A Magical Monsters Art & Creative Writing Camp

Let your imagination frolic, romp, and soar in this super fun art and creative writing camp! Create a mystical menagerie of creatures with words, moving pictures, sculptures and pop-up books. Guided by ArtStart’s fearless artists and writers,you will explore distant planets and swim on the golden shores of your creativity,where hippogriffs, dragons, and mermaids abound.

12:30-2:00pm

Construction Arts & Creative Writing: Junk-tastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Create magical new beasts from reuse materials like egg cartons, mylar, and feathers! Then name your critter and write stories about them! Does your beastie fly, or swim, or apparate intodifferent dimensions? What magical powers does it have? Is it loving, crabby, fond of chocolate-covered pickles? Taught by aegor ray

aegor ray is a writer and community organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a Loft Mentor Series Fellow in poetry, a participant in Tin House Summer Workshops and a Lambda Literary Scholar. He is a Sagittarius.

2:15-3:45pm 

Visual Storytelling:Comical Crankies

Long before television, people in India used the crankie as a way to tell a story with pictures. All you need is a box, some dowels, a long scroll of paper, and a really tall tale! In this class taught by puppeteer Kallie Melvin,you will invent stories of enchantment, decorate your box, then create a long cartoon that moves as you crank it. Taught by Kallie Melvin.

Kallie Melvin is a puppeteer and teaching and performing artist. Several of the places she has worked with include Monkeybear Harmolodics Workshop, In the Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theatre, Z Puppets, ArtStart, Puppet Lab at Open Eye, and Weisman Art Museum. She is also the Acting Regional Director of Puppeteers of America Great Plains. She uses her original puppetry work as a means to tell stories and explore her experiences as an intercontinental transracial adoptee growing up in the Twin Cities.

Ages 9-12

Early Bird Pricing: 5% off until Feb. 3

Half day = $237.50/week (code HALFDAY25)

Full day = $427.50/week (code EARLYBIRD25) 

A Start With the Arts meets daily Monday-Friday and offers 4-5 year-olds the opportunity to work with an art educator  to explore the art, culture and wildlife of India through movement, drama, art making and other hands-on activities. The program for pre-schoolers parallels the school-age program in theme and content.

 For ages 4 – 5.

8:30am

Tanjore painting is one of the most popular art forms of Southern India. An ancient art, Tanjore painting incorporates semi-precious stones, glass and gold into the painting. Work with artist Melodee Strong create your own Tanjore inspired painting complete with jeweled cabochons, gold foil and more.

10:15am

Pulikkali is a traditional art form in which people dress up as tigers. The word Pulikkali means “tigerplay” or “tiger dance” and is part of the Onam Festival, a harvest festival, celebrated in the state of Kerala, southeast India. Join artist Gustavo Boada and create your own tiger mask, costume, and dance. For ages 9-12.

8:30am

Pulikkali is a traditional art form in which people dress up as tigers. The word Pulikkali means “tiger play” or “tiger dance” and is part of the Onam Festival, a harvest festival, celebrated in the state of Kerala, southeast India. Join artist Gustavo Boada and create your own tiger mask, costume, and dance.

10:15am

Tanjore painting is one of the most popular art forms of Southern India.An ancient art, Tanjore painting incorporates semi-precious stones,glass and gold into the painting. Work with artist Melodee Strong create your own Tanjore inspired painting complete with jeweled cabochons, gold foil and more.

For ages 6 – 8.

8:30am

Pulikkali is a traditional art form in which people dress up as tigers. The word Pulikkali means “tigerplay” or “tiger dance” and is part of the Onam Festival, a harvest festival, celebrated in the stateof Kerala, southeast India. Join artist Julie Boada and create your own tiger mask, costume, and dance.

10:15am

Ancient India developed Ayurvedic medicine, which uses plants for healing…a practice that is still in use today! Working with artist and herbalist Laurie Witzkowski, learn about some of the plants and their uses, sample some teas and other preparations, and take home a syrup or salve made in our classroom. AND, using papers and found objects, create a beautiful plant mosaic, inspired by the gorgeous mosaics seen in the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous ancient temple!

For ages 6 – 8.

8:30am

Ancient India developed Ayurvedic medicine, which uses plants for healing…a practice that is still in use today! Working with artist and herbalist Laurie Witzkowski, learn about some of the plants and their uses, sample some teas and other preparations, and take home a syrup or salve made in our classroom. AND, using papers and found objects, create a beautiful plant mosaic, inspired by the gorgeous mosaics seen in the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous ancient temple!

10:15am

Pulikkali is a traditional art form in which people dress up as tigers. The word Pulikkali means “tiger play” or “tiger dance” and is part of the Onam Festival, a harvest festival, celebrated in the state of Kerala, southeast India. Join artist Julie Boada and create your own tiger mask, costume, and dance.

For ages 9-12.

8:30am

India has a rich history of shadow puppetry. Discover the gorgeous world of color shadow puppets working with artist Kallie Melvin. Explore many stories of the Hindu God Ganesh, the little boy with a baby elephant head. Then learn how to make your own batik-like puppets and create a shadow show!

10:15am

Join artist Tara Fahey to learn how to hand-paint and block print on cotton fabric. Inspired by the traditional art of Kalamkari from southern India, create colorful wearable art that incorporates images of elephants, tigers, peacocks and more, along with traditional patterning. Additional materials fee of $10

For ages 9-12.

8:30am

Join artist Tara Fahey to learn how to hand-paint and block print on cotton fabric. Inspired by the traditional art of Kalamkari from southern India, create colorful wearable art that incorporates images of elephants, tigers, peacocks and more, along with traditional patterning. Additional materials fee of $10.

10:15am

India has a rich history of shadow puppetry. Discover the gorgeous world of color shadow puppets working with artist Kallie Melvin. Explore many stories of the Hindu God Ganesh, the little boy with a baby elephant head. Then learn how to make your own batik-like puppets and create a shadow show!

For ages 6 – 8.