My thoughts on Destination Workshop at Pacific Arts League
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Just this weekend, Kids & Art hosted its first destination workshop of the 2017-2018 season at the Pacific Arts League! The artists and children paired up one-on-one and kids were free to spend as much time as they pleased with any given artist. Stations included but were not limited to wall decor, card making out of found materials, beading, clay, and printmaking.
One very interesting station was book decorating. No, this did not involve decorating book covers. The artist here showed kids how to take a page from an old book and turn it into a work of art. The end results were each very unique. Ranging from black-and-white to neon, patterned to solid, these pieces were truly works of art. Some participants would create a story inside of the story occurring on their page by blocking out all words except for a select few, creating something akin to a six word memoir. Others would do the same but highlight their words and use the rest of the space to visually represent their new stories. And others would use the flow of the text to create wordless works of art such as beaches and jungles.
The t-shirt printing station was very popular! Children, their parents, and volunteers (including myself) all took a shot at creating t-shirts with their own designs. The process was simple enough for the youngest kids to understand, yet it was a lot of fun. Participants would draw a design on a type of waxy paper, then paint over the design with a very thick layer of paint. The paint being thick was absolutely imperative, which I learned the hard way. Then, they would select a t-shirt and slide a piece of cardboard inside it. On the cardboard and over the shirt, people pressed down their design paint-first and rubbed it. The peeling away of the paper was arguably the most satisfying part, and if you followed the instructions, you’d be left with a solid print on the t-shirt!
All of the stations at this workshop were very interesting. At the Monet station, for example, the artist taught students how to go from blurry watercolor outlines to a beautiful cathedral. At the printmaking station, the artist showed kids how to carve out their own images to make detailed prints from. And at the wall decor station, the artist demonstrated how to use a paper towel roll to create stunning abstract pieces. All of the artists at the workshop made it an absolutely magical experience for the children.
Kids & Art would like to thank Pacific Arts League. This workshop would not have been possible without you!
