SUMMER @ MF: COMMUNITY ARTLABS + FACTORY 14s

Do you know any 7-18 year olds that love art and are looking for a unique art experience? The Mattress Factory has an exciting line-up of summer workshops! In the spirit of the Mattress Factory, these interactive workshops are experimental, collaborative, and immersive. Students work with practicing artists and spend time in the museum and its installations.

Community ArtLab is for students ages 7-13, and there are ArtLab workshops to suit a variety of art making preferences:

Puppet Insiders with Cheryl Capezutti
July 8-19, 9am-noon
Working with visual artist and puppeteer Cheryl Capezutti, students ages 10-13 are invited to design and build their own mixed-media puppets. Capezutti explains, "Participants will design and build their own small hand and rod puppet in a miniature installation, as well as a giant, full-bodied puppet to interact with the existing Mattress Factory installations in some way. Intrigued? Join the fun!"

Mammoth, Monstrous, Massive Sculptures with John Pena
July 8-19, 1-4pm
Working with multidisciplinary artist and educator John Pena, students ages 10-13 are invited to an "explosively entertaining workshop!"  Pena continues, "We will attempt to create a huge sculpture that can only be activated through our combined efforts...Will we make a gigantic shark that we inhabit and control from inside its massive cardboard body? Or will we recreate a microscopic organism that can only be seen by our giant microscope?" Brainstorming, building, performing, and subsequent exhibiting (which may include a parade) will be collaborative.


Fes-toon*ing Brings Us Together with Maria Molteni
July 15-18, 6-8pm
Working with multimedia and performing artist Maria Molteni, students ages 7-12 and their parents/guardians are invited to a series of workshops experimenting with the concept of the Festoon. To investigate and celebrate this playful, basic form, participants will use their bodies, words, and other creative materials. Participants will explore topics ranging from "entomology (the study of insects) to electricity, etymology (the study of words) to ornamentation...participants will be sure to outgrow their thinking caps!"
 
Make It, Jump It, Stomp It, Eat It with Heather White
July 22-August 2, 9am-noon
Working with artist and educator Heather White, students ages 7-9 are invited to experiment with various materials in situational performances. White explains, "This class is for kids who have a lot of energy, are excited to experiment with new materials, and love to work with others...we will create obstacle courses, snack buffets, silkscreened fashions, collaborative zines, and much, MUCH more!" White is an artist who has taught printmaking, art history, drawing, installation, design, and art as activism. She brings this passionate interdisciplinary spirit to her workshop, and she anticipates using the Mattress Factory's exhibitions, visiting artists, playgrounds and parks nearby, and classmates as parts of experiments.

 

Factory 14s is for 14-18 year olds, and gives students an opportunity to work on portfolio-quality pieces, be introduced to new materials and methods, meet staff and local artists, and create an installation at the Mattress Factory.

Constructing Bodies & Moving Images with Anna Brewer + Jessica Rommelt
July 22 - August 9, 1-4pm
Working with visual artists Anna Brewer and Jessica Rommelt, students ages 14-18 are invited to experiment with installation art. Students will be encouraged to experiment with different media (drawing, sculpture, and video) to help them work through their ideas. Anna and Jessica will introduce sculptural building and casting techniques, basic camera control and editing. They will also facilitate brainstorming for the group's installation in the Mattress Factory. Students' creative processes will be similar to the ways the artists-in-residence work. This is a great opportunity for interested teenagers to make art in new ways, meet local artists, and showcase their work in a world-class contemporary art museum!

On August 9th there will be a showcase of all the summer's experiments called, "The Celebration." This exciting exhibition is a time for the students to show off the work they have created in the classes. They can see what other students have been working on, and invite their family and friends to see the Mattress Factory. There will be snacks, some hands-on activities, and potentially some student-generated performances and parades!

To find out more information regarding costs and details for Community ArtLab, check out our website. For more information regarding costs and details for Factory 14s, click here. Please note that several scholarships are available. To find out more and to register please contact Felice Cleveland at felice[at]mattress[dot]org or 412.231.3169 ext. 213.