Fall 2015 School Programs: Post Visits

Welcome back! We're now in the Post Visits phase of our fall 2015 School Programs schedule, which means K.I.D.S. Teaching Artists Ruth Wetzel and Victoria Calabro are visiting students in their classrooms at P.S. 15, P.S. 146 and PAVE to follow up on the projects they started in the gallery.

As you may remember, in their gallery visit the students created experimental sound drawings and detailed observational drawings in response to "Soundings," a collaborative exhibition by artists Margaret Cogswell and Ellen Driscoll inspired by the sights and sounds of Red Hook. They transcribed sounds into lines and color using colored pencil, and they drew examples of local plant life from Ellen Driscoll's large works using white conte on black paper.

In the classroom, each student was given his or her earlier drawings along with another prompt: first, create additional observational drawings of neighborhood architecture, and then combine elements from each of the 3 works into a new collage depicting a "soundscape" of Red Hook. The students discussed their experiences walking around their neighborhood, and considered how sights and sounds influence the energy of a place.

Take a look at some of their finished artworks, hung in the classrooms and hallways for all to enjoy!

Big, big thanks to our Teaching Artists and partner classroom educators for making this magnificent program possible. We look forward to completing the final Post Visits next week and seeing what the spring season holds!

Drawing Together: Fall 2015

This fall, we have welcomed a new Teaching Artist onto our team - Brana Duranovic! She and Victoria are now sharing the Drawing Together duties. We're also reaching out to new communities, building a wider circle of families, and broadening the scope of our programs with the addition of fresh faces and ideas. Exciting times, and beautiful art is being created in response!

 Drawing Together programs are held on-site at Kentler every Saturday morning before the gallery opens to the public. These special workshops - designed for ages 4+ with a caregiver - are unique opportunities for families to share the art-making experience in a rich visual environment. Working directly from the exhibition on view, they discuss what they see and explore some of the unexpected materials, techniques and styles found in the world of contemporary drawing.

So far this season, we've seen families create batik-inspired nature collages, build their own city-scapes using Red Hook architecture, and reimagine still-life drawing with layered compositions, watercolor, and contour drawing. Margaret Cogswell and Ellen Driscoll's collaborative show "Soundings" has inspired participants of all ages to consider the artfulness of our neighborhood and add to their exploration of Red Hook's natural and industrial sights.

Take a look at some of the beautiful work these families have made so far!

Click the link to register your family for the next Drawing Together program - Saturday, 10/18 from 10 - 11:30 am. We hope to see you soon! 

http://goo.gl/forms/v1SXVakzeX

School Programs: Fall 2015

Welcome back to the K.I.D.S. Art Education blog! We are in week 2 of our fall school programs, serving K-5 students from P.S. 15, Brooklyn New School, and new partner PAVE Academy Charter School.

This fall we are working from "Soundings," a collaborative installation by artists Margaret Cogswell and Ellen Driscoll. These artists used Red Hook - its waterfront, landscape and architecture - as visual inspiration for their drawings. We are so excited to share this exhibition with our local students who also enjoy Red Hook's richness and vibrancy.

In the front room, students practice observational drawing with Teaching Artist Victoria Calabro. Unlike previous shows, Cogswell and Drsicoll decided not to divide their artwork into separate rooms. Their work intermingles, allowing students to experience both artists together. Victoria asks the students to notice the natural elements in the work - foliage, birds, water, weather - and to observe actual plants collected from the area. They combined detailed study of the plants with the compositions of Driscoll's large scale scenes and Cogswell's circular drawings and videos.

In the back space, Teaching Artist Ruth Wetzel leads an interpretive workshop based on sound. Using a number of objects (sticks, bells, buckets, etc.) Ruth moves about the room creating loud, soft, fast, and slow sounds that the students transcribe into line and color. The lesson includes a discussion of science topics like sound waves, and is inspired by the title of the show as well as Cogswell's maritime videos.

This morning, Helen's 1st grade class from the Brooklyn New School enjoyed a SPECIAL visitor - artist Margaret Cogswell! Margaret shared her process with the students, talking about how she spent time observing, recording and drawing the Red Hook waterfront. What a treat for the students to meet and hear from the artist, and for the artist to see the kids at work!

Stay tuned for updates on more School Programs, Special Needs Residency, and Drawing Together family workshops coming up this fall! Thanks to all of our dedicated friends and fellow educators for making these programs possible.

Community Partnership: The Creative Cookie

This week, K.I.D.S. Art Education partnered with The Creative Cookie Fashion Camp to offer fashion illustration workshops to 8 budding young designers. We love working with Lesley Ware, aka  The Creative Cookie, and we're so pleased to be a part of her inspiring program!

On Wednesday, Lesley and her group journeyed across Red Hook to Kentler. Here they met Teaching Artist Ruth Wetzel who has worked in textile design among areas of the fashion industry. Ruth led a 2-day exploration of depicting clothing on the body, including pose, proportion, movement, and expression. First, she explained the many ways drawing is used in fashion planning, presentation, and marketing. She introduced historical precedents and described the uniquely exaggerated, loose style of fashion illustration in contrast with the precision of design and pattern.

After learning the basics, the girls gathered around as Ruth (and later other students) modeled an asymmetrical, contrapposto stance. Using proportioned diagrams, they carefully mapped out the basic design elements of her dress and then filled in the details -- folds, shadows and creases. As they progressed, the girls' drawing technique became faster, looser and more dramatic.

They were then given examples of haute couture clothing from fashion magazines, and after practicing once more with the diagrams, they were given tracing paper to create their own figures.

On Thursday, Ruth introduced more depth to the illustration process with watercolor pencils. This versatile and highly expressive medium allows for both precise drawing and loose layering of color. The girls chose their own models and were encouraged to interpret rather than simply copy the images. They experimented with bold lines, big shapes, transparency, and the different feelings evoked by different drawing methods -- i.e. quick sketches vs. detailed depictions

In only two days, this incredibly focused group progressed by leaps and bounds. They worked hard, were receptive to every challenge, and the end results of their efforts are truly stunning!

Thank you to Lesley, her crew, Ruth, and the Citizens' Council of NYC for making this partnership possible. We can't wait to work with you all again! And look out for more updates on K.I.D.S. Art Education's summer projects!