With CCA, screen time in 2021 may surprise you! Videos which encourages Imaginationand exercise +Quality Art Materials, for your ‘At-Home’ Art Studio! Weekly live engagement classes(optional) will keep your kids active andinspired to work each week…OFFLINE!
Meetingand drawingour favorite penguin, Sweet Scarlett and the animals she encounters, travelling the world.Building icy coves & igloos in theSouth Pole Even make-your-own snow STEM activities! Kidsdraweach animal family, various scenes, landscapes, igloos and lots, lots more! Each week is filled withnew ideasto start them off running and creating, even after class- all week long. They’ll love using their hands, brains and bodies in Story Adventures: An interactive 3-D Art Adventure kids watch, learn to create & build themselves whilereadingand hearing stories of friendship adventures across many countries and cultures.
This class takes off February 1, 2021. Virtual Live & In-Person classes begin February 4 @ All Souls Church, 1157 Lexington Avenue on the UES of NYC!
What is it? A Social Emotional Learning program based invisual arts,cultural exploration, literature and dance!
What will my child be doing? Divinginto a new story adventure every month. Creating the characters and sets in the storythroughvisual art classes.Moving their body and developing a love of movement and coordinationthrough dance technique videos.Building confidencethrough art, theater and musical games.
What will I gain? Art heals and unites. The Story Adventures program builds the language ofresilience, empowers kids with character, gainsconflict resolution problem-solving skills along with a love forliterature, art skills, fantasy and travel!
How do I access the program? Create aschedule that works best for your family’s needs. Live zoom classes are available once a week for students to create it together!All pre-recorded drawing videos are available through Google classroom, accessible anytime. Exercise is also included through story-related movement and dance videos!
Watch your child’seyes light up as they receive exciting CCA Art Kits,filled with art studio materials that willlast for years.Heartswill soar as your child creates amazing art projects. Sharejoyin yourentire householdwhen you have an alternative to screen time. If you need to make a call or get work done, put on a Story Adventures video to keep your child moving and creating!
“She seriously loves it all… the art and the dancing! This is a great program. She is dancing all over the house.” Theresa’s mom Alison“Lilah’s “favorites” are; getting the boxes delivered, unpacking all the art supplies, Using watercolor pencils, I really know how to draw penguins and whales now and all the characters in the book.” –Lilah’s mom Brina
For those days when it’s too cold for kids to play outside, I’ve amassed a hyper-creative library of activities that will keep students entertained and educated. Claire and CCA want to spend time with your children this winter in the arts & literacy series Story Adventures! They’ll find a renewed sense of excitement for learning in 2021 through arts and crafts, imaginary travel and even physical activities that give that (seemingly endless) energy a place to go. I’ll be sure to include someactivities for parents to do as well – after all, we all need a creative and physical activity break!
Your child will be an active participant! I’m sure it has been reassuring to you to know you were able to enjoy yourown timewhile they were with me in class – doing what you need to do so you can come together as a family later. Each week, a new Story Adventure will provide that time for you- by keeping your child interested, occupied and intrigued as the stories unfold. In the first book, Claire will introduce your children to the Empire Penguins in the South Pole, where two very different friends, a penguin named Scarlett and a polar bear named Polie first meet.
Literacy meets artin an interactive 3-D Art Adventure kids create and build themselves while reading along with (or being read to) stories of friendship, adventure and different cultures. We journey along with 1 illustrated book per month, plus CCA’s fun-filled Art Kits providing everything for your child.
With so many materials and choices provided, they can only be successful! Your child will be occupied and intrigued while spending up to 3 hours per week, learning new fine and gross body skills, memory exercises, languages andcultures while expanding important artistic horizons this year. Older students become illustrators and inventive craftsmen, while younger students create willingly and freely whatever they choose to make.
Work at your own pace and time of day convenient for your family. We have a suggested time schedule to help frame your week’s activities. All materials are mailed out to you prior to start. Virtual Fun is provided through Google Classroom and one optional 45 minute online live-stream session each week (recorded and uploaded for busy schedules.) We even provide administrative assistance, so that your child’s experience is first class.
CCA will release thesenew live and online classes January 18th. Claire will engage and interact with your children both online and @ All Souls Church.Kids ages 3.5- 9 years will be stimulated by creative new ideas and achievements that they will be excited to share with their family and friends!
JOIN USFOR AN INCREDIBLE YEAR; START YOUR 1ST WEEK TRIAL BEFORE JAN. 16TH AND SEE FOR YOURSELF:)
The past year has been challenging but we have been able to grow in so many new ways. Congratulate yourself for making it through this year! We couldn’t have made it without you, extraordinary parents!
Thank you for continuing to enrich our community with your remarkable dedication to CCA’s mission and values. A year-in-review of some of our favorite moments helps us to focus on the positive, during this up & down rollercoaster of a year! Enjoy!
–Toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art with all classes (2.5-10’s) to see the amazing exhibit Making Marvels, the Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe and making clocks (pre-Covid19)
-In March, smoothly transferred all programs online without missing a class, keeping sane with empowerment and humor… starting with creating the virus as a Pac-Man & a Crunch Berry! “Crunchatize me Captain!”
-Age-appropriated ART KITS grew to include all of the unique materials we would have used at school, shipped to each new home… including STEAM projects, like how to make your own Lava Lamps and snow!
–Jonathan Levwas a visiting artist to ourArt Adventures STUDIO Online Class where students 8-15 years learned how to draw landsccapes, architecture, perspecitve and portraits, including virtual studio tours of contemporary artists!
-Partnered with Central Studios (STL) to bring to life Penguins, Polar Bears, and Mermaids with 2D drawings, 3D set constructions, movement and dance for summer’s debut of DanceArt Camp (via Zoom) with fully-packed, weekly art kits
–Built our famous snow globes
–Explored Chinese Artusing new art materials: Bamboo brushes, ink and rice paper
-Celebrated Holiweek and created our own colored paints
-Dove into color mixingwith transclucent vellum and Elmer the Elephant in Mini-Art Adventures
-Created a stain glass mosaicforMother’s Day
–Made our very own2D-3D FROZEN translucent collage posters inArt Adventure Class
-Made haunted houses, painted foam skulls and bones, and createdspooky necklacesin our FREE Halloween Kids Art Event! (in collaboration with Blue Bus Project held at the Culture Lab in Long Island City)
-Designed and Celebrated a 5 and 3 year old unicorn and construction birthday partyduring Covid-19
-Toured the newly-opened Metropolitan Museum of Art this fall with families: 2 boys, ages 8 & 11 with their grandparents, metal embossing + projects exploring Impressionism and color theory!
Be ready 2021, we are coming for you with new joy and inspiration in our hearts!
The pandemic has provided for more “home time” than ever before… which has lended new emerging artists (+ kids!) to “think outside of the box” as they have been “inside a box” (house) for way too long. See below to use household items in drawings & papier-mâché:)
An example is the “Ode to Helen Rosner’s Roast Chicken” by Agnes Barton, 39 from Corvallis, Oregon. She has been crafting with the things around her house during the pandemic. Barton-Sabo used “flour, water, masking tape, two issues of the New Yorker and acrylic paint” to share the joys of Helen Rosner’s viral video of “drying chicken skin with a hair dryer.”She wants her artwork during this time to evoke emotions of laughter by her ridiculous imagery(Cavna, 2020).
Another young man, Kristián Mensa in 2016 (before the pandemic), also reimagined “every day objects” to talented pieces of artwork! “To create these whimsical compositions, Mensa pairs…items with minimalist drawings that incorporate the 3D elements among bold lines.” He takes half of an orange (peeled) to use for the back of a turtle or a row of paintbrushes and draws a man mowing over them (Barnes, 2016).
Thankfully, we have outlandish artwork like these due to the work of the impressionists in the 19th century who wanted to go against the “rigid and carefully finished images of the Académies des Beaux-Arts (historical subjects, realistic themes and portraits)” and instead pushed for color, emotion, personality, and imagination in landscape and still life. It also opened the way, for a new modern medium, photography– which at first impressionists thought it “devalued their art skill” until they curved their perception and “sought to express nature and modern city life” in their own pieces (Lumen Learning, N/A)
Here is a painting from Dina D’ Argo, 56, from Springfield, Tennessee, whom used acrylic paints to paint “In the Void.” The painting shares the emotion of “stepping into the unknown.”As humans, we can’t see what is up ahead and so we move with uncertainty into the future. “The veil symbolizes not only the unwillingness to accept reality, but also our cultural preoccupation with covering or uncovering one’s face, and what it represents or says about who we are as a society…” The floating finally reminds the viewer that we must accept the chaos and go with the flow of life(Cavna, 2020).
How creative have your kids been during quarantine? Share with us! Email your images of artwork: claire@clairescreativeadventures.com with the subject line reading, “Quarentine Artwork” or tag your artwork on your social media accounts: Instagram: @clairescreative OR Facebook: @clairescreativeadventures and send us a quick instant message saying that you sent your artwork.
Are you a NYC family hoping to expose your children to the fascinating world of art around you which they can enjoy? Do you have friends or family members seeking a truly memorable cultural experience together? Want to drop off your kids for stimulating activities? As the holidays are upon us and family gatherings in NY are being reduced, what better way to spend time together than an activity you can all do together in a small group?GET A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR 1 CHILD or GO AS A SMALL GROUP!
Claire’s Creative Museum Adventures, are unique professional artist or theme-based museum tours that are energetic, educational AND entertaining! Children are introduced to modern and contemporary artists and diverse cultures based on current exhibits from the myriad of NYC museums and galleries (and if desired, their accompanying adults!)
Last week, Claire embarked on a (pre-–reserved) visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to get a feel of the new restrictions, regulations, and current exhibits (and crowd sizes limited to 25% capacity) in order to tailor a unique art-making tour for two boys, ages 8 & 11 with their grandparents on Saturday! Surprisingly, amidst the new metal detectors, temperature checks and extreme crowd control by personnel, everything went very smoothly. Given the grandparents were accompanying us to enjoy watching the boys interact, Claire ordered the exhibits and content to facilitate smooth transitions from gallery to gallery.
Monet’s tints
Van Gogh
Van Gogh’s Lines
Metal Embossing sunflowers (Favorite project)
Metal Embossing Starry Night (Favorite project)
Van Gogh’s swirling lines
Favorite piece! Abstract Expressionism
Thumbs up to a great tour @ the Met!
Starting with the Arabic Wing, the boys learned about the various ⭐️ ✡️ symbols and the early calligraphers of the Qu’ran (whose lines were an inspiration to modern painter Jackson Pollock.) Next, they travelled to see how the French Salon imposed their strict painterly rules, which in turn, inspired the Impressionists to rebel and move outdoors to paint the light. Students enjoyed making their own Monet & Van Gogh embossings plus learning the science behind Color Theory, before moving on to the Modern Wing, in order to see how ancient history is used in Abstract Expressionism. Knowing boys, and with a keen sense of age-appropriation, Claire demystified the museum and art processes by making them easy to understand and exciting to learn!
You do a great job introducing sophisticated material to the kids– without dumbing it down nor having it go over their heads. That’s a tricky balance and you do it well!” -J.K.
Unique materials are used for a wide variety of take-home art projects relating to each artist, in a Museum Adventures gift bag. (Adults also may be included!) In Museum Adventures, we organize each tour and provide all of the supplies, education and entertainment while actively engaging the children in the fantastic world of art, from museum arrival to departure. We even learn museum etiquette! Ages 3.5 & up.
Let’s get into the costume, candy giving spirit of Halloween! We will be hosting a Halloween party with lots of spooky, creepy crafts. More details coming soon!
How to age-appropriate Slime? We believe one medium can be ameliorated to multi-level learning through creative programming…. And here’s how!
While the mixture of the Slime is the same, the Art Challenges we present are not.
Combining museum-inspired work with an art education for any age- with keen age-appropriated challenges is what makes this curriculum unique. While making art, children are inspired by the art of NYC and the world, even recognizing major artists and styles at ages 3 & 4 years old.
For example, when Joseph Cornell exhibited at the Met., Claire knew this was a great opportunity to keep her slime-crazed students happy– by having them design apothecary-style Joseph Cornell boxes with a wide array of high-end papers and materials, including chalkboard paper and white acrylic markers to write their own French words. Then she took them to the museum.
Using found objects & a decoupage technique, students made shadow boxes for their slimes(!) with an apothecary look, a signature aspect of Assemblage artist Joseph Cornell. Assemblage Art is a form of sculpture comprised of any organic or man-made material/ found objects & assembled together to create a piece based on each child’s choices and personalities. We brainstormed, collected, arranged and layered to visualize aspects of ourselves and to construct a memory in a box.
Students’ addition of white charcoal pencil, Chinese ink, brushes, calligraphy, letters and words (also French!) helped us to also discover the fun in designing their shadow boxes!
Art Adventure (Ages 3 to 8), Rendezvous: (Art, French and Lunch): (Ages 3 to 5), Art Adventures Studio: (Ages 9 and up), DanceArt Expression: (Ages: 3-8), Drawing Adventures: (with Jonathan Lex and various professional local artists): (Ages 9-12) & (Ages: 13-15), Music Adventures (Ages: 2-3), Music & Art Adventures (Ages: 2-3), Global Adventures (Ages: 5 and up), Social Justice Art History Class: (Ages: 10-15), Digital Photography and Social Media Class with Social Justice (Ages: 10 to 15), Monthly Art Workshops for Parents & Children (Featuring Visiting Artists), Bubbs Ross: Painting (and tasting) for Adults.
Art Adventure (Ages 3 to 8), Rendezvous: (Art, French and Lunch): (Ages 3 to 5), Art Adventures Studio: (Ages 9 and up), DanceArt Expression: (Ages: 3-8), Drawing Adventures: (with Jonathan Lex and various professional local artists): (Ages 9-12) & (Ages: 13-15), Music Adventures (Ages: 2-3), Music & Art Adventures (Ages: 2-3), Global Adventures (Ages: 5 and up), Social Justice Art History Class: (Ages: 10-15), Digital Photography and Social Media Class with Social Justice (Ages: 10 to 15), Monthly Art Workshops for Parents & Children (Featuring Visiting Artists), Bubbs Ross: Painting (and tasting) for Adults.
