A Look Back at Our 2019 Weekend Art Workshops – The Richmond Neighborhood Center

Each weekend during the school year, our Multicultural Children’s Art Program (MCAP) hosts free Weekend Art Workshops that introduce elementary school youth to a wide variety of artistic techniques and styles from around the world. The program also hosts a week-long Spring Break Camp and an annual MCAP Faire at the end of the school year, where families and kids of all ages can try their hand at fun, creative activities.

Now that summer is here, let’s take a look back at our favorite projects from the past year! Ranging from Cherokee artwork to Chinese watercolors and even Mother’s Day cards, youth participants had a blast exploring all kinds of new inspirations.

dia de los muertos mask — **Dia de los Muertos** – To celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead, children made Calavera skull sachets stuffed with sage and rose petals.

cherokee medicine bags — **Cherokee Medicine Bags** – In this workshop, we introduced youth to the history of the Cherokee Nation, their bead art style, and the spiritual significance of the medicine bag—then they made their own!

lunar new year pig stuffies — **Lunar New Year** – 2019 is the year of the pig in the Chinese Zodiac, so to commemorate it, children made little pig stuffies!

chinese watercolors — **Chinese Watercolors** – In this series of classes, students learned traditional Chinese watercolor brushstroke techniques, then applied them to paintings of nature scenes featuring waterfalls, rivers, mountains, and trees.

**Street Art** – These workshops were inspired by street art in 1970s New York City. Children learned bubble and block letter techniques and used spray paint to apply them on a large scale!

ruth asawa wire art — **Ruth Asawa Wire Sculptures** – In this class, children discovered local heroine Ruth Asawa’s wire art, then experimented with wire to create their own sculptures!

yayoi kusama infinity rooms — **Yayoi Kusama Infinity Rooms** – Using reflective mylar and mixed media, children made diorama-sized versions of legendary contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama’s mirrored Infinity Rooms.

mcap spring break camp comic books — **Spring Break Camp Comic Books** – In this four-day, arts-intensive camp, children focused their efforts on printmaking and comic book making.

mcap spring break camp t-shirts — **Spring Break Camp T-Shirts** – Also during camp, we had a special block print made, and children were able to print and tie-dye their own camp t-shirts!

magic hecksagrams — **Kristin Farr** – Turning the spotlight to a local contemporary artist, youth learned how to create one of Kristin Farr’s neo-folk art “Magic Hecksagrams!”

mcap mother's day cards — **Mother’s Day Cards** – To show appreciation for our mothers and mother figures, children learned how to use transfer paper and watercolors to make homemade greeting cards!

We’re so proud of all the students who showed their creativity and skill in this year’s Weekend Art Workshops, and we can’t wait to get started with next year’s! Check back in the fall for registration info.