Key West Arts and Historical Society - Custom House, Lighthouse Museum, East Martello Towers

2008

A Nautical Christmas ArtCamp At The Key West Lighthouse

Two weekly sessions available: December 22, 23, 23, 2008 and December 29, 30, 31, 2008 from 10:00 AM until Noon. Fees are $100 per week with a 10% discount for KWAHS members.
Parking is available at the Lighthouse. Please contact Suzanne Pereira, Curator of Education, if you have any questions. Email inquiries to spereira@kwahs.org or call 295-6616, ext 27.

"Kids of Summer" ArtCamp 2008 Exhibit
at Fort East Martello a Great Success

Eight weeks of exciting and innovative art classes offered by the Key West Art and Historical Society culminated in the “Kids of Summer” art exhibit. The opening reception of the exhibit took place at Fort East Martello Museum on Saturday August 16th from 2 to 4 pm.
Paintings, watercolors, sculpture and wood carving based on the museum’s collection of folk art by Stanley Papio and Mario Sanchez were on view as well as puppets, kites, printmaking and pinhole photography. An installation art project based on the environment was also part of this year’s art show. For a photo show of these works CLICK HERE.
Over 75 students took part in the Artcamp 2008 experience, which included field trips to the Pirates Museum, Ft Zachary Taylor State Park, the Haitian Art Gallery, West Martello Gardens and a trip aboard the Discovery Glass Bottom Boat to view the state of the reef.
Over 100 parents, students and visitors attended the "Kids of Summer" art exhibit this year. Also in attendance were: (pictured above) Howard Wolman, board member of KWAHS; Suzanne Pereira, Curator of Education for KWAHS and Norman Aberle, Curator of KWAHS.

Suzanne Pereira, Curator of Education for the Key West Art and Historical Society would like to thank the following sponsors for their ongoing support: TIB Bank of the Keys; Keys Energy Services; The Atlantic Foundation; The Kids Fund; Ricky’s Blue Heaven; Remmey Antiques and Fine Arts; Harpoon Harry’s Restaurant; The Craig Company; Barker Services Inc.; The Cultural Preservation Society; Discovery Glass Bottom Boat and Captain Carl; The Schooner Hindu; David Mitchell; Tortugas Jack Hackett.
The "Kids Of Summer" Exhibit will be running until Sept. 30th.

To See More Photos of ArtCamp Kids Click Here

KWAHS ArtCamp - June 16 to August 8, 2008

For ArtCamp 2008 Registration Form CLICK HERE!

Week 1.
June 16-20 2008.
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade 7, 8 & 9 Ages: 13, 14, 15
Looking In, Looking Out, Developing the Photographic Eye:
Ft. East Martello with its winding tunnels, narrow window embrasures, barrel vaulted ceilings and mysterious atmosphere is the perfect venue for exploring pinhole photography. Students will learn the basics of black and white photography, composition, estimating light conditions without a meter, timing exposures without a watch, developing and printing paper film in a darkroom. Class limited to 10 students only. All classes at Ft. East Martello Museum

Week 2.
June 23-27 2008.
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade K-1 Ages: 6-7
Flights of Fancy:
Foil, colored tissue, candy wrappers, sequins, glitter are materials used to create a collaged kite. Texture, pattern, shape, color and composition are emphasized.

Fantastic Family Faces:
Create a fantasy portrait of a family member. Learn about colors and line. Use primary color to make your portrait sing. Use glue, string, paper, beads for texture.

Cloud Stories:
Mario Sanchez depicted clouds with images in them. Visit the Mario Sanchez folk art exhibit. Create your own a cloud story. Paint, colored tissue paper, collage on wood cutouts.

Pete The Pirate:
Make a puppet based on a Mario Sanchez character. Use recycled material, plastic bottles, fabric scraps, felt, seashells, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, glue and glitter to make one of a kind puppets.

A Day at the Beach:
Explore sand casting at the beach. Create a relief sculpture by carving into wet sand with an array of tools. Press beach treasures into your creation then cast the sculpture using plaster.

Field Trip: Pirates Soul Museum & Turtle Kraals Museum.

Week 3.
June 30-July 4 2008.
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade 1-2 Ages: 7-8
Pop Art Papio:
Stanley Papio created sculpture from junk long before recycling became popular. Use discarded objects to create fantasy animals. Glue, paint, plastic, fabric, wood, game tokens are all used.
Seascape Gyotaku:
Gyotaku is japanese for fish print. Make a print of a seahorse by inking a replica and making an impression. Incorporate your print into a watercolor seascape. Use watercolor on paper, string, tissue, and foil.
Hats Off. . . It’s the 4th!:
Create a festive hat to celebrate the 4th of July. Use collaged tinfoil, colored tissue paper, stars, beads, foil pipe cleaners, paint, glitter and glue to make this a fun keeper.

Field trip: Discovery Glass Bottom Boat.

Week 4
July 7-11th 2008
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade: 2-3 Ages: 8-9
Hangin’ Out in Gato Village:
Mario Sanchez’s depiction of Gato village tells us a lot about Key West in the 1930’s. Recreate a carved relief panel depicting a typical street scene with street vendors, children at play, roosters, goats, kites and more.
Mario and the Monkey Man:
Visit the Mario Sanchez exhibit at Ft. East Martello Museum. Meet the monkey man, the chicken thief and others. Using recycled material as an armature, create a figure based on a Sanchez character. Plaster, paper-mache, paint, felt, glue. A 2 day project.

Mermaids in a Sea Garden:
In every sea garden you are sure to find mermaids, brightly colored fish and coral reefs. Use your imagination to create a vivid mermaid in her sea garden. Surround her with colorful fish, add shells and sea plants. Paint, crayons, foil, glue, found objects, glitter.

Field Trip: Haitian Art Gallery.

Week 5:
July 14-18 2008
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade 3-4 Ages 9-10
Mark on the Wall, Installation Art:
Your room is your space, right? Imagine you have permission to transform your space. What would you do? Would you draw, write, paint or collage on the walls? Would you draw faces on the ceiling, turn your furniture into a sculpture, write a poem on the floor? Exactly! Let your imagination out to play. Working as a group, students will reinvent a gallery space by multi layering drawings, paintings, self portraits, mixed media images on walls, transform floors with messages in chalk, cover ceiling with suspended images. Students will utilize charcoal, pastels, oil crayons, paint, canvas, cardboard and found objects, while exploring drawing, painting, collage techniques.
Your theme: The fragile environment and you.

Field Trip: Eco Discovery Center and Ft. Zachary Taylor.

Week 6:
July 21-25 2008
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade 4-5 Ages 10-11
A Day at The Lighthouse:
Begin your art week at the lighthouse. Sketch on site, using pencil, markers and pastels.
Transfer your sketch to a block, use carving tools to create negative, positive space, texture and tone.
Print your image in two colors using a printing press.
First class session, Mon July 21, will meet at the Lighthouse.
All other classes will meet at Ft East Martello.

Field Trip: Friday July 25th. 2008 only.

Go Fly A Kite.
Create a kite using transfer image techniques. Meet at Ft. Zachary Taylor to fly your kite.

Week 7:
July 28-Aug. 1st 2008
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade 5-6 Age: 11-12
Painting a Sketchy Picture:
Drawing and painting are not about looking at but seeing with an artist eye. Develop your artistic eye while keeping an artist’s sketchbook. Visit selected sites to record images using, charcoal, pencil, pastels, watercolors even collage techniques. Create a canvas acrylic painting using your sketchbook as inspiration.

Field Trip: Sites to be announced by the instructor.

Week 8:
Aug. 4-8 2008
Time: 9:30-12:30 Grade 6-7 Ages 12-13
Drawing With Wire:
Learn several drawing techniques including contour drawing. Replicate your contour drawing using sculptural wire, mesh and beads for color and tone.

The Reinvented Book:
Using a discarded book as a starting point, create an art object that becomes a sculpture. Include drawings, watercolor or acrylic images, collage, transfers, found objects, words. Make a statement about yourself, the environment or follow the theme of the book itself. Have fun with this project. Game tokens, game boards, wooden letters, collage images, found objects, wire, string, paint.

Brush Strokes: Color, Rhythm, Expression:
Do trees dance? Do flowers sing? Capture the rhythm of nature with bright, colorful compositions. Convey your message through the emotive quality of paint. Use color, line, tone, patterns, rhythm, texture to create a painting that conveys your mood. Make your canvas sing with color by creating a visual field that makes your eyes dance. Line, tone, composition, color mixing is emphasized. Abstract expressionism and color field painting are examined.

Field trip: Nancy Secret Garden and West Martello.

For ArtCamp 2008 Registration Form CLICK HERE!

FKCC Students Study "ICONS" Exhibit

Florida Keys Community College instructor, Lynne Bentley-Kemp and her Gallery and Display class interact with the "ICONS" exhibit. Lectures, demonstrations and field visits to local museums and galleries, allow students to learn the principles and procedures of presenting works of art. Pictured are (L to R) Sara Youngblood, Lynn Bentley-Kemp, Vernon Davis, Lenka Harrington, and Kristin O’Neill.

KWAHS Thanks Hindu for Sailing Session for ArtCamp

It is common today to read in the newspapers of cutbacks which adversely affect the recreational activities available to children in Key West. These days, parents have to be resourceful in order to keep their children occupied with positive activities. On Friday, March 21st, the Key West Art and Historical Society’s curator of education, Suzanne Pereira and Doug Morris, art instructor for the M.A.R.C. House, along with a group of parents and students stepped aboard the Schooner Hindu for a two hour sail in and around the harbor and channel. Rarely do children get the opportunity to experience sailing on a vessel driven by wind and sails, and especially a vessel as beautiful and exotic as the Hindu. This could only have been possible through the generosity of Captain Kevin Foley, management and crew. Captain Foley has been a strong supporter of hands on nautical educational experiences for children. Many students lent a hand raising and lowering sails and took turns at the wheel. Our students sighted dolphins in the harbor. As an added treat, Jim Sherrington, noted scrimshaw artist and local colorful personality stepped aboard to share his knowledge of the art of scrimshaw. Of course for many of the children, the firing of the cannon to the roar of “fire in the hole” was the perfect end to our sailing experience. We cannot thank Captain Kevin, Sunny or the crew enough for this unforgettable trip. To see a photoshow of this trip Click Here.

Artists experiment with Golden Acrylics in Special Seminar

Creativity was given a wakeup call on Thursday, March 20th, at the Golden Acrylics Mediums and Texture Materials seminar. Owner/Founder of the Golden Company let participants explore Golden Acrylics colors and gels at the Fort East Martello Museum and Gardens from 10 am to 12 noon. The sponsor for this event was Ben Franklin Island Arts and Crafts, hosted by KWAHS, and organized by Dick Moody.

Congratulations to the Re-MARCable Artists and Their Instructor, Doug Morris.

The show was very well received here in Key West, and also by the visitors to the island. One visitor who purchased works lives in Colorado and the other Kentucky. We look forward to sponsoring another exhibit at East Martello next year!
To see a slide show of the event Click Here.

Montessori Charter School Visits "American Trophies" Exhibit
On March 3rd, teacher, Ms. Angie Castonguay, and a group of parents, first, second and third graders from Montessori Charter School in Key West took part in a field trip to the Custom House to view the MacNelly / Bogan papermache sculptures currently on display in the Dogwood gallery. Ms. Angie equipped her students with drawing paper and self hardening clay. Each student chose a figure and made a drawing and then created a small sculpture using self hardening clay. The photo shows young artists hard at work in the Dogwood gallery. Nance Frank, who represents Rita MacNelly and Beezy Bogan at Gallery on Greene, is instrumental in making this show possible. KWAHS thanks her. The MacNelly / Bogan show runs until March 30, 2008.

Painting Classes Continued Due to Popular Demand.
Key West Art and Historical Society Adult Class Series

Mix It Up - Developing Your Painting Style is being offered again by the Key West Art and Historical Society in January 2008. Students will meet every Saturday starting January 12 thru March 8 2008. Class sessions are 3 hours long from 9:30 to 12:30. The nine week series costs $230. (This works out to less than $10 per hour.) Classes are limited to 12 students. Classes will take place on the following dates: January12, 19, 26 2008 February 2, 9, 16, 23 2008 March 1, 8 2008 Classes will take place at the air conditioned art studio situated at Fort East Martello Museum at 3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard. Students will also meet for plein air landscape classes at predetermined locations in Key West. Possible locations include the lighthouse and the botanical gardens. The focus of this class is to learn how to see and how to paint what you see…your way. Caren Ragan, a landscape and portrait artist, and a graduate of Pratt Institute has taught adult and children’s art classes at the Boca Raton Museum. Ragan, working closely with her students, helped develop her students’ painting style and color palette. Students learned basic painting techniques, principals of composition, drawing, perspective, form and color composition. Projects included still life and plein air painting in pastels, acrylic and oil. If you are interested in developing your painting skills, this class is for you. Class materials and supplies are the responsibility of the student. A supply list will be provided by the instructor upon registration. Click Here to print the registration form. You may register by phone, fax or mail. Please contact Suzanne Pereira, Curator of Education, if you have any questions. Email inquiries to spereira@kwahs.org or call 295-6616 Ext 27 to speak to Suzanne Pereira.

To see 2007 education programs click here!

To see 2006 education programs click here!

To see 2005 education programs click here!

To see 2004 education programs click here!

Please contact the museum for information on our lecture and workshop series special events or email spereira@kwahs.org.