Summer 2022 Courses + Registration
Updated: Jul 27, 2022
Marwen’s no-cost programs exist for young artists in Chicago who want to explore visual arts, can commit to a multi-week art class, are in 6th-12th grades during the 2022/23 school year, and do not have access to arts programming due to financial and systemic barriers. Please note, young people who finished 5th grade and will be in 6th grade in the Fall can register for middle school courses. Learn more about our values and how we invest in the power of young artists.
What to know before you register:
Registration is open for one week (June 20 - June 27) at marwen.org/registration.
Summer term includes 14 in-person courses, 2 online courses through Zoom, and 2 application-based programs.
Download Marwen Covid Protocols for Summer 2022
Course selections will be confirmed via email the following week.
Each course meets 5 days a week, M-F, for 2.5 hrs in the morning (10 am - 12:30 pm) or afternoon (2 - 4:30 pm) and runs for 2 weeks.
Free, healthy lunch will be provided in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository between noon - 2 pm for anyone taking classes.
There are two summer sessions. Session 1 is July 11-22. Session 2 is July 25 - August 5.
Have questions? Reach out to us anytime at registrar@marwen.org or via text at 312.374.2968.
SUMMER 2022 COURSES
As you’re scrolling through the courses, keep in mind there are two summer sessions available. Session 1 is July 11- 22 and Session 2 is July 25 - August 5.
SESSION 1:
MONDAY - FRIDAY
JULY 11 - 22
Taught by Dontrell Carter (he/him) + Olivia Comai (she/her)
Grades 6-8 / 10AM - 12:30PM
Develop your own unique style of visual storytelling by learning different ways to draw, write, and panel comic books. Create your own characters, learn to design a comic book, and tell your own stories in brief, dynamic, and impactful ways.
Taught by Pablo Monterrubio (he/him) + Nathan Knize (he/him)
Grades 9-12 / 10AM - 12:30PM
Learn how to create unique and compelling moving image art. Explore different ways to make analog and digital moving images, and learn the stages of video production, cinematography, lighting, and sound design. Experiment with stop-motion techniques such as clay and puppet animation, paper-cut outs, pixilation, and more. Push your skills to the next level and create portfolio-quality video and animation work.
Taught by Abena Motaboli (she/her) + Marcela Okeke (she/they)
Grades 6-8 / 10AM - 12:30PM
Paint the natural world using natural pigments. Learn how to paint using coffee, tea, turmeric, hibiscus, and more. Visit gardens and parks to paint plants, food, and landscapes. Build community, have conversations, and journal about how to be an artist who cares for your community and planet.
Taught by Isra Rene (they/them) + Rachel Dohner (she/they)
Grades 6-8 / 10AM - 12:30PM
Learn practical sewing skills including how to hem, patch, and adjust the fit of your existing garments, then try new ways to customize your clothes. Simple hand- and machine-sewing techniques will be introduced, and a variety of fabrics, buttons, and pre-existing garments will be available for you to deconstruct.
Taught by Bianca Norris (she/her) + Tejalique Williams (she/her)
Grades 6-12 / 10AM - 12:30PM
Learn how to spot fashion trends from your favorite online creatives and develop your fashion portfolio! Look critically at Instagram and Tiktok, research where trends come from and how they become popular, pick your favorite trends, and design an original garment. Most sessions will be held online with a few sessions in person at Marwen where artists will learn basic hand- and machine-sewing techniques.
Taught by Grace Tenneh Kromah (she/her) + Davita Miranda (she/they)
Grades 6-8 / 2-4:30pm
Practice darkroom photography skills and be inspired by Black and POC photographers. Learn the basics of lighting, composition, and darkroom photo processes while you develop your unique eye through experimental projects, each inspired by Black photographers throughout history.
Taught by Lauren Carter (she/her) + Ari Perez-Davila (they/them)
Grades 9-12 / 2-4:30pm
Work with plaster, tape, wire, foam, and found objects to construct abstract figurative sculptures. Deepen your sculpture skills with mold making, life casting, transitions from 2D to 3D art (drawing to sculpture), color mixing with plaster, collage with found objects and mixed media, and developing a conceptual framework for an independently-driven final project.
Taught by TJ Nakano (he/him) + Janiece Maddox (she/they)
Grades 6-8 / 2-4:30pm
Learn the basics of making usable ceramic vessels on the wheel and get comfortable with how clay moves and feels. Practice throwing cylinders and consistently making the basic shapes. Be inspired by historical and contemporary ceramics and explore how ceramicists engage with ideas of race, religion, and pop culture.
SESSION 2:
MONDAY - FRIDAY
JULY 25 - AUGUST 5
Taught by Liliana Alfaro (she/her) + Jendayi Ingram (she/her)
Grades 9-12 / 10am - 12:30pm
Use photography to explore, create meaning, identify, and rewrite narratives around mental, emotional, and relational health. Learn or build upon foundational digital and darkroom photography skills. how to operate an SLR Film/Digital SLR camera, print in the darkroom, make photograms and more advanced darkroom techniques like "burning and dodging.”
Taught by Paul Dean (he/him) + Emma Lu (they, them)
Grades 6-8 / 10am - 12:30pm
How does the built environment affect how you feel? Explore the places you live and play in, get inspired by the city around you, then create your own expressive 3D designs of buildings and spaces. Learn the basics of architectural design using a variety of tools, media, and techniques to build models of reimagined spaces in your home or community.
Taught by Brittany Polk (she/her) + Faviola Anaya Esquivel (she/her)
Grades 9-12 / 10am - 12:30pm
Design outside of the box! Learn the step-by-step process of creating an original garment using repurposed materials. Deconstruct existing clothing, draft a pattern from the pieces, and reconstruct a new garment to your own unique design. Explore mood boarding, fashion illustration, patterning, draping, garment construction, hand- and machine-sewing. Make a shirt with one huge shoulder or a dress with cutouts. The possibilities are endless!
Taught by Kat Jarvinen (she/her) + Kevin Lazaro (he/him)
Grades 6-12 / 10am - 12:30pm
Learn to code your own art website using HTML and CSS! Build an online portfolio to showcase your artwork or create an Internet art project from the ground up. Learn about the history of Internet Art and gain inspiration from digital artists and experimental web designers.
Taught by l o t i Walker (she/her) + Mitchell Cheng (he/him)
Grades 6-8 / 2-4:30pm
This is where foundational principles of photography and technology meet! Learn, play, and experiment with foundational photo techniques and learn how to operate a digital camera. Shoot in manual mode, control basic functions and settings, download images, clean up photos through post-production, and critique a photograph based on basic composition and lighting principles. We'll also explore the ways photography is used as a powerful medium for creative expression, and review the work of photographers of different skill levels for aesthetic inspo.
Taught by Janani Nathan (they/them) + Jacky Alvarado (she/her)
Grades 9-12 / 2-4:30pm
Take painting off a flat canvas and onto a 3D surface! Learn how art transforms depending on the shape, surface, and how it’s used. Select pieces of furniture, sketch ideas for a surface decoration, sand and prepare the objects for painting, then apply a finish.. Explore what home means and how to create comfortable spaces that represent you.
Taught by Keaton Bell (she/her) + Alex Goldin (he/him)
Grades 6-8 / 2-4:30pm
Do you doodle in class or draw people on the bus? Are you interested in capturing people's likeness in public? If you're up for the challenge, learn the essentials of quick portraiture in this fast-paced, action packed class. Are you ready? Draw!
Taught by Aileen Castro (she/they) + Van Gavia (he/him)
Grades 9-12 / 2-4:30pm
Create your own custom skateboard deck! Gain inspiration from skateboarding culture, artists & designers. Learn hands-on painting and drawing techniques and how to digitally paint like a pro using iPads and the Procreate app. Create sketches, designs, and cool illustrations like your favorite skaters. Develop your own personal drawing and design style & paint your own skateboard deck!
Have questions? Reach out to us anytime at registrar@marwen.org or via text at 312.374.2968.