This week's Mad Science-themed art camp was a thrilling journey through creativity and scientific exploration!
Discovering Frankenstein
We kicked off the week by learning about the infamous Frankenstein's creation. However, we discovered that while he seemed like a monster, he was really just looking for kindness, acceptance, and friendship. This revelation shined a different light on what many of us initially thought was something scary. To celebrate this new understanding, we all painted ceramic Frankenstein friends! Each camper added adorable features, giving their creations unique quirks, personalities, and backstories. It was so exciting to see these creations come to life!
Einstein and Cubism
Continuing with the theme of wacky scientists, we learned about Albert Einstein and his incredible contributions to science, as well as his "uncombable hair syndrome" that gave him his iconic look. Tying the lesson back to art, the students were introduced to another genius with similar obsessive qualities, Pablo Picasso, and his invention of Cubism. Fusing the two subjects, our campers created their own Cubist Einsteins, portraying his features from different angles and perspectives. Each portrait came out unique and special, reflecting the campers' individual artistic visions.
Sculpting Adventures
Our next lesson focused on sculptures and various notable works. From the Xian Terracotta Warriors to Jeff Koons' giant pile of Playdoh, our campers explored the fundamental aspects of sculpting, including form, space, modeling, armature, structural integrity, and additive techniques. The result was an array of amazing little volcanoes, carefully designed and decorated, with accompanying landscapes to support the structures.
Neurographic Art
Taking a sensory break from our hands on projects, we switched gears to Neurographic Art, a meditative drawing practice that stimulates new neural pathways by combining art and psychology. This endeavor was incredibly impressive, as the entire studio went silent for nearly 30 minutes with everyone in a deep meditative state. The outcome of this craft was absolutely stunning, showcasing the campers' ability to blend mindfulness with creativity.
Engineering and Invention
Our final day of camp was a big day of engineering and invention! The campers learned how to build circuits using copper wires, LED lights, and an energy source. We created lighthouse drawings, and using the circuits we built, we were able to get the lighthouses to glow! Seeing each camper's expressions light up as their crafts came to life was so inspiring!
The Grand Finale: Erupting Volcanoes
To close off our science week, we ended with a classic science experiment. Each table created their own group volcano, with each camper's name written and hidden messages of friendship and inspiring phrases. We added our mix of baking soda and vinegar and watched each volcano erupt, slightly tweaking and modifying the formula each time to produce bigger and brighter eruptions!
This week was truly special, filled with inventions and a blend of creative and critical thinking. We are so proud of our little scientist artists and can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead next week!