1/9/24 Interviews Meet CMA Artist in Residence Niousha Kiarashi The Iranian artist and educator on sneaking into her mother's closet to create costumes and the role of fundamentals in arts education. Click to expand media gallery. Across the boroughs, CMA's three Artists in Residence 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. Below, meet Iranian multidisciplinary artist and educator Niousha Kiarashi , who works with elementary age students at Sid Miller Academy , one of the leading District 75 school providing specialized support for children with disabilities. Niousha as a young artist Can you describe a fruitful childhood experience that influenced your practice? I used to sneak in my mother's closet and make costumes out of everything I could find and perform in an imaginary world full of imaginary characters. Still to this day I'm making costumes and trying to create environments to perform within. Why is it important to make art accessible to all children and families? Childhood is the most crucial time of our life and makes the most important impacts on us creating our future characters. Creating art and it being accessible for everyone makes everybody able to get more closer to their perceptions of their surroundings and to make a better self. Expressing their characters through art and visualizing them in order to solve more of this complex puzzle of existence. Up Close, fine liner on paper and photograph, 12 x 16 cm, 2019 In your words, what does it mean to be an artist? To observe everything more carefully and try to connect with deeper aspects of the nature of things to be able to define them in a simple way. Why is children’s artwork important within the context of art history? The unconscious understanding of the fundamentals of art that every child has allows them to produce works that could be both the origin and initial steps for becoming a greater artist and change the history of the art. Far Off, marker, fine liner, and color pencil on paper, 10 x 15 cm, 2019 About Niousha Kiarashi Niousha Kiarashi is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She holds an MFA in Integrated Practices from Pratt Institute and a BFA from Tehran University of Art and Architecture. She is passionate about creating alternative and sustainable ways of understanding our surroundings and working with diverse communities to put these experiences into practice. Support Niousha's work at Sid Miller Academy by donating to CMA's Emergency Arts Education Fund , which provides free arts education to NYC schools that need it most. NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

11/24/23 Fundraiser Gifts to Feel Good About: Shop Our Holiday Artwork Fundraiser Shop CMA's end-of-year artwork sale and raise essential funds for free arts education in NYC schools. Click to expand media gallery. Melanie Delach On the other side of this , 2022 mixed media on panel 22 H x 17 W x 1.5 D (in) Buy Now Robert Buck Second Hand ("Humpty Dumpty Circus") , 2022 ink and graphite on secondhand drawing 8 7/8 H x 19 W (in) Buy Now Pajtim Osmanaj Metamorphic Memories 3 , 2021 hydrocal and acrylic 17.5 H x 15.5 W x 2.5 D (in) Buy Now Maya Mason Golden Hour , 2020 oil on canvas 24 H x 24 W x 4 D (in) Buy Now Lisa Beck InnerSpace I , 2023 acrylic and oil paint on 2 joined wood panels 7 H x 10 W x 0.75 D (in) Buy Now Marcy Hermansader Milkweed , 2014 color pencil, pastel, gouache and ink on paper 22.5 H x 16 W x 1.5 D (in) Buy Now JJ Manford Frank Gehry Interior, Venice Beach, with Suzani Elephant , 2023 oil stick, oil pastel, and Flashe on burlap over canvas 50 H x 60 W x 1.5 D (in) Buy Now Liana Finck Mine , 2023 letterpress print 8.5 x 11 (in) Printed by Archie's Press NYC Edition of 100 Buy Now Jessica Dickinson with: now 1 (a wholeness / that once was / a place / that used / to be complete / cannot / fit there / anymore / it’s gone / behind / yet fragments / remain) , 2019 colored pencil on paper with linen tape 14 H x 18 3/4 W (in) Buy Now Emilie Louise Gossiaux Atomic Tangerine Garden , 2018 ballpoint pen and crayon on paper 17.5 H x 23 W x 1 D (in) Buy Now Emily Mae Smith Raft on Siren Sea (Day) , 2022 four color screenprint on Pescia 300gsm paper 24 H x 18 W (in) Buy Now Jeffrey Milstein Universal Studios Orlando Seuss Landing , 2019 archival inkjet print 30 H x 40 W (in) Buy Now Don Dudley #230 , 2021 india inks, acrylic, colored pencil on paper 24 3/16 H x 31 3/4 W x 2 D (in) Buy Now Christopher Daharsh Dawn Visitation , 2023 oil on linen over panel 23 H x 18 W x 1.25 D (in) Buy Now Ann-Marie James Musee Imaginaire Plate 88 , 2021 acrylic and ink on paper 8.7 H x 6.9 W (in) Buy Now Alex Kwartler Eclipse (black) , 2022 oil on linen 12 H x 12 W x 0.75 D (in) Buy Now Ben K. Voss Rosa , 2023 water-based paint and pencil on canvas stretched over wood 9 H x 12 W x .75 D (in) Buy Now Christina Van der Merwe Untitled , 2022-2023 oil, sand, crayons on canvas 66 H x 68 W x 1.5 D (in) Buy Now David Bender Edge of the Meadow , 2022 wood, clay, paint 15.5 H x 15.5 W x 1 D (in) Buy Now Jennefer Hoffman growing , 2020 light stoneware and brown stoneware with slip 15 H x 10 W x 10 D (in) Buy Now NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

10/20/23 Kids Art 8 Autumn Landscapes from CMA's Collection of Children's Art Click to expand media gallery. Alina Altufeva Untitled Age 10 School No. 59 Yaroslav, Russia Leslie Hewitt Untitled Age 12 United Nations International School New York, NY D. Barfolomeev Untitled Age 14 School No. 59 Yaroslav, Russia Katy Blunova Untitled Age 14 School No. 59 Yaroslav, Russia Anna Altufeva Untitled Age 14 School No. 59 Yaroslav, Russia Zoriga Palasti Autumn on the Field Age 11 Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Grammar School Novi Sad, Yugoslavia Ljupka Martinovic The Autumnal Day Age 12 Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Grammar School Novi Sad, Yugoslavia Martina Ljupka The Woods Age 12 Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Grammar School Novi Sad, Yugoslavia K. Molycova Untitled Age 11 School No. 59 Yaroslav, Russia NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

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6/7/24 Artists in Schools Artists Prompts by Noormah Jamal Created in collaboration with fifth graders at Children's Workshop School, NYC Click to expand media gallery. Don't let summertime stop you from making art! CMA Artist in Residence Noormah Jamal created at-home artmaking prompts for her students to work on over the summer. Download [English] Download [Español] Paper Dolls. Rainbow Paper. Cereal Box Towns. Potato Heads. Let's Paint. It's Awake! Magic Trees. Resources for the Arts. Special thanks to Cowles Charitable Trust for their generous support of this project. NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

6/17/24 Alina's Animal Mask! Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Noormah Jamal's fifth grade class at Children's Workshop School. Click to expand media gallery. Remember Alina , the standout artist from Noormah Jamal 's fifth grade class at Children's Workshop School ? She found an extra face mask in the classroom and crafted her very own animal mask! The details were exquisite — she glued sheer fabric over the eyeholes and painted them in lifelike detail. The choice of fabric allowed the wearer to see through the mask. Alina is also a master of miniature. She created a tiny doll by glueing together two pieces of felt-like fabric paper. Inside, she included a small wire amataure so the doll can move, pose, and even sit down! Noormah’s work at Children’s Workshop School 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

1/31/24 Artists in Schools Noormah's Reflections: January CMA Resident Artist Noormah Jamal on her January projects at Children's Workshop School. Click to expand media gallery. We continued with our three-dimensional design projects this month. We took inspiration from Nick Cave 's soundsuits and made our own masks; created stick figure sculptures; sculpted 3D maps focusing on symbolism and landmarks; and started a cloud animal assignment taking a cue from Mike Kelley . With the 3D assignments specially, I had to pace the classes. I have limited time with them, and rushing 3D works (mostly, it's waiting for the paint to dry!) causes more delays and leads to frustration. Students loved these projects, mainly because they feel like they are making their own toys to play with. They ask questions non-stop — not just about the project or artists, but also about skill development. Students call me over to show off their progress or share how they found another way and it works just as well. Many students are going home and having conversations with family members about our class. They now come to class with own tips and tricks to share. I even have a student who has been re-working the assignments at home and coming up with spectacular little sculptures! Noormah’s work at Children’s Workshop School 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 "Anything can be used to make art and everything can be art." Artist Anna Navasardian on exploring every medium and her first time viewing ancient Egyptian art. 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 Anna Navasardian. Anna as a young artist Childhood artwork by Anna, circa 1994 Do you have a favorite memory of making art as a child? My favorite memory of making art as a child was copying the Matisse posters my parents had and tracing Looney Tunes characters. Icarus and Tweety were my favorites. What advice would you give to young artists who wish to pursue an art practice? Explore every medium. Anything can be used to make art and everything can be art. How does working with children inspire you? Working with children is inspiring to me because they look at everything with a fresh and unique perspective. When did you first know you were going to be an artist? I’m still surprised that I’m an artist! Can you describe a formative experience visiting a museum or gallery? I remember seeing an ancient Egyptian painting of a human figure with a dog head at the Met when I was a kid. It was so creative and expressive and such a relief from the hyperrealistic paintings I was used to seeing in museums before then. Anna Navasardian Three Mouths acrylic on acrylic sheet Bid Now NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now