These works – starting at $100 – have been generously donated by celebrated artists who uphold our belief that all children are artists deserving of the materials, access, and encouragement to allow their creativity to soar. Below, meet contributing artist Melanie Delach. Melanie as a young artist Do you have a favorite memory of making art as a child? One of my favorite memories of making art as a child was with my Nana. We would sit at her kitchen table while having grilled cheese sandwiches and draw roses, basic houses in perspective with lawns and people, and practice our script. We would have a competition and see who's drawing would be better. To my surprise, I'd always seem to win these. (I think maybe Nana just let me take home the W!) What advice would you give to young artists who wish to pursue an art practice? If you have the inclination, do it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't make it as an artist in the world. Be as weird, as unique, and as out of the box as you want to be. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! How does working with children inspire you? As an educator, working with young people inspires me daily. Young people's curiosity and unapologetic nature is what inspires me most. They look at things with fresh eyes, and that's what's really exciting. When did you first know you were going to be an artist? I think I was around 9 years old when I knew I was going to be an artist. I took art classes at Creation Art Center and I remember the owner, who is an incredible artist, Brian Carroll, showed me a René Magritte book. I was always interested in surrealism but didn't know how to articulate that at such a young age. I remember seeing the cover, The Son of Man , and I got chills. Brian told me all about Magritte and how he was pivotal in the surrealist movement and that I could see his work at the MoMA. I knew from that moment forward that I wanted to always make art. That book kept me so inspired for years to come, and still to this day. Melanie Delach On the other side of this mixed media on panel Buy Now 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 10/30/23 Art Activities 4 Halloween Art Activities by CMA Artist in Residence Ciana Malchione NEXT IN

12/21/23 Artists in Schools Two Dimensional Design Kickoff! Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Niousha Kiarashi's elementary school class at Sid Miller Academy. Click to expand media gallery. Students kicked off their lessons in two dimensional design by assembling creature characters from handprints cutouts. Creative ideas were abundant as students became more comfortable using glue and following directions. They came up with so many fun ideas on how to differentiate their characters. Niousha reflected, "Character building gives students the freedom to explore their desired choice of material." With a school holiday event on the horizon, students also made collaged Christmas trees using Q-tips, paper plates, and construction paper. Niousha’s work at Sid Miller Academy is supported by the Emergency Arts Education Fund , which provides free arts education to NYC school communities whose art programs have been decimated by recent budget cuts. Children’s Museum of the Arts’ three Residents Artists are currently implementing ambitious arts curriculum at each of our partner sites throughout New York City: Hudson Guild in Chelsea, Sid Miller Academy in Crown Heights, and Children’s Workshop School in the East Village. Come spring, our residents will showcase their students' work through exhibitions and installations across the city. Learn how you can support the work of our residents here . 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 8/11/23 Reflections Reflections from the body to the world NEXT IN

Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers brings together artwork by students aged Pre-K to 5th grade from Children’s Museum of the Arts’ three Emergency Arts Education Fund partner organizations across New York City: 1) Hudson Guild in Chelsea, Manhattan; 2) P396K Sid Miller Academy in Crown Heights, Brooklyn; and 3) Children’s Workshop School in East Village, Manhattan. Although these three organizations are separated by geography, they have one thing in common — they have all lost arts funding as a result of citywide budget cuts. The works in this exhibition demonstrate the breadth of the experimental arts curriculum crafted and implemented by each of CMA’s Artists in Residence: Maria D. Rapicavoli at Hudson Guild; Niousha Kiarashi at P396K Sid Miller Academy, and Noormah Jamal at Children’s Workshop School. These three approaches vary in style, but are united in their goal to provide deeply ambitious free arts education to students who need it most. The exhibition borrows its title from Mark Rothko ’s 1934 essay New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers , which encourages artists to approach their craft from the perspective of a child. For Rothko, the function of the instructor is to inspire confidence rather than impose overbearing guidelines. In this spirit, Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers affirms the diversity of student learning profiles through a year of inclusive art instruction and joyful co-creation. Hudson Guild Chelsea, Manhattan Paris, 4th–5th Grade Project: Paper Collage Materials: colored construction paper "Inspired by street artists Alber, Phillip Sauders, and Paola Tacchini’s embroidery, students learned how to create value with color combinations. Willow made her self-portrait by cutting and combining small pieces of colored construction paper." Alyssa, 4th–5th Grade Project: Monochromatic Self Portraits Materials: acrylic paint "Focusing on Picasso's Blue Period, students explored monochromatic colors and how to express their feelings through art. I encouraged the kids to think of a time when they were sad and transfer those emotions into their painting. Because Picasso often used the color blue to express sadness, Alyssa felt inspired to make this terrific self-portrait." Dmari, 4th–5th Grade Project: Frottage Collage Materials: paper, crayons, found flat objects, scissors, glue "Students were introduced to Max Ernst and the art of frottage. They experimented with the frottage technique, which consisted of placing a sheet of paper on top of a flat object and gently rubbing the paper with a pencil or crayon to pick up the texture of the object. Students were fascinated by the surrealist nature of Ernst's work because they found it absurd and new. Dmari found great inspiration in Ernst's drawing 'The Fugitive' and depicted a fictional animal that was a mix of a wolf, a porcupine, and an eagle." Delvis, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Graffiti and Street Art Materials: oil pastels "During this lesson, students were introduced to the art of fellow New Yorker Jean-Michel Basquiat. We discussed how art allows us to express our personal feelings and ideas and to 'say out loud' things we don't like or want to change. For this assignment, students took a cue from graffiti and street art to draw their names or initials using oil pastels. Kids loved working with oil pastels because they are softer than crayons, can be blended, layered, and mixed, and are very bright." Gia, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Mosaic Tiles Materials: mosaic tiles, glue, paper, cardboard, grout "This lesson introduced students to the mosaic technique and how it has been employed throughout art history. In the initial phase, they drew inspiration from the paintings of Alma Thomas and Sam Gilliam's 'From a Model to a Rainbow' mosaic in Washington, DC, as well as ancient Roman mosaics in my hometown of Catania, Sicily. During the first part of the assignment, students drew geometric shapes and figures on white paper. Afterwards, I provided them with small colored tiles and glue and asked them to fill in their drawing using the tiles. The final step of the project consisted in adding grouting. This step-by-step process demanded both time and patience, but students were extremely satisfied with making a work that is more permanent and durable than a drawing. They used grout to fill in the gaps between the small tiles, which gave them a chance to experiment with new materials, work on their composition skills, and improve their attention to detail." Valentine, 4th–5th Grade Title: "Head With Crown" Project: Paper Mache Materials: magazine paper, glue, water, metal, wood "Students were introduced to the ancient technique of paper mache. With the help of aluminum foil, they first created a rough shape for their project. Next, students used metal wire, wood, tape, and glue to build a defined structure for the wet paper to adhere to. The following day, they covered their structures with layers of newspaper strips dipped in a paste made of glue and water. They smoothed down the strips by overlapping them to ensure adequate coverage and structural strength. Once dry, students used acrylic paint to cover their structures and acrylic markers for fine detail. Valentine ambitiously depicted a face with a crown using the paper mache technique. He remembered Basquiat’s signature crown from a lesson back in December and wanted to recreate it." Kiari, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Mobile Sculptures Inspired by Alexander Calder Materials: cardboard, metal, glue, metallic paper, colored foam "‘Drawing in the air’ was the title of my class inspired by Alexander Calder. After looking at Calder's abstract mobile sculptures, students experimented with balance, equilibrium, and lightness to create a mobile sculpture that moves with the wind. By cutting metallic paper, cardboard, and metal wire, they created their own works of kinetic art." Avery, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Inspired by Pipilotti Rist Materials: cardboard, acrylic paint, glue, metallic paint, various ready made materials "Following the class trip to Pipilotti Rist’s exhibition at Hauser and Wirth Gallery, students set out to create their own works inspired by the Swiss artist. During the gallery visit, students were captivated by the vibrant array of materials and colorful, diverse media. In response, students incorporated glitter and shiny paper into their artworks to capture the viewer’s eye. Avery, in particular, crafted impressive and strikingly realistic fruit stands." Kairi, 4th–5th Grade Project: Clay Sculpture Materials: air dry clay, acrylic paint "Students created air-dry clay pottery using hand-building techniques. They even kneaded their own clay using rolling pins! They started out by creating basic clay forms like pinch pots and slab-built vessels, then experimented with different techniques to add textures and patterns to their form. Afterwards, they learned how to join clay pieces securely using water as a slip. Kairi created a volcano and named it 'Mount Kairi' after himself. He then painted his sculpture using colorful acrylics." Kendon, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Inspired by Faith Ringgold Materials: fabric, glue, acrylic markers "This lesson was inspired by Faith Ringgold's captivating 'Street Story' quilt. I asked students to recreate the facades of their own buildings as viewed from the street. I gave them different colored pieces of fabric, along with glue and scissors, and encouraged them to unleash their creativity to the fullest extent." Elian, 4th–5th Grade Project: Speed Self Portraits Materials: charcoal, blending stump "This is an example of a speed self-portrait with charcoal. Students explored tri-dimensionality by depicting human faces with curves and straight lines using charcoal and blending stumps." Yesilee, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Inspired by Pipilotti Rist Materials: cardboard, acrylic paint, glue, metallic paint, various ready made materials Dmari, 4th–5th Grade Project: Monochromatic Self Portraits Materials: acrylic paint August, 4th–5th Grade Project: Paper Mache Materials: magazine paper, glue, water, metal, wood Yesilee, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Clay Sculpture Materials: air dry clay, acrylic paint Yesilee, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Achromatic Colors Landscape Materials: charcoal, pencils, graphite Yesilee, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Inspired by Pipilotti Rist Materials: cardboard, acrylic paint, glue, metallic paint, various ready made materials Serenity, 4th–5th Grade Project: Perspective Materials: pencil Shannon, 4th–5th Grade Project: Mobile Sculpture Inspired by Alexander Calder Materials: cardboard, metal Yesilee, 2nd–3rd Grade Project: Graffiti and Street Art Materials: pastels, crayons, acrylic markers, googly eyes Tylie, 4th–5th Grade Project: What Do You Want to Get Rid Of? Materials: pencil, acrylic paint Tylie, 4th–5th Grade Project: Paper Collage Materials: colored construction paper, glue Serenity, 4th–5th Grade Project: Inspired by Faith Ringgold Materials: fabric, glue, magazine paper Serenity, 4th–5th Grade Project: Inspired by Steffani Jemison Materials: oil pastels Quadis, 4th–5th Grade Project: Dada Collage Materials: old newspapers, magazines, glue Children's Workshop School East Village, Manhattan Soren, 5th Grade Project: Tint and Shade Materials: tempera paint, q-tips, sponges "Tints and shades are very important when learning color theory. Soren's main color selection was red, and he had the last five minutes of the assignment to select which section would have the contrast / highlighted color. I feel his composition and color selections are very clever." Odin, 5th Grade Project: Cubist Self Portraits Materials: oil pastels "This was their first introduction to oil pastels. Students took inspiration from Picasso's cubist portraits to make one of their own. Odin did a brilliant job of experimenting with form in his portrait. He was focused on corners and angles." Angel, 5th Grade Project: Cubist Self Portraits Materials: oil pastels "Angel's portrait has great likeness to his own appearance. He does an excellent job of blending and using the oil pastels. He loves the opaque nature of pastels vs. crayons, a medium that he's very used to using." Lucy, 5th Grade Project: Fall Foliage Watercolors Materials: watercolors "This assignment was the students' first introduction to watercolor and wet on wet technique. Lucy exhibited great control over the medium and took inspiration from old stained glass paintings while making her fall leaves." Alina, 5th Grade Project: Stick Figure Sculptures Materials: styrofoam ball, popsicle stick, glue, foam sheets, staple pins, markers "Alina's work for this project inspired half her classmates! Her ability to make the most of the materials provided in astounding. She was very much aware of every angle when making a 3D work." Siqima, 5th Grade Project: Fruit Pointillism Materials: tempera paint, q-tips, sponges "Siqima is a true artist. He has the innate ability to pick up any new medium and excels at it instantly. He also has a very observant eye. He is always aware of shadows and highlights and excels at the use of color." Vivian, 5th Grade Title: Strawberry of Artistic Imagination Project: Fruit Pointillism Materials: tempera paint, q-tips, sponges "This work shows the level of precision and patience of the young artist — a single strawberry, incredibly well composed, with a blue contrast border around it. Vivian was very consistent with her skill and technique." Linus, 5th Grade Title: Strawberry of Artistic Imagination Project: Fruit Pointillism Materials: tempera paint, q-tips, sponges "Linus used q-tips and sponges to blend and achieve the final outcome. Composition for incredibly important for him. 'Fruit bowls are pretty big in old paintings,' he said." Jeicob, 5th Grade Title: Ragnar's Journey Project: Collage Materials: collage "Jeicob's approach and focus was centered on narrative building, which he achieved very well. Two scenes play out within the same frame, which he was very pleased with." Bianca, 5th Grade Title: Girl Eating an Apple Project: Collage Materials: collage "For the collage assignment, students look at the works of Hannah Hoch and Pakistani artist Rashid Rana. Bianca was one of the few students who employed collage in a different way by making her own self portrait." Veda, 5th Grade Project: Inspired by Roy Lichtenstein Materials: graphite, colored pencils and acrylic on paper Valentino, 5th Grade Project: Drawing with Charcoal Materials: charcoal on paper Shaila, 5th Grade Project: Mixed Composition from Books Materials: colored pencils Savita, 5th Grade Project: Personal Movie Posters Materials: watercolor on watercolor paper Sage, 5th Grade Project: Inspired by Kara Walker Materials: pencil and black crayon Rafael, 5th Grade Project: Introduction to Drawing Materials: colored pencils on paper Pablo, 5th Grade Project: Inspired by Kara Walker Materials: graphite and black crayon on paper Oni, 5th Grade Project: Curious Creatures Materials: oil pastels on paper Oakley, 5th Grade Project: Collage Materials: paper / magazine cut outs and glue on paper Micah, 5th Grade Project: Tint and Shade Materials: black, white, and blue tempera paint on watercolor paper Mick, 5th Grade Project: Personal Movie Posters Materials: watercolor and oil pastel on watercolor paper Mackenzie, 5th Grade Project: Music & Abstract Art Materials: crayons on paper Nicolette, 5th Grade Project: Personal Movie Posters Materials: graphite and watercolor on watercolor paper Luna, 5th Grade Project: Inspired by Kara Walker Materials: graphite and black crayon Leah, 5th Grade Project: Nick Cave Masks Materials: buttons, glass, foam paper, feather on cardstock mask P396K Sid Miller Academy Crown Heights, Brooklyn Sarah, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Painting with Straws Materials: eye dropper, paint, water, straw on cardboard "After learning the fundamentals of artmaking, students learned alternative painting methods, such as using eye droppers and blowing paint through a straw." Cereianna, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Scale and Space Materials: paint, paintbrush, cardboard, marker "Students were given three different cardboard squares and asked to paint the same object at different scales. This assignment allowed them to understand space and discover size and scale." Gabriel, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Felt Collage Materials: felt, glue sticks, paper "Students were introduced to yet another sensory material that is pleasant to the touch – felt. They created an imaginary landscape out of different colors and shapes." Zidan, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: 2D Sensory Characters Materials: felt, scissors, glue sticks, cardboard "Students used felt to create a character either based on themselves or completely imaginary." Jannele, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Paper Bag Puppets Materials: paper bag, feathers, sequins, googly eyes, construction paper, foam shapes, pompoms "Puppet making was one of students' favorite art projects. They used multisensory materials such as sequins, feathers, pompoms, and googly eyes to decorate their paper bag puppets. Each student imagined their own characters while they were making their puppets." Jayden, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Portrait Collage Materials: paper cutouts, glue, construction paper, felt "Students were given a picture of themselves and paper cutouts of facial features. They collaged their face with other images to create an entirely new self portrait." Jace, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Abstract Sculptures Materials: sponge, pipe cleaners, beads "The goal of this project was to create abstract compositions using limited materials and use sculpture to define their personal ideas." Bryson, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Exploring Sculpture Through Play Materials: play doh, paper plate "Air dry clay is challenging for students with sensory impairments due to its messiness, but play dough is a great alternative. Students loved squeezing the play dough in their hands and noticing the different textures and sensations. During this assignment, students explored the world of sculpture by freely creating shapes." Jackson, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Exploring Sculpture Through Play Materials: play doh, paper plate "Air dry clay is challenging for students with sensory impairments due to its messiness, but play dough is a great alternative. Students loved squeezing the play dough in their hands and noticing the different textures and sensations. During this assignment, students explored the world of sculpture by freely creating shapes." Analise, Pre K–2nd Grade Project: Expandable Puppets Materials: paper, construction paper, scissors, glue, markers "Students enjoyed yet another puppetry assignment, simplified for students with special needs and using only paper, markers, and construction paper. They created expandable hand puppets with flexible mouths, which allowed each student to create unique visual characteristics for their puppet." Look Make Show : Arts Education Resources Children's Museum of the Arts' free digital art resources provide educators with accessible arts education lessons that can be recreated in communities anywhere in the world using affordable materials. These child-centered resources are specifically aimed at those who have limited touchpoints to arts education, offering a blueprint for schools to revitalize or launch an arts education program – 100% free. Abstract Art using color and free drawing View & Download Cubist Self Portraits a portrait from many perspectives View & Download Pointillism using dots, layering, and fruit View & Download Collage & Photomontage intro to Dada and surrealism View & Download Artists in Residence. Maria D. Rapicavoli CMA Artist in Residence 2023-24 Hudson Guild Chelsea, Manhattan Studio Tour & Classroom Visit Niousha Kiarashi CMA Artist in Residence 2023-24 Sid Miller Academy Crown Heights, Brooklyn Studio Tour & Classroom Visit Read Niousha's Zine Noormah Jamal CMA Artist in Residence 2023-24 Children's Workshop School East Village, Manhattan Studio Tour & Classroom Visit Explore Noormah's Artist Prompts About Children's Museum of the Arts Children's Museum of the Arts (CMA) is on a mission to unite children and artists to create and share ambitious works of art with their communities and the world. Since 1988, CMA has crafted innovative programs that change the way New Yorkers value its youngest artists and their aesthetic contributions. Our programs are 100% free and designed to inspire cultural change — by publicly celebrating what's possible when you give children the materials, access, and encouragement they deserve to be recognized and appreciated as real artists. View exclusive exhibition content, including educator reflections, studio tours, and classroom visits on Bloomberg Connects , the free arts & culture app. Download on iPhone and Android Programs at Children's Museum of the Arts are supported, 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 for this program is provided by Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, William Talbott Hillman Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Wilhelm Family Foundation.