Art Workshop Series ages 10-15
Our 3-day summer Art and Nature Workshop series are designed to give older students a more indepth art experience with several different mediums to choose from. Workshops are held in our butterfly tent where we raise and release native Illinois butterflies throughout the summer. Nature, including butterflies - their behaviors, coloration, patterning, habitats and symbolism will be inspiration for our artwork. All workshops are rooted in the basic principles of art and design, and encourage individual creativity.
AFTERNOONS
Monday - Wednesday 1pm-4pm
Session 1b June 4-6 Butterfly Wing Collage
We'll look at the Insect Artwork of Christopher Marley and Damien Hirst
as inspiration for our own 2-dimensional collage designs.
Session 2b June 11-13 Jewelry
Each day we will make a new piece of jewelry inspired by butterflies. As one highlight of this workshop series you will cast from the mold of a real butterfly chrysalis in resin as a necklace pendant.
Session 3b June 18-20 CLOSED
Session 4b June 25-27 Reverse Glass Painting
This beautiful technique is about as old as glass itself and has included
famous artwork from nearly every historic era. We'll make a poster-sized
painting (using acrylic rather than glass) that has a beautiful, polished look
regardless of your painting or drawing skills.
Session 5b July 2-5 (no class 4th of July)
Visual journaling and the Written word -bookmaking
Whether you just want to record an event or you want an
in-depth way to process your own thoughts, visual journaling
is a fantastic experience. We'll also make two book formats
to get you started.
Session 6b July 9-11 Butterfly Gardens and Garden Art
Begin your own butterfly garden! You'll make some very artistic planters, plant markers, pot some plants to take home and you'll make a garden ornament. Find out which plants Monarch caterpillars need and which plants Monarch butterflies love.
Session 7b July 16-18 Raising Monarchs of your own for migration
Photograph the butterfy life cycle in each stage of development using our professional camera equipment as you put together your own "how to" book. We'll outfit you with all the food, containers and information you'll need to bring some 4th generation caterpillars home to raise. This will be the group of Monarchs that migrate after release.
Session 8b July 23-25 Raising Monarchs of Your Own for migration
(see above description)
Session 9b July 30 - Aug 1 Mobiles
Famous mobiles by Calder an contemporary Joel Hotchkiss will give
us a look at color and form in motion. We'll use the butterfly
in flight as inspiration for colorful, playful 3-dimensional
designs of our own.
Session 10b Aug 6-9 Reverse Glass Painting
(see above description)
Session 11b Aug 13-16 Scientific Illustration
This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn the
process of "visual deciphering" in a very postiive, reinforcing
environment. We'll observe, name, then transate information
into drawings that focus on the Monarch's life cycle, host
and/or nectar plants. We'll look at a wide variety of illustrating styles.
