5-day artmaking workshop based in the historic and creative neighborhood of Rocky Neck in Gloucester, MA.
Who: Aspiring artists entering grades 6-8
Where: The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester
When: Monday, August 12 through Friday, August 16, 2024, 9 AM – 12 PM
Contact: RNAC.programs@gmail.com, 978-515-7004
Cost: $100 (a generous subsidy form a donor, along with help from the Gloucester Cultural Council, enables us to keep the fee low)
To Register: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/1bd7a133-ea60-45b3-995c-ef95fc75037e
Each day, the workshop will be taught by a different working Rocky Neck Artist:
Loren Doucette – pastels
Vanessa Michalek – oils
Amy Kerr- colored pencils
Erin O’Sullivan-Place- ceramics
AJ Jarret – comics
To Register: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/1bd7a133-ea60-45b3-995c-ef95fc75037e
Rocky Neck Art Colony, the oldest art community in America, is proud to offer emerging artists entering grades 6-8 a very special one-week summer workshop, August 12 – 16, 9 AM – Noon.
For more than 150 years this place has inspired artists to make their mark in history here on the rocky shores of Cape Ann. Now, young artists will have a chance to follow in the footsteps of artists such as Edward Hopper and Nell Blaine, as they immerse themselves in this exciting five-day art adventure! The wharves, marine railways, historic paint manufactory, parks, and beaches of Rocky Neck will serve as inspiration for this exploration in creativity.
Young artists will enjoy classes in painting, pastels, colored pencils, comics and ceramic with practicing Rocky Neck artists who bring a depth of knowledge and passion for artistic expression to their work. Our professional artist instructors will mentor students and encourage them to use each medium in a personal, meaningful, and expressive way.
Our small workshop group will enable participants to receive individual attention in a relaxed, fun, and welcoming space where experimentation in the art-making process is emphasized. New skills will be developed, new friendships will be formed, and young artists will build the confidence to create and share their art-making experience in the world. Let the Rocky Neck Art Colony inspire students to make their mark!
Workshop Leader Leslie Heffron is a practicing artist, art educator, and registered nurse. Most recently she managed the MGH Revere Youth Zone, an after school program and summer camp. Ms. Heffron has exhibited her work throughout the United States and currently shows her work at the Salted Cod Arthouse on Rocky Neck. The working waterfront at Pigeon Cove harbor is the inspiration for her most recent paintings, drawings, and videos.
Leslie considers ages 11-14 the magic years, so she developed the workshop for students entering grades 6, 7, and 8.
Artist Instructors include Vanessa Michalak, Loren Doucette, Amy Kerr, AJ Jerrett and Erin O’Sullivan Place.
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
Loren Doucette received a BFA in Drawing and Painting from Montserrat College of Art. Using acrylic, pastel and gouache, her work includes architectural landscapes unique to Gloucester’s harbor, vibrant floral paintings, emotional figurative work and abstractions. For Loren’s full bio and to see some of her work, visit: www.lorendoucetteart.com
________________________
A.J. Jerrett (he/him/his) runs a business as a graphic designer, draws caricatures at events, teaches art to children and adults and is a writer and illustrator of comics and books for children. A.J. lives in Reading with his wife, kids, dog, cat and a few mice in his basement who appear to be smarter than the cat. Visit A.J.’s website at ajjerrett.com and follow him on Instagram @ajjerrett.
__________________________
Amy Kerr is a Gloucester portrait artist who works in colored pencil and pastel. In 2017 she founded the public art and writing project, I Am More, as a reminder that we are more than our mental illness, health diagnosis, disability or life situation. Her portraits are accompanied by essays by the subject describing how they are more than their challenges. I Am More has been seen in shopping malls, hospitals, universities, the Massachusetts State House and other public spaces around the northeast. For Amy’s full bio., visit: www.amykerrdraws.org
__________________________
Vanessa Michalak – After graduating with her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Vanessa became Penn State Altoona’s visiting artist in residence/professor. She has also taught at Massachusetts Snow Farm teen summer arts camp and at Walnut Hill School of the Arts in Natick. Vanessa attributes her passion for plein air painting and the landscape to her Maine childhood where she often roamed the woods and played outside. Vanessa Michalak has exhibited widely both regionally and nationally. She is passionate about investing in positive youth development through the arts. She runs her gallery, Michalak Fine Art, on Madfish Wharf on Rocky Neck in Gloucester. For Vanessa’s full bio, visit: www.vanessamichalak.com
__________________________
Erin O’Sullivan has been making art since childhood, drawing inspiration from the ocean. Her clay sculpture continues that study of where water meets land. As a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, she traveled throughout the country for teaching opportunities, ultimately returning home to Gloucester. Come experience a clay class, and begin your journey in making art at the water’s edge.
LOGISTICAL DETAILS
AFTER REGISTERING, PARENTS AND WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS WILL BE SENT PERMISSIONS, WAVERS, AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS.
9 AM – 12 PM, Monday, August 12 through Friday, August 16, 2024 at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester. 978-515-7004. Please pack a disposable SNACK and DRINK for your child each day of the workshop. Dress for a mess! The Rocky Neck Art Colony workshop instructors will assume responsibility for the supervision of participants for the 5 minutes preceding class, the scheduled class time, and 5 minutes after class. Please respect the busy schedule of the studio by being prompt in dropping off and picking up your student.
Photo Waiver Release The Rocky Neck Art Colony Summer Workshop has permission to use photographic images or likeness of my child for promotional and/or online materials.
Illness Policy In order to keep our emerging artists healthy, we ask that if your student has had a fever or shown signs of illness within 48 hours to keep them home from the workshop. Participants showing symptoms of illness, such as runny nose and cough, will be asked to leave the workshop.
Cancellation Policy and Refunds If you cancel two or more weeks in advance of the workshop you will receive a refund. If cancellation occurs less than two weeks prior to the workshop, you will not receive a refund or a credit. If cancellation occurs less than two weeks prior due to illness or an emergency you may receive a credit.
Privacy Policy We don’t sell or share any personal information with third party partners or affiliates.
This workshop is supported by the Gloucester Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council