Kentler/RHI After School Artmaking Adventures Continue

As mentioned in my first blog post, students participating in the current K.I.D.S. + RHI after school program are exploring color and texture to create a mood. Inspired by the Kentler exhibition of work by installation artist Ilene Sunshine
the students are exploring the idea of creating art  that is both TEMPORARY and SITE SPECIFIC. Our final after school project will involve creating an installation. Students will work in the BCS classroom using all the drawings made over the course of the seven week session. They will wrap two tables, Christo-and-Jean-Claude-style, with their drawings that explore mood. One table will be positive moods (happy, excited, vibrant) and the other will explore negative moods (sad, disappointed, somber).
We will see if our audience can tell that we are using color differently in each table!

Check out a great video about the installation works by Ilene Sunshine and Mary Ting here that are inspiring our after school project!

Check out Wikipedia's definition of installation art here.

Until next time,

Meghan
Teaching Artist, K.I.D.S. After School

Spring 2012 School Programs: Finished Work!

Our spring 2012 school programs are now wrapping up and student artwork is filling the hallways of P.S. 15 and Brooklyn New School!

Throughout March, April and May, teaching artists Meghan Keane and Lance Paladino revisited students in their classrooms, where they expanded upon and completed the drawings they started in the gallery. Using their original observation drawings, photographs of their temporary "imagination" drawings, and new materials such as wooden sticks and cray pas, the students created colorful, multimedia scenes of things they would like to try in the future. Have a look at their creativity in action:

We are pleased to see such rich and varied work, with each child taking an individual approach to his or her artwork. Throughout spring, the students explored two types of drawing and reflected upon their own personal histories to prompt creativity from their memories and imaginations.

We are so very proud of our talented students and can't wait for more exciting programs in the fall!

Spotlight on a Guinea Kid: Bosana (Ismael) Toure

To know 16 year old Bosana Toure (aka Ismael) is to know a bright and shining star. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Ismael describes the role of an ambassador. A most charismatic young person, Ismael maintains his zest for life despite the tragic hardships he has recently endured.

Bosana took the name Ismael after both of his parents were killed in a car accident when he was 13. This has been a tenuous period for Ismael and school. After his parents’ death, he lost interest in school and was found to be wandering his neighborhood instead of attending school. GKEF board members Karim Koumbassa and Alya Koumbassa both counseled Ismael, having brotherly heart to heart talks and encouraging him to stay in school. He continues with school and the GKEF program and he is our student in the highest level: year 8.

Ismael has a gift for creative and entrepreneurial intelligence. His capacity for learning is great and his potential needs to be guided and challenged by a supportive, high quality education experience.

You can support a bright future for Ismael and many other children like him by making a donation today.

Inawali! (Thank you in Sousou)

Drawing Together: Site Specific Installations

Last spring, K.I.D.S. Art Education teaching artist Ruth Wetzel led local children and family members in an art making exploration at the Kentler International Drawing Space. In response to the installations of Mary Ting and Ilene Sunshine, participants created their own installations. After examining the work in the gallery through inquiry and observational drawing, partners worked with post-its, twigs, ribbons, tape, toilet paper rolls, pencils, Styrofoam meat trays, oval-cut mats, and phone cords to change the materials and then arrange them in an assigned section of the room. These site specific installations were terrific displays of collaboration and imagination and were poetic reflections on materials, the space and the artwork by Ilene Sunshine and Mary Ting that was already occupying the space.  Everyone had a great time!

Pictures Come To Life! This Saturday at 3 PM!

Artist/storyteller Jeff Hopkins will be transforming our blank white walls into a story-mural that you and your family will participate in.  Its going to be fun- don't miss it!!

If you DO miss it, please join us next weekend for a follow up DRAWING TOGETHER workshop with Jeff.

Please NOTE: the performance on Saturday, September 11th does not require a reservation but the follow up workshop NEXT weekend does.  See below for details.

For more information on Jeff Hopkins: http://www.picturescometolife.com/

Architecture Appreciation Comes to Kentler!

This video is the result of our once-a-month family DRAWING TOGETHER workshop co-hosted today by Open House New York: everyone's drawing was lined up to create a new "built environment" based on Red Hook architectural inspiration and suffused with each artist's individual creativity and imagination!

Today, as a warm up, kids and parents explored their local built environment by drawing from memory a map or floor plan of their apartment.  Families next expanded their exploration to include the gallery's local built environment in the historic neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Families created booklets to fill with drawings of architectural details they noticed walking along Van Brunt Street, right outside the gallery. Then, back in the gallery both drawings and floor plans were cut up and each artist, ages ranging from 4 to 60+, worked on connecting their parts to create a larger, imaginary skyscraper / building / skyline!

Thanks all for your eye for detail and your enthusiasm for testing out new ways to make drawings! And thanks to Open House New York for co-hosting. 

Drawing Together Spring 2012

This spring, Kentler is hosting our free, family Drawing Together programs on the first and third Saturdays of each month. These programs are now a part of our Brooklyn Community Foundation Challenge Grant and we are so thrilled about the response we've gotten so far. This year, over 60 children and caregivers from all over Brooklyn have shown up to make collaborative art projects based on Kentler's current show, The Influential Female: Drawings Inspired by Women in History. Teaching artists Meghan Keane and Ruth Wetzel have been taking turns leading these workshops and both have come up with some really exciting, hands-on activities.

On February 18th, Ruth had the group create bodily adornments inspired by the drawings of Anyssa Ng. Participants used poster board, ribbons, tape, glitter, rhinestones, and other materials to create unique, wearable art objects. Children (and parents!) crafted functional crowns, belts, shoes, sashes, and jewelry of their own design. Once finished, they marched around the gallery in a sparkly, colorful procession! Here are some photos of their creations:

Last Saturday, Meghan created an interesting project based on the qualities of hair--as a tool for mark-making and as a symbol of female identity. This project stems from the drawings of artist Jono Vaughan as well as Meghan's own hair-inspired artwork. She gathered up hair extensions in different textures and colors for participants to "draw" with, yielding some fun results! Parents and children were open to the experience as a new way to construct formal qualities of line, dimension and color. Their compositions were large, abstract and quite lively:

The next Drawing Together workshop will be held on Saturday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day). If you and your family are interested in attending, please contact Sallie@kentlergallery.org with your name, child's name/age, and contact information to reserve your spot in advance.
We hope to see you soon!