See More Children's Museum of the Arts 5/3/24 Artists in Schools Clay Magnets Part 1: Creating Form Using Armature Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Noormah Jamal's fifth grade class at Children's Workshop School. NEXT IN

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 11/8/23 Kids Art 5 Woodland Creatures from CMA's Collection of Children's Art NEXT IN

11/28/23 Interviews "I am always trying to access my inner child when I create simply for the freedom and non-judgmental energy of a child." Artist David Bender on drawing an ocean liner as a child and attending the 1970s Aspen Design conference. 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 David Bender. Artwork by David's daughter, Lily Do you have a favorite memory of making art as a child? As a small boy I used to watch John Gnagy on our black-and-white TV. I still remember him teaching how to draw a bird in flight using ovals. What advice would you give to young artists who wish to pursue an art practice? A good mentor or teacher can be a great help. Go see everything – galleries, museums, studios, art fairs, etc. And read! Books are wonderful sources of inspiration. How does working with children inspire you? As an artist I am always trying to access my inner child when I create simply for the freedom and non-judgmental energy of a child. When did you first know you were going to be an artist? I drew an ocean liner on a large piece of kraft paper for a drawing contest in first grade. My teacher, Mrs. Petersen, showed it to the high school principal and they decided to display it in the high school. That experience made me wonder about being an artist. Can you describe a formative experience visiting a museum or gallery? I went to the Aspen Design conference in the mid 1970s and listened to Milton Glaser speak about the creative process. I also workshopped with Robert Rauschenberg and participated in a food parade with Antoni Miralda. It was a magical time for me, as I was attending the Burnley School of Art, and to be in the company of your idols was a dream. David Bender Edge of the Meadow wood, clay, paint Buy Now NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

12/19/23 Artists in Schools Frottage and Collage Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Maria D. Rapicavoli's after school class at Hudson Guild. Click to expand media gallery. Students in Maria D. Rapicavoli ’s after school class at Hudson Guild experimented with frottage technique by placing a sheet of paper on top of flat objects and rubbing it with a pencil or crayons to pick up the texture of the object. Max Ernst ’s surrealist drawings captured everyone’s attention, especially one student who drew inspiration from Ernst’ work The Fugitive to create a fictional animal that combined elements of a wolf, porcupine, and eagle. Maria's work at Hudson Guild 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

10/5/23 Interviews "The more you like what you do, the stronger the work will be." Artist Jessica Alazraki on the first drawing class she ever took and representing Latinx artists. 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 Jessica Alazraki . Gabriel Dayan (Jessica’s son) Hidden Tigger wash on paper Age 7 Gabriel Dayan (Jessica’s son) Pregnant Woman charcoal on paper Age 4 Do you have a favorite memory of making art as a child? I remember trying to draw my grandparent's pictures in a notebook. I wasn't good at it; I didn't have a natural sense of proportion like other kids. I have a passion for color and a good innate sense of composition. What advice would you give to young artists who wish to pursue an art practice? Art is only for some; you need to make too many sacrifices. It’s not practical or rational. But if it’s your calling, believe in yourself and surround yourself with other artists and people who value what you do. That support is everything. Work as hard as you can and always stay true to yourself. The more you like what you do, the stronger the work will be. How does working with children inspire you? My paintings are about family and children. Being a parent is integral to who I am and what I do. I am also Latina, and family is a strong value, and I celebrate that in my work. When did you first know you were going to be an artist? It was the first drawing class I ever took, at the JCC in Manhattan while my daughter was in nursery school. I never thought I would spend my life painting, but now it’s more than something I do … I am incredibly devoted to it. It became my entire life. Can you describe a formative experience visiting a museum or gallery? I saw America is Hard to See at the Whitney Museum in 2005, right when the new building opened. I immediately noticed the need for more representation of Latinx artists. I was taking courses for my MFA at the time, and that’s when I decided I wanted to paint portraits of Latinx families as a celebration of my culture and as a bond with immigrants like me. Jessica Alazraki Boy singing oil on linen Bid Now NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

1/5/24 Artists in Schools Mer-Cats, Volcanoes, and Teacups Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Maria D. Rapicavoli's after school class at Hudson Guild. Click to expand media gallery. Students took a page from Maria’s own artistic practice as they created air-dry clay pottery using hand-building techniques. For inspiration, they looked to Picasso and his peer Giovanni De Simone, a Sicilian artisan known for his intense colors and cubist drawing style. They surveyed slab construction, coil building, and pinch pot techniques, and even got to knead their own clay using rolling pins. Students 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. One student made a “Mer-Cat” – a cat who got lost at sea, ate seaweed, and grew a mermaid tail – while another student created a volcano and named it “Mount Kairi” after himself. One particularly thoughtful student created a teacup for his mother and even carved her initials into the bottom. Maria's work at Hudson Guild 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

9/23/23 Residency 22 Questions from Urgent Futures Click to expand media gallery. Over the course of the spring semester, CMA Artist in Residence Miguel Braceli worked with third graders at Children’s Workshop School in the East Village to generate questions based on current issues, encouraging kids to be acutely curious about the world surrounding them. Check them out below! When will doctors come up with a cure for many sicknesses? Why is climate change happening so fast? How many trees are there in the whole universe? How does climate change affect the glaciers? How many planets have we not discovered? When is climate change going to finish? How many multiverses are there? How many fives have people wrote ever? How are people going to stop things like the sky turning orange? Who am I? Who made the fire? Do people litter because they are too lazy to find a trash can? Can you go through a Milky Way and be in another universe? Why do people do more climate change when they already know it's a bad thing? How was the earth made? Why do people not believe in climate change? When will it end? How can we protect the trees while they're not burned? Do people just not want to solve the problem or what? Did the people in Canada learn from the wildfire? Why are certain colors the way that they are? For instance, why is purple purple? How can we change climate change and save our earth? NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

12/19/23 Artists in Schools Patterns and Painter's Tape Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Niousha Kiarashi's elementary school class at Sid Miller Academy. Click to expand media gallery. Pattern making was the name of the game this week! During the first lesson, each student received painter’s tape to cover parts of their paper. After coloring over the tape, they lifted off the tape to reveal the pattern underneath. Some students adhered their tape without any knowledge of the composition they would make, and were delighted to see what they made. During the next session, students made patterns using primary colored paint. They had an amazing sensory experience feeling the touch of the brush against their palm, seeing the texture of their skin reflected in their prints, and watching how colors changed on their hand to create secondary colors on 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

5/22/24 Kids Art 5 Fishing Expeditions from CMA’s Collection of Children’s Art Click to expand media gallery. Ruby Vadakkan Fishermen to Sea Age 10 St. Clare's Convent Higher Secondary School Thrissur, India Kaisang Galtgo Fishing in an Unpolluted Lake Age 6 T.C.V. School Lower Dharamsala, India Gayathri Fernando The Village Fishmonger Age 7 Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo, Sri Lanka Sanjeeva Wijeyesakere Fisherman of Sri Lanka Age 7 Lathifa Ismail School of Art Sri Lanka Bozidar Matic Fishing Age 12 Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Grammar School Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) 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 1/2/24 Interviews Meet the Young Set Designers of ¡Corre, Abuelita, Run! Get to know four young artists who created the set for the recent production at New York City Children's Theater. NEXT IN