Summer Art Program at Somers High School 2016 Mary Curran, Sarah Burda, and Kyle Kipfer (SHS Art Teachers), will once again be offering specialized art instruction for Elementary students (entering Grades 2-5) Middle school students (entering Grades 6-9) and High School/Adults students (entering Grades 10-Adult) The schedule will run for four weeks from July 5 th through July 30th. The courses will be offered in week-long and 3 or 4 day sessions with morning (9:00a-11:30 am) and afternoon (12:00-2:30 pm) schedules. All classes will be held in the art wing of the high school, in rooms 164 and 166. We will use the outdoor (Band) exit in the rear of the building for coming and going and will be closing off the art wing to allow the normal cleaning activities of the building to continue un-interrupted. If you choose to take a morning and afternoon class together, we will have a supervised ½ hour lunch break students need to bring their own lunch. The HS building closes early in the summer so please plan for prompt pick-up at 2:30! Prices and dates for each class are listed in the descriptions. All classes have a separate materials fee to be paid directly to the teacher at the first class. The materials fees include ALL project materials and equipment use. (paint/pencils/ink etc., paper, canvas, clay, glazes, etc., as well as kiln firing, equipment and tool use.) Sewing class has additional materials that students need to bring. Classes are limited to 16 students each, and will be cancelled with an enrollment of less than 4. PLEASE NOTE: *Clay A may be taken as a single class, but Clay B classes must have the prerequisite of Clay Club A.
The schedule will run as follows: Week 1 (July 5-8) Morning session: 9-11:30 AM CLAY A: Middle through Adult CLAY A: H.S/Adult Do you have some clay experience and just need the time and space to make your clay creations a reality? This course is designed for students who have some handbuilding and/or wheel experience and would like to build a few new pieces or even explore a new technique! We will cover underglazing techniques (applying color to wet clay) and texturing of surfaces, but mainly this is a week to create! Bring your sketches, ideas and energy! Clay pieces will be dried and fired the following week, and ready for pick up week 3 to paint at home - or can be glazed in Clay B during week 3 of our program. NOTE: This class runs ONLY four days: Tuesday-Friday Instructor: Sarah Burda Drawing and Painting in COLOR : Elementary In this class we explore color through drawing and painting! We will learn some unique methods of expressing ourselves in water color, tempera paint, chalk pastel and mixed media in both large and small ways. We will learn amazing methods of working with color to make some incredible, frameable pieces of art work. NOTE: This class runs ONLY four days: Tuesday-Friday
Afternoon session: 12 noon-2:30 PM CLAY CLUB A: Elementary We will have a clayful, playful week of delightfully muddy hands making art with clay! Using pinch, coil and slab techniques and all kinds of tools, we will make everything from mugs to planters to creatures! New projects and twists on past projects included! CLAY CLUB A must be taken before CLAY CLUB B. Products from Clay Club A will be fired once and not glazed. NOTE: This class runs ONLY four days: Tuesday-Friday Instructor: Kyle Kipfer ADVANCED DRAWING: Middle through Adult This class is for anyone who LOVES to draw and wants to push their skills to the limit! You will explore drawing by looking at subject matter from different viewpoints and experimenting with traditional media, all the while finding your own artistic voice! We will use ink wash, pen and ink, charcoal, chalk pastel and graphite to explore everything from outdoor landscape drawing to small object studies. NOTE: This class runs ONLY four days: Tuesday-Friday Week 2: July 11-15 Morning Session: 9-11:30 AM THE BIG CREATURE SCULPTURE: Elementary
Dinosaur? Elephant? Fat cow? Let s make a giant animal sculpture!!! In this class we will use several sculpture techniques to build a GIANT animal of your choice!!! WHEEL THROWN CLAY: H.S/Adult Have you ever wanted to throw a pot on the wheel and see what the mystery is all about? This class is designed for the beginner to intermediate potter s wheel student so that you can do just that! We will cover mainly cylinder (mug) and bowl shapes, along with pulling handles and making simple lids. This is your chance to see if the magic of creating pottery is something that inspires you! All work will be dried and fired the following week and ready for pick up week 3 to paint at home (for decoration only) or, in order to be food safe, can be glazed in Clay B during week 3 of our program. NOTE: This class runs ONLY four days: Monday-Thursday Instructor: Sarah Burda Afternoon Session: 12 noon-2:30 PM NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY: Elementary through middle and adult. GRADES K&1 WELCOME WITH A REGISTERED ADULT! This class is for all ages! Using techniques of the San Ildefonso, the Acoma and other Native American cultures of the southwest, we will build, polish and decorate black on black and polychrome pottery. All work will be fired once, and for one day, Saturday July 30, we will hold a traditional all day, out door pit firing. It isn t necessary to attend the pit firing for the full day, or even at all, however, but all work will be included. Parents and children are encouraged to take this class together and volunteer parents are welcome on the pit -firing day. If the conditions are too wet, the pit firing will be cancelled and polished red clay pottery will simply remain red (and
not turn black). Elementary students may NOT attend the pit firing without an adult. CARTOONING AND ILLUSTRATION: Middle through Adult Experiment with different styles of drawing and cartooning characters for your own comics. Learn some pencil sketching and planning techniques also adding ink outlines, colored pencil, and watercolor! Illustrate and express yourself with words like poetry or stories and create comic strips that could someday inspire a series or animation. Instructor: Kyle Kipfer Week 3: July 18-22 Morning Session: 9-11:30 AM CLAY B - GLAZING: H.S./Adult If you took Clay A during week 1 or Wheel Throwing during week 2 of our program, here is your chance to glaze your pieces! We will work with under and overglazing techniques to put the finishing touches on your work. Pieces will be fired and available for pick up at the end of week 4 of our program. **IMPORTANT NOTE: This class runs ONLY three days: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Instructor: Sarah Burda $60 ($15 materials fee) JUNK ART: Elementary Did you know there are LOTS of artists who make art out of JUNK??? Let s
create some beautiful and interesting 2-D artwork and 3-D sculptures using computer parts, household packaging and many other found objects! Afternoon Session: 12 Noon-2:30 PM CLAY CLUB B - GLAZING: Elementary During Clay Club B, Colorful slip, paint and glazes will be used to finish the work that was made during Clay Club A. **IMPORTANT NOTE: This class runs ONLY three days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Instructor: Kyle Kipfer $60 ($15 materials fee) SEWING BASICS: Middle school through adult Do you have a portable sewing machine? Are you interested in fashion or making your own clothes? Then you ll need to start somewhere! We will make a simple pillow case and tote bag to practice. Then, using a commercial pattern for an apron, you will stitch your way to more confident sewing! Students must bring a working portable sewing machine that can stitch a straight and a zig zag stitch and 1.25 yards (45 wide) or 1 yard (60 wide) of cotton or cotton blend fabric along with matching thread for the apron. Pattern and all other practice materials will be provided. $100 ($10 materials fee)
Week 4: July 25-29 Morning Session: 9-11:30 AM TINY CRITTERS!! Elementary Bugs, mice, butterflies and hummingbirds!! What other tiny critters can we find? Fairies and gnomes, maybe?? In this class, we will paint, sculpt and draw, taking inspiration from the tiny beings found in nature and folklore. Afternoon Session: 12 Noon-2:30 PM ABSTRACT PAINTING: Middle school through Adult In this class, we will explore a range of abstract painting styles. We will take a stylistic turn on reality and work toward complete abstraction with a variety of painting techniques. We will use some water color, some tempera, but mostly acrylic on canvas, including a large stretched canvas piece as a finale. If you ve ever wanted to create some expressive, colorful work.this class is for you!
Instructor Profiles: *Mary Curran has taught art at every grade level, K-12, in public schools since 1981. Currently teaching at Somers High School, she holds a BFA/ed from the University of Massachusetts with a studio emphasis in Printmaking and an MA in Education from American International College. A long time resident of Tucson, Arizona, Mary has returned to her roots in New England. As an artist, she has worked in a wide variety of art media including costume design, large-scale mural and mosaic installation, primitive pottery firing, landscape painting and portrait drawing, and more recently, a concentration in ceramics. mary.curran@somers.k12.ct.us *Sarah Burda taught privately and worked as a rare book conservator before becoming a public school art educator in 2003. Sarah received her BFA from Syracuse University with a concentration in Printmaking and Ceramics, as well as a MALS fine art from Wesleyan University, and has been teaching Ceramics and Sculpture at SHS since 2005. sarah.burda@somers.k12.ct.us *Kyle Kipfer taught a variety of summer and private art courses while studying Illustration at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. After completing his BFA at UConn Kyle worked in the field of graphic design before returning to school at Central Connecticut State University to acquire his Art Education teaching certification. Kyle continues to work as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator while teaching part time and coaching freshman basketball, track and Unified Sports at Somers High School. kyle.kipfer@somers.k12.ct.us