UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa -- The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State will hold summer workshops for children, youth, adults and teachers. Workshops are free, but participants must preregister by contacting the curator of education at 814-863-9188 or dck10@psu.edu. Space is limited, so register early.
10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 6Workshop for Children and Youth: "WILD Animations!"Lillian Lewis, art museum educator and doctoral student in art education
Explore works from the "Flora and Fauna" exhibition and make them come to life in this exciting workshop! Sketch in the gallery and write short fictional stories about a plant or animal represented in the exhibition, then create a series of drawings and recordings to tell the story. Participants will create stop-motion animated videos to share with friends and family. Recommended for children ages 10–14. A parent or adult learning partner is encouraged to accompany young attendees; participants should wear appropriate clothing for working with materials.
10:15 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 20Workshop for Families: "Pollinators in the Garden"Pam Ford, master gardener, Penn State Extension
Plants and flowers are more than just beautiful—they feed pollinators such as bats, bees, moths, beetles, and birds! Learn more about specific flowers and animals in the "Flora and Fauna" exhibition and spend time in the sculpture garden discovering local pollinators and planting seeds that will attract them to your garden. Recommended for all ages—bring your friends and family! For more information on the Penn State Extension Master Gardener program, please visit https://extension.psu.edu/plants/master-gardener.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 2310 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 2410 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 2510 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, June 2610 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 27Workshop for Teachers: "Little Learners, Big Ideas"
The Summer Institute on Contemporary Art is a free professional development institute at Penn State. This summer, preschool and K-12 art teachers are invited to spend five summer days exploring the pedagogical spaces created by and within communities of young learners. The institute is a means to put theory into practice by exploring themes related to the construction of childhood; kinderculture, visual culture, and critical thinking; and the “big questions” that may be developed through the study of contemporary art. Participants will co-develop approaches to incorporating contemporary art into their curricula; discuss readings on contemporary art, pedagogical theory, museums, and curriculum; engage in group discussions, in-gallery experiences, and studio projects; and take away new information and images for classroom use.
Facilitated by Dana Carlisle Kletchka, curator of education, and B. Stephen Carpenter II, professor of art education. Act 48 credits are available or educators may enroll in Art Education 597A: "Professional Development Summer Institute" to participate in the institute followed by a five-week online course.
Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 27Workshop for Adults: "Vibrant Glass Mosaics: Experiments with Color and Composition"MinSoo Kim-Bossard, art educator
MinSoo Kim-Bossard will first guide participants through the "Luminous Allure: Studio Glass from the Collection of Audrey and Norbert Gaelen" exhibition and then create mosaic sculpture inspired by the glass vessels in the gallery. Participants will analyze the composition and the vibrant colors of glass sculptures and make a mosaic sculpture using glass tiles on a sculpture base. Please bring a piece of wood, ceramic form, or other 3-D object to use as a base. Participants should wear appropriate clothing for working with materials.
10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 11Workshop for Children and Youth: "Piece it Together: Glass Tiles"MinSoo Kim-Bossard, art educator
Discuss the infinite variety of colors and patterns on the glass vessels in the "Luminous Allure: Studio Glass from the Collection of Audrey and Norbert Gaelen" exhibition and then design and create your very own tile with multicolored glass mosaic pieces. Recommended for children ages 6–10. A parent or adult learning partner is encouraged to accompany young attendees; participants should wear appropriate clothing for working with materials.
10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 18Workshop for Children and Youth: "Spectacular Hues"Sarah Daiker, graduate student in art history
Explore variation in color and pattern in the exhibition "Luminous Allure: Studio Glass from the Collection of Audrey and Norbert Gaelen" and then engage in a variety of color-based explorations, including tissue paper stars, blown bubble prints, and color-resist compositions made with crayons and watercolor. Recommended for children ages 5–8. A parent or adult learning partner is encouraged to accompany young attendees; participants should wear appropriate clothing for working with materials.
Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 18Workshop for Adults: "Making Impressions: Scenes of the Natural World"Robin Gibson, associate professor of art and printmaker
View the "Flora and Fauna" exhibition with an eye toward print processes as well as subject matter, and then join printmaker Robin Gibson, who will guide you through the making of a cyanotype photogram, a non-silver photographic technique. Participants are encouraged to bring in small specimens of plants, flowers, or even weeds, which will be used to create white silhouettes in the blue field of a cyanotype. There will also be opportunities for hand drawing—please consider bringing in source images of some of your favorite plants and flowers to add to the composition. Participants should wear appropriate clothing for working with materials.
10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 25Workshop for Children and Youth: "Prints from Nature"Sue Uhlig, art educator and doctoral student in art education
Explore the textures, patterns, and colors of nature by viewing the "Flora and Fauna" exhibition and then engaging in simple printmaking processes such as leaf printing, surface rubbings, and hammered flower prints. Recommended for children ages 4–6. A parent or adult learning partner is encouraged to accompany young attendees; participants should wear appropriate clothing for working with materials.
Noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 25Workshop for Adults: "The Art and Science of Glassblowing"Glassblowing Shop, Department of Chemistry
View "Luminous Allure: Studio Glass from the Collection of Audrey and Norbert Gaelen" at the Palmer Museum of Art and then travel to the Glassblowing Shop in the Department of Chemistry in the Eberly College of Science to learn more about the chemical properties and processes inherent in the creation of glass forms.
Workshop participants should meet in the lobby. For more information on scheduled events, please call 814-865-7672. The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays, and will be closed Saturday, July 4.
The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Children's and family programs are partially funded by the James E. Hess and Suzanne Scurfield Hess Endowment for Art Education in the Palmer Museum of Art and the Ruth Anne and Ralph Papa Endowment. All other programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art unless otherwise noted.