2013 Weekend Art Adventures will be available in late February.
Here’s what was offered in 2012:
The following Art Adventures are designed to supplement students’ Summer Intensive experiences. Each Adventure brings students from different disciplines together, empowering them to enhance their creative thinking and problem solving abilities, collaborate in groups, and turn their ideas into realities. Students do not need prior skills or knowledge to participate in any of the Adventures.
Click here to download the information packet
Each two-day Adventure will run from 12:15 – 4:15 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Please review the following Art Adventure descriptions and select one Adventure per weekend. The $50 fee per weekend entitles you to eight hours of art-centered instruction.
Participant work will be displayed during the final exhibition on Friday, August 2nd. The adventures provide another way for students to build credentials for college applications and their portfolios.
Students who do not wish to participate in the Art Adventures must go home for the weekend. Students deciding to go home may have their parents may pick them up at the dorm at 4:30 pm on Friday and may return on Sunday at 7 pm.
Please note that space in each Adventure is limited to 20 or fewer participants. Adventure(s) will be filled on a first come first served basis. To assure a spot in your preferred Adventures return pages 3 and 4 of the application along with your fees ASAP. Deadline: May 13th
WEEKEND #1: JULY 14th and 15th
Cover to Cover: An Adventure in Handmade Books
Instructor: Meg Murtagh
Students will learn a variety of bookbinding techniques to create journals, sketchbooks, and photo albums. The instructor will give an overview of bookmaking, including the tools, materials, and a variety of processes. Day 1 the students will learn Japanese stab-binding, how to make a pamphlet book and a notepad. Day 2 they’ll learn a more intricate stitching method called “Coptic Binding”. Emphasis will be placed on personalizing and embellishing all books.
Materials to bring:
- Scissors
- Ruler
- 1 or 2 sheets of handmade paper that are about 18″x 24″. These may be purchased from an art supply store. (Recommended stores in Richmond include Plaza Art or Main Art.) Tell art supply store personnel you will be using the paper to cover books and they can help you find the appropriate paper. Make sure the paper isn’t too thin (nothing that is as thin as tissue paper) but nothing as thick as card stock.
Inventive Typography Workshop
Instructor: Kelley White, MFA
Students will learn about graphic design through the creation of a picture-based font. They will explore brainstorming techniques, the basics of text and image relationships, and methods for designing symbols. This adventure will begin with a visual overview of the history of graphic design, as well as the importance of typography and its beginnings, from cave dwelling to modern day. Students will develop a theme for a collaborative font, set up parameters as a group as to what the marks need to incorporate to be a working set. A picture font will be created using sharpie markers.
Drawings will be collected, digitized and reproduced to scale so they are all relative size to work as a font. Font will be utilized the second day in designs which can be used on a variety of usable objects.
Materials to bring:
- Chartpak Blender Marker
- Black Sharpie
- Sketchbook and other pencils/pens for sketching
Beginning Screenplay Writing
Instructor: Todd Raviotta, MFA
This workshop will offer students tools and formatting tips appropriate for writing a short film or video. (Screenwriting will only be touched on very lightly during the Filmmaking class so this program is recommended to supplement that course, as well as the Theatre class.) Participants will watch movie clips about screenplay writing and the job of a screenwriter. Rules and vocabulary, as well as samples of featured scripts and short film scripts will be reviewed. Students will begin writing prompts and completing exercises. Outlines of scripts will be begun by the end of session 1. On day 2 revisions of scripts will continue with work sessions in mini-groups. Rewrites will be finalized.
Materials to bring:
- Flash drive memory stick
- Notebook, pencils and pens
- A file folder or binder to hold the handouts received
Then and Now: Jewelry Designs and Alternative Materials
Instructor: Bebhrinn Jennings
This session will introduce students to the basics of jewelry design, as well as current trends and techniques. Day one will focus on traditional jewelry techniques such as piercing, sawing, filing, and surface texture on metal. Students will be introduced to a variety of tools that will be used to create their jewelry. Studio health and safety will be emphasized. Next, students will begin to develop ideas for creating a 2-d silhouette which will be pierced out of metal. Stamping and hammering techniques will be used to produce texture on the surface of the metal. Students will also learn how to properly finish a piece of jewelry, including emery paper, polishing and patinas.
On day two students will be introduced to working with plastic. Participants will learn cold connection techniques needed to complete a finished, wearable piece of jewelry: a brooch, ring or a pendant. Class size is capped at 15 so sign up early.
Materials to bring:
- Sketch pad
- Pencils, pens and markers for drawing
- Ruler
- A geometric curve
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- Found objects with a depth of 1/8th inch or less such as: dried flowers, twigs or leaves, fabric, lace, paper clips, broken jewelry chains, thread, feathers, etc.
Painting and Image Transfer on Glass
Instructor: Sayaka Suzuki, MFA
This class will introduce students to a combination of traditional & non-traditional techniques for working with glass including working with glass enamel, Xerox transfer onto glass, and working with contact paper to create shapes and silhouettes. Class incorporates basic 2-dimensional disciplines (drawing & painting) on non-traditional material. Glass being a transparent material allows students to work on front and back allowing physical exploration of space in their image making process. Students will come up with sketches for their art which will then be Xeroxed and transferred onto glass. Class will continue with enameling and working with contact paper as time permits. Class size is capped at 15 so sign up early.
Materials to bring:
- Black Sharpie
- Sketchbook
- Scissors and/or Exacto Knife
- Transparent glassware of your choice (e.g., glass plates, cups, vases, etc. that you want to paint on. These could come from the Dollar Tree.)
- Optional: DECO pens (Colors of your choosing. Recommend you select “thin” or “ultra thin” tipped pens. These pens can be found at art supply stores such as Plaza here in Richmond).
WEEKEND #2: JULY 21st and 22nd
Mug Madness
Instructor: Mary Elkins
Students will be shown images of thoughtful hand built mugs and cups, then will learn how to wedge clay and make pinch pots. Next, students will learn coil and slab building techniques with the goal of making one or two mugs (depending on time constraints). Mugs will dry overnight so they will be ready for texture and slip the next day. Day two, students will learn texturing techniques such as faceting and sgraffito, as well as how to add color to their pots prior to glazing. Class size is capped at 12 so sign up quickly.
Materials to bring:
- A small, cheap brush and anything you want to use to add texture to your mug
- Wear clothes and shoes (such as old sneakers) you don’t mind getting dirty or bring an apron
Image Making in Glass: Cutting & Shaping Glass
Instructor: Sayaka Suzuki, MFA
Students will learn the fundamentals of working and manipulating sheet glass in the same traditions as stained glass artists.
Techniques will include cutting glass using a hand held glass cutter, grinding glass using a table top glass grinder, and engraving glass using a hand held rotary tool.
The class will include an introduction to contemporary glass art: glass blowing vs. torch working, glass casting, stained glass, and glass painting. Students will create sketches for their art, and design a 3-dimensional “painting” by adhering glass pieces to create imagery through depth and detail to display during Show Your Stuff.
Students will be closely supervised to ensure safety. Class size is capped at 12.
Materials to bring:
- Sketchbook
- “DECO” pens – Colors of your choosing. Instructor recommends “thin” or “ultra thin” tipped pens. These pens can be purchased at an art supply store such as Plaza Arts here in Richmond.
Then and Now: Jewelry Designs and Alternative Materials
Instructor: Bebhrinn Jennings
This session will introduce students to the basics of jewelry design, as well as current trends and techniques. Day one will focus on traditional jewelry techniques such as piercing, sawing, filing, and surface texture on metal. Students will be introduced to a variety of tools that will be used to create their jewelry. Studio health and safety will be emphasized. Next, students will begin to develop ideas for creating a 2-d silhouette which will be pierced out of metal. Stamping and hammering techniques will be used to produce texture on the surface of the metal. Students will also learn how to properly finish a piece of jewelry, including emery paper, polishing and patinas.
On day two students will be introduced to working with plastic. Participants will learn cold connection techniques needed to complete a finished, wearable piece of jewelry: a brooch, ring or a pendant. Class size is capped at 15 so sign up early.
Materials to bring:
- Sketch pad
- Pencils, pens and markers for drawing
- Ruler
- A geometric curve
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- Found objects with a depth of 1/8th inch or less such as: dried flowers, twigs or leaves, fabric, lace, paper clips, broken jewelry chains, thread, feathers, etc.
Textural Monoprinting
Instructor: Amy Chan, MFA
Students will learn the basic techniques of monoprinting which incorporates both drawing and experimental media. Using household objects alongside traditional mark-making tools, the artists will explore new textured surfaces to create compositions. First, students will be introduced to monoprinting including history and images. Next, they will learn about tools, techniques and cleanup before they begin their experimental work. Students will also be guided to work on self-portraiture, abstraction, etc.
Materials to bring:
- Mark making instruments such as pens and pencils
- Personal objects that may create interesting marks such as combs, hairpins, keys, ID card, etc.
- 1 tube of oil based block printing ink (black)
- 3 or 4 sheets of Stonehenge paper 22″ x 30″ (white or warm white)
Fundamentals of Playwriting
Instructor: Matt DiCintio
Students will be guided through the creation of a ten-minute play. Class will begin with a conversation about the fundamentals of drama including plot, character, conflict, exposition, setting and spectacle. Participants will read aloud a short play to explore the concepts of kicking (beginning), arc (middle) and point (end) as a means of becoming acquainted with dramatic structure. In small groups, stories will be developed in narrative form including setting and relationships of characters. Next, students will write out their plays under a time constraint to demonstrate how writer’s block can be overcome with the motivation of a “due date.” Students then will “cast” their plays and have them read aloud. The group will provide feedback to aid in the completion of the play.
Materials to bring:
- Paper
- Writing implements or
- Laptops, if you choose. Laptops are not required.
