Well, we’re now just two weeks away from the start of my “tour of duty” with the
kids teaching Summer Camp at Lillstreet Art Center. And counting down the days…
It’s going to be a very busy summer. I’m scheduled for the most camp classes
I’ve ever taught in one summer. It’s going to be a lot of fun… and quite exhausting!!!

So now that it’s so close… I felt it was time to re-publish my schedule for those of you
looking for a great place to send your kids this summer. So here’s my schedule of camps
this summer. And remember, I only teach camps for the 8-12 year old group. But there
are other camps for the younger kids too. Check out the full schedule of kids camps,
as well as adult classes, at www.lillstreet.com

WEEK A:  June 7 – June 11
AM: I’m only scheduled as the back-up teacher for Clay & Multimedia…
so if there’s a lot kids signed up for that week, I’m in.

WEEK B:  June 14 – June 18
AM/PM: Chess Camp #1… we only have a week for the kids to build an entire
thematic chess set out of terra cotta! They develop a theme of what their two
“competing” sides are, and then build them & paint them with underglaze.
Oh yeah, and a chess board too! Only five days and a LOT of work!!!

WEEK C:  June 21 – June 25
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia
Basically, “Clay & Multimedia” means that we all do a clay project on Monday,
and then assorted other art projects Tuesday through Friday… with our hope
that all projects are ready to take home on Friday!

WEEK D:  June 28 – July 2nd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK E:  July 5th – July 9th
AM: Wheelthrowing… enough said, the kids get to play on the wheel & make pots!!!
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK H:  July 26th – July 30th
AM: Fire. Forge. Feast… a week of fun teaching with metalsmith Pam Robinson
as we work with the kids to make a dinnerware set. Monday & Tuesday we make plates,
bowls & handles out of clay. Wednesday & Thursday we make knives, forks & spoons
out of metal. Friday we put it all together and have a class potluck lunch…
using their own handmade dinnerware set!

WEEK I:  August 2nd – August 6th
AM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK J:  August 9th – August 13th
AM/PM: Chess Camp #2 – another week, another challenge to finish full chess sets!
Thirty-two pieces, a chess board and a lot of work to get it all done in a week!

WEEK K:  August 16th – August 20th
AM: Wild Things – it’s a week full of animals and animal-themed projects!
Including a group field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday for inspiration!

WEEK L:  August 23rd – August 27th
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds – new this year… clay all week for 8-year old kids!

WEEK M:  August 30th – September 3rd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds

WEEK N: collapse!

For more complete details on Summer Camp at Lillstreet, and the full schedule
of all the other camps for all ages, stop by Lillstreet or check them out online.
www.lillstreet.com.

At the same time, I will also be teaching my adult Beginning Wheelthrowing class
on Tuesday evenings from 7:00pm-10:00pm. Sign-up online for a class!

Well, I just received my schedule for Summer Camp at Lillstreet Art Center.
I love camp. I love working with the kids. I love making art. I love laughing.
And the kids always make me laugh… their stories, their jokes, their enthusiasm.
By choice, I only teach the older age group, 8-12 year olds. I like that they are a bit older
and willing to express themselves through art… and learn about art at the same time.
As well as fulfilling my own “Summer Camp Rule #1” – HAVE FUN!!!

So… barring any last minute changes, here’s my very full summer camp schedule!

WEEK A:  June 7 – June 11
AM: I’m only scheduled as the back-up teacher for Clay & Multimedia…
so if there’s a lot kids signed up for that week, I’m in.

WEEK B:  June 14 – June 18
AM/PM: Chess Camp #1… we only have a week for the kids to build an entire
thematic chess set out of terra cotta! They develop a theme of what their two
“competing” sides are, and then build them & paint them with underglaze.
Oh yeah, and a chess board too! Only five days and a LOT of work!!!

WEEK C:  June 21 – June 25
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia
Basically, “Clay & Multimedia” means that we all do a clay project on Monday,
and then assorted other art projects Tuesday through Friday… with our hope
that all projects are ready to take home on Friday!

WEEK D:  June 28 – July 2nd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK E:  July 5th – July 9th
AM: Wheelthrowing… enough said, the kids get to play on the wheel & make pots!!!
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK H:  July 26th – July 30th
AM: Fire. Forge. Feast… a week of fun teaching with metalsmith Pam Robinson
as we work with the kids to make a dinnerware set. Monday & Tuesday we make plates,
bowls & handles out of clay. Wednesday & Thursday we make knives, forks & spoons
out of metal. Friday we put it all together and have a class potluck lunch…
using their own handmade dinnerware set!

WEEK I:  August 2nd – August 6th
AM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK J:  August 9th – August 13th
AM/PM: Chess Camp #2 – another week, another challenge to finish full chess sets!
Thirty-two pieces, a chess board and a lot of work to get it all done in a week!

WEEK K:  August 16th – August 20th
AM: Wild Things – it’s a week full of animals and animal-themed projects!
Including a group field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday for inspiration!

WEEK L:  August 23rd – August 27th
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds – new this year… clay all week for 8-year old kids!

WEEK M:  August 30th – September 3rd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds

WEEK N: collapse!

For more complete details on Summer Camp at Lillstreet, and the full schedule
of all the other camps for all ages, stop by Lillstreet or check them out online.
www.lillstreet.com

Again, I’m referring to the afternoon class of this week as “Part Two…”
and as my final camp for the summer – we had to go out with a bang!!

So Brian, my favorite camp assistant, and I decided to take on a rather large project…
no small projects here… we’re stepping it up and the kids are excited too!
We gave them the choice of normal clay projects… or one large collaborative piece
that would be on display at Lillstreet Art Center for years to come! They quickly chose
the collaborative piece. So we started production… of a terra cotta, textured totem pole!

So on Monday, all of the kids made their own cylinder segment for the totem.
Each of them threw their slabs (in impresssive 28″ long for the circumference of each
segment) and then pressed in their textures & patterns. Each slab was then turned
into a cylinder and attached to another slab base. Brian made a base and I made
the topper – to fulfill & finish off our class’ collaborative effort.

On Tuesday, our campers painted their sections with underglaze and clear glaze!
One step closer to our final “collaboration”…

I loaded our pieces into the kiln on Tuesday night… a little sooner than ideal.
As some of the pieces were still a little “damp”… we had a few kiln “issues.”
Especially Brian’s base that totally self-imploded!!! So who needs a base any way?!

Since the other pieces “survived” the firing, we still had plenty to work with.
But before then, we filled our week with other projects such as abstract painting
and some “tramp art” mosaics with bottle caps & glass beads!

When Friday rolled around, it was time to assemble the totem pole.
Our original plan was to assemble it outside in the garden corner of Lillstreet.
But with some of our “structural” flaws, the rainy day, the muddy ground…
and our desire to keep the totem pole intact longer than the first group of
ne’er-do-wells who decide to ruin it. So we anchored a central post in a large
flower pot filled with gravel and cement. Each cylinder was them placed over
the post and filled with gravel to “secure” it and keep it from shifting on the pole.
Piece by piece… segment by segment… the totem got taller & taller & taller.

By the end of the day, we had a complete totem pole – as well as a groovy cool
“billboard” banner that helped hype the event!!! And the kids were thrilled…

And I was thrilled that it all came together. Glad the the kids were please.
Glad that they were all excited to be leaving a little bit of their legacy behind at Lillstreet.
It was great to hear their giggles… and to see the look of awe as they totem grew taller!
And I was exicited that it all came together… and that the totem pole is still standing!!!

So this was my final week of Summer Camp with Lillstreet Art Center.
The kids are getting ready for school and summer has just flown by!!!
This week I was teaching Clay & Multimedia for both mornings & afternoons.
So for the sake of clarity… we’ll call the morning class Part One!

So this week, we started on Monday with textured slab plates & platters.
Each camper had to make their own slabs and then textures them before
draping them into a slump mold… also known as a readily-accessible Chinet plate!

On Tuesday, they all got the chance to put on colored underglazes and a coat
of clear glaze to make them shiny! The more they worked on them, the cooler they
became – with the details coming alive and popping off the plate’s surface!

Along the way, we also tackled book binding, friendship bracelets, painted murals
and a challenging two-sided wooden block puzzle. The puzzles took awhile
as they had to design both sides of the puzzle so the designs would work on both sides
as you flipped the planks! We also did one of my favorite projects… Tie-Dye Thursday!!!

Well another week down… and another week of Summer Camp completed!
This week, it was “Wild Things”… a week full of art projects all about animals.
And I had a great group of “animals” to play with all week long.

We started the week on Monday with introductions & ceramic animal masks. Despite a
rough start on Monday, and the first time I’ve ever had to send a kid home… issues… the
rest of the class finished up strong, shaping their masks and painting them with underglaze!
Tuesday took us to Lincoln Park Zoo for our camp field trip!

Keeping a group of “wild things” corralled, contained & entertained is quite a feat.
Luckily, I had Brian, my favorite summer camp assistant with me for the week.
Not that it stopped any of the kids from being themselves… mugging for the camera!

The rest of the week we were back at Lillstreet Art Center creating their animal sculptures.
With an armature of wire, wood, newspaper, wire hangers, styrofoam & masking tape,
the kids each created their own animals. Once the base shape was created, we covered the
armatures with a layer of plastered fabric, and then a second coat of plaster gauze.
Friday was spent painting the animals to bring them all to life!

And not to be outdone, two of my campers decided to go for the “actual size” animal…
with a life-sized proboscis monkey and ostrich standing nearly as tall as the artists!!!

My morning bike ride took me down the lakefront… minding my own bunsiness
and enjoying the sunrise as usual. But then I was drawn across Lake Shore Drive
at Fullerton… for a sign of things to come…

This week at Lillstreet Summer Camp I’m teaching “Clay & Multimedia.”
Which basically just means that we do a clay project on Monday, and then
any kind of other art projects for the rest of the week. So we started this week
with ceramic birdhouses!!! Slabs, textures, basic handbuilding & underglazes!!!

And then followed with a weaving & sewing project – Woven-Top Pillows!
So the kids had to choose their fabrics, cut out their strips, weave them
together and then sew it all into a throw pillow!

Then… as if it could get any better… today was Tie-Dye Thursday!!!

So this week we offered a new & completely different option for the kids.
Many of them have taken several clay classes… or metalsmithing classes…
but why not put them together?! Why not combine the two?!

Pam Robinson (Lillstreet Metals Dept. Head) and I worked together
to develop a camp for the kids to put both materials together in one project.
Fire. Forge. Feast. – fire the clay, forge the metal and then feast on the results!
Yep, we had the kids make a complete dinnerware set this week.

So we started the week with two days of clay – designing & making slab plates,
platters & bowls… as well as clay handles for what would become their cutlery!
So Monday & Tuesday the kids designed & made their dishes, as well as painting
them with colorful underglazes!

Then on Wednesday & Thursday, we moved over to the Metals Dept. to start
cutting their metal components…. knives, forks & spoons. It was a lot of sawing,
filing, sanding, texturing… and unfortunately, broken saw blades!

Friday was a day to finish up their pieces, finally combining clay & metal…
and enjoying a potluck meal on their finished projects!

And my new collection of knives… that I made all by myself!!!

Another week down… another week of Chess Camp done!
And we finished just under the wire! Without a moment to spare!

The second week of Chess Camp had fewer kids, and a bit younger too!
But the week started out as usual – with a discussion of theme ideas.
What we’re they planning on making their chess set look like.
What team is battling against what team?

One of our most ambitious themes was “DC Comics versus Marvel Comics”!
That was until he worked all day on Monday, came back Tuesday and realized
that it was “going to be too hard.” So he came back with a plan, started over and went
with “Chicago versus New York City.” Other themes included:
* Jungle Animals: Fierce vs. Cuddly
* Transformers
* Cats vs. Dogs
* Medieval Royalty vs. Dragons
* Foods vs. Drinks
* some video game… that I’m sadly too old to have ever even heard of ?!!!
* The Simpson’s: Good Characters vs. Evil Characters

So the kids worked hard all week – making pieces, painting them with underglaze
and painting their chess boards. As this was only a “morning camp,” they had
just five days (less than 20 hours) to get everything done! One day we skipped lunch,
and today it was close – as Ethan was still building his last piece just minutes before
class ended!!! Whew… another week done! But we made it.

So after the woven clay plates on Monday, we continued our “weaving” theme
with a traditional weaving project – each kid with their own vertical “loom.”

We started with dowel rods & twine hanging from the ceiling. They had to string the loom
and tie it off the bottom with another dowel rod and hung a brick at the bottom
to keep it all taut. Once assembled, their looms were ready to start weaving. We discussed
techniques and colors.. and let them go! They loved it… in fact, they’re still doing it!!!
Tomorrow we’ll a short break from it today for some of my favorite – Tie-Dye Day!!!
But as soon as we were done – they will be right back to the weaving.

Then Friday is our last day for this camp. They’ll need to finish weaving back & forth
and then tie-off the bottom and add some decorative fringe!!! And voila’…
another week of Summer Camp will have come to an end. With a lot of happy kids!!!