Out in the community
Our teaching artists have been running a six-week teen art series at Kent Library this summer — and the work coming out of it is wonderful.
Shrink art day
On July 31, Stacey Ruud stepped in to lead the group through shrink art — draw it big, watch it shrink small and thick and glossy, then turn it into something you can actually carry around. The teens made keychains, charms, and a few pieces that went well past the assignment.
“Shrink art was a success,” Stacey reported afterward. “Look at the adorable things they made! It was a lot of fun — I enjoyed it.”
That one deserves a closer look. Mercury through Pluto, Ceres included, a labeled M87 black hole in the corner, and the whole thing rising over a sun drawn in hot orange and yellow. Nobody asked for astronomy that day.
The rest of the group went in every direction at once — pets and cats, cartoon characters, cherries, peace signs, initials, a favorite verse, a watermelon slice. Six weeks in, they have gotten comfortable making things that are unmistakably theirs.
The series
The series is taught by James “Jimi” Derungs, with support from our teaching artists when scheduling calls for it. It is exactly the kind of partnership we like: our instructors bringing materials and structure, the library bringing the space and the young people who show up for it.
There is more to come. The group visits Hudson Valley InterArts for a tour and a session in our digital art room, and the series wraps with teens designing custom logos and printing them on their own shirts — a full run from sketch to something they wear out the door.
Thank you, Kent Library
Thanks to the Kent Library team for hosting and for building a summer program teens actually want to attend. We would happily do it again.
Interested in bringing InterArts teaching artists to your library, school, or organization? Get in touch.