Welcome to the spring ¡¦06 quarter of Artkid!
The Artkid program is an after-school arts enrichment program for children ages 7-11. Now in its second year, the Artkid program provides NYC kids with an opportunity to work directly with professional artists, create artwork in a content rich environment and gain exposure to the local arts community. Under the guidance of professional fine artists, kids explore a variety of concepts, skills and media to create unique artwork from drawings to three dimensional pieces to photographic and videographic based work. Often, visiting artists will present their own work and use this as a jumping off point for the classroom session. Proposed projects this quarter include silkscreen, stop motion animation, art historical exploration, pinhole cameras, a visit to an active foundry, drawing, printmaking and casting.
All kids who participate in the program will have work exhibited in the ¡§kiddies show¡¨ at the end of the quarter. This public exhibition of their work will be at the:artist:network on Broadway. The kids are an integral part of the network and will be given the same treatment as any other network artist with press releases announcing the show and printed and electronic invitations.
The Artkid Mission
It is the intent of the Artkid program to help young people further their knowledge of the arts, to stimulate their powers of observation and creative thinking and to see how the arts can help them interpret and respond to their environment. By giving kids direct access to artists of different ages and nationalities, kids discover first hand how different artists employ creative processes to achieve different ends. The:artist:network believes that by having active, professional artists with a vested interest in the larger art community teach classes the kids get a clearer picture of the art-making process and the creative community of which they are a part.
Partnership with the New York Public Library
The artist network began a partnership with the New York Public Library this past September. The library has graciously provided space at the Hamilton Fish Park branch on Houston St. for classes. We hope to continue our partnership with the library through the spring with Friday classes taking place at the library.
Spring 2006 session begins March 10
The spring quarter session begins March 10, 2006 and runs until June 23, 2006. We will be offering classes two afternoons a week, on Monday and Friday from 3 to 5pm both days. Kids may sign up for one class a week for a 15 class session or two classes a week for a 30 class session. Class sizes are limited to 15 students. Friday classes will take place at the Hamilton Fish Park branch library, 415 East Houston Street, and Monday classes will take place at the:artist:network, 424 Broadway, 6th floor.
Some current proposals for sessions taught by visiting artists for spring 2006 are:
Pinhole camera photography with Alexandra Hungerbuehler- Kids build their own pinhole camera, load paper into the camera, go outside and shoot in daylight and learn about developing and printing their photos. Session will include slide show and discussion about photography.
Animation with Alfredo Martinez- Kids create their own objects to animate using assemblages of found objects as well as cut out flat shapes.
Mural project with Soner On- Kids go on-site to paint a public mural project.