Jennifer Kunin -Art Residencies

Art Residencies

INSPIRING CREATIVITY AND SELF- ESTEEM WHILE PRESENTING PROJECTS IN THE VISUAL ARTS
PAPERMAKING MASK MAKING SCULPTURE BOOKBINDING PRINTMAKING BATIK BEADWORK CERAMICS MIXED MEDIA

Pulp to Pages

Designed for students grades 4 and up.
*Students must be able to meet with visiting artist a minimum of 5 sessions (45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours each)

Objective : Students will become familiar with the historical, environmental and artistic aspects of papermaking. They will learn basic papermaking techniques and a variety of design skills related to creative bookbinding.

Space : A classroom with uncarpeted floors, a sink and several tables.

Activity : Over the course of the 5 days students are introduced to many of the traditions, techniques, and possibilities of paper making and bookbinding. They will spend time making paper that will later be the pages of the artistic book(s) they each make.

SESSION 1 : Introduction, papermaking demonstration and brief hands-on wet work session..

SESSION 2 AND 3 : These will be guided wet work days where students learn various papermaking techniques using a variety of plant fibers to make the papers for their book pages, and learn manipulation techniques to make decorative papers for the covers.

SESSION 4 AND 5 : These days will be dry work days. Students will be shown examples of binding methods, and will choose the format(s) for their book(s) and use this time for binding and embellishing.

These books are beautiful works of art.
They can be made more simply or complex depending on the age level or purpose and can be used as
journals, photo albums, poetry or relief print books, or as pieces of art in themselves.

Handmade Paper Artwork 2D

Designed for residencies in the elementary school with the art teacher, or for any age level where
student groups are limited to one session with the visiting artist. This can also be expanded to
two sessions or more. Ideal session will last 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Objective : Students will become familiar with historical, environmental, and artistic aspects of papermaking. They will learn basic papermaking techniques and creative pulp manipulation techniques.

Space : Classroom with uncarpeted floor, a sink, and 6 or more tables.

Set-Up : There will be 5 or 6 stations, each with one tub of colored pulp, screens, string and scissors. There will also be another station for finishing, clean up, etc. Chairs need to be out of the way.

Activity : Each class may choose from a list of themes, or teachers may offer ideas based on the subject matter currently or soon to be covered. There will be a brief discussion of the history of papermaking and the tree-free alternatives to making paper, followed by a brief demonstration. Students will then be set free to make beautiful compositions in pulp.

In this one hour session students will have learned the papermaking processes of pulling,
couching, manipulating, pressing, drying, and clean-up. It’s very active and very memorable.

Mask Making

Designed for students grades 4 and up
*Students must be able to meet with visiting artist a minimum of 5 sessions (1 1/2 to 2 hours each)

Objective : Students will recognize features that are characteristic of Eskimo masks and others, their meanings and purposes. They will learn to apply this kind of visual language to the creation of their masks. Students will learn papermaking techniques, sculpting and casting techniques and various problem solving skills.

Space : A classroom that can survive clay, plaster and water; a sink and plenty of storage space.

Activity: Students can work collaborately in small groups or alone. Cost will vary accordingly.

SESSION 1 : Slides and discussion, getting into groups and drawing up a plan.

SESSION 2 AND 3 : Clay Sculpting and plaster casting.

SESSION 4 : Packing molds with pulp and pulling sheet paper for surfacing.

SESSION 5 AND 6 : Surfacing, assembling and finishing the mask.

Students make mask parts (face, beak, wings, hands or fish, etc).
Each has a purpose in the meaning of the mask as a whole. The process includes sculpting forms in clay,
casting in plaster and hand packing using cotton linter fiber.
The pieces when dry will be assembled and surfaced in a variety of ways.

During the entire process we will be thinking about and discussing
what meaning and purpose each feature and each mask has. This exercise will
bring students greater understanding technically, culturally and aesthetically as well as
encourage their personal expression.