July 7 - 21

Drawing

David Gersten

Drawing 101 will be taught by David Gersten, Founding Director of Arts Letters and Numbers and longtime Professor of Architecture at the Cooper Union. The class will begin with the basics of drafting and the fundamental relationships between the paper, parallel edge, triangles, pencil, scale and eraser. Working with a series of specific questions the participants will explore the rhythm tempo and spaces of drawing, learning to play these ‘instruments of drawing’ as a musician plays their instruments. We will explore the choreography of drawing and the relationships between what a drawing ‘is’ and is ‘of’, making drawings not to ‘show’ something but to ‘see’ something. The class will lead to increasingly large and complex drawings that allow people to ‘inhabit’ the space of their drawings.

August 5 - 17

Painting

Anthony Titus

Embark on a transformative journey into painting fundamentals with our immersive workshop, where the space of creativity is revered as a culture of attentive listening. Guided by a seasoned mentor, participants engage in personalized 1-on-1 mentorship, fostering meaningful and nurturing relationships within a larger community. Through this experience, discover pathways of artistic expression and self-discovery, guided by your unique perspective.

Whether a beginner, novice, or seasoned artist, explore fundamentals such as color theory, composition, subject matter, paint mediums, and material techniques in a structured and supportive environment. Our workshop encourages participants to embrace the ethos of discovery, finding their artistic voice through peripheral vision and individualized exploration. We will experiment with both conventional and unconventional ideas, pushing the boundaries of painting while honoring some of its most established principles.

Each participant will bring their distinct essence, open mind, and authentic self to the workshop, gaining further insight into their creative potential. Join us for an enriching experience that celebrates the artistry inherent within each individual, igniting a passion for painting and fostering a deep connection to the creative process.

July 24 - August 1

Visual Story Telling

Tony Drazan

Work directly with an award-winning movie maker in the art of visual storytelling. Inspired by true events, personal histories (fiction, documentary, personal narrative, visual essay, etc.) will be shared, explored, and developed using various recording devices. Comedy, tragedy, misery, weakness, suffering, hope, courage, and strength are common narratives throughout many lived experiences, and we will share these narratives through visual storytelling.

The art of finding the story is developed through collaborative explorations. Once the story is found, visual storytelling requires script writing, character development, casting, set development, recording, and editing. This three-week project finds each participant engaged in the creative process, where a story is told, and an art is discovered. The project is open to residents and non-resident participants of all skills and backgrounds. While it is encouraged to participate over the entire three weeks, participants are welcome to apply for abbreviated stints of participation.

August 15-August 22

Filmmaking

Bill Morrison

Bill Morrison’s one-week filmmaking workshop will begin by asking the students to explore and record their personal experiences in Craft 101 through first-person point-of-view filming using their smartphones. As the program nears completion Bill will collect these personal clips treating them as found footage—a technique pivotal to his own filmmaking practice. Participants will then have the opportunity to work with Bill on editing these into a film capturing the many diverse perspectives and learning to craft a cohesive story. Students will experience Morrison's unique hands-on editing and storytelling approach to filmmaking.

July 7-August 30

Filmmaking

Collective Effort

Collectiveffort is a film and media agency within the community development space of Troy, N.Y., whose focus is in building and bridging communities. Throughout the 9-weeks Collectiveffort will be integrating their approach to media within and throughout the Craft 1o1 experience. With this, they will be both on site in Averill Park, as well as their own media space in Troy and participants will work with Collectiveffort through it all. From project conception, budgeting, idea development, cast and crews, scouting locations, and production schedule will be developed, followed by film capturing and editing. This project seeks to see a film project through from conception to projection.   

August 15 -August 22

Visual Mixed-Media

Adam Broomberg

Through conversations amongst ourselves and with a broader international network of artists, activists and educators we will explore creative ways of acting as allies in this time of crisis and intersectional struggles.

As a teenager Adam Broomberg was an anti-apartheid activist. Since then he has engaged with a number of international struggles focussing for more than 20 years on trying to understand and unpack how his Zionist upbringing used various strategies to narrate a particular image of the state of Israel. His cultural work involves attempts to use creative strategies to non-violently counter this narrative and the daily oppression experienced under the occupation. 

We will start by looking at recent projects Adam has produced in Hebron in collaboration with the co-founder of his NGO Artists + Allies x Hebron, the celebrated human rights defender Issa Amro. Issa will join us online from Hebron, Palestine. We will also connect with a number of Palestinian and other artists and cultural organisations both in Palestine and the diaspora. Particularly artists and curators who collaborated with Adam on the exhibition SOUTH WEST BANK which is currently an official collateral event at the Venice Biennale. From there we will move outwards, talking to activists in Sri Lanka and elsewhere to understand how these struggles all intersect and to understand how we can move forward in creative collaborations. 

August 9-14

Sculpture

Nils Folke Anderson

Open to all levels, Sculpture will embrace the larger context of Craft 1o1, inviting participants to consider any of their craft activities— whether wood and metal working, auto repair, food preparation, and beyond— through a sculptural lens. We will do this through placing and discussing work in a variety of sites, both indoors and outdoors. The work may include found objects and new creations. Guidance will be available for participants wishing to independently engage specific sculptural materials and techniques.

Sculpture explores the nature and character of things and substances and forms and spaces. It is a means of change making and world building. Emphasis will be on relation as it occurs in space and time— relation between one object and another, between a work and its context, between parts and whole, between the work and its maker, etc. — in pursuit of new agencies and embedded possibilities.  

Additionally there will be two community projects, also open to everyone:

1. We will create an immersive-scale outdoor 3D color space using a tree as the central light/dark axis, with fixed color points embodying a range of hues and saturations arrayed in precise relation to one another and the whole. This will be a playful, embodied color theory experience.

2. We will make charcoal (aka bio char). Charcoal has many uses, including cooking fuel and soil improvement. The charcoal we make will be suitable for drawing, and the process of making it will invite conversation around carbon capture, regenerative agriculture, and the poetics of transformation
We will explore sculpture as a means of change making and world building. Emphasis will be on relation as it occurs in space and time— relation between one object and another, between a work and its context, between parts and whole, between the work and its maker, etc. — in pursuit of new agencies and embedded possibilities. 

August 5-10

Weaving & Textiles

Margot Becker

An opportunity to immerse yourself in a weaving project of your choice and learn the parts and mechanisms of the floor loom. Mentored by a professional weaver and artist, each student will work through planning a project, warping a floor loom and weaving a finished piece. Gain fundamental understanding of how weaving tension, sett, pattern draft, threading and treadling come together to shape fiber into a unique textile. With room for guided independent work as well as step by step instructions as needed, this week-long program is open to the beginner to experienced weaver.

Weaving is for everyone and its uses are boundless. The interlocking grid can be used to create images, architectural structure, domestic utilitarian objects and more. Use the time, space and equipment of this program to explore the possibilities of creating custom cloth by hand. Weaving is the synchronization of material, machine, mind and body. The ethos behind this program is rooted in exploration and play rather than the dogmatic approach. While honoring the history and tradition of this craft, participants will be encouraged to experiment and dream.