We have a plein air session ahead of us — drawing outdoors and observing nature with our own eyes. We will engage with the world around us not only through sight, but also through touch — via modelling with clay — and through sound. Alongside fine art, we will also venture into the world of design — each child will design and create their own functional object, their very own original brooch.
The programme will also include theatre and performance, where children will explore working with facial expression, movement, and the body. Throughout the week, children will build a relationship with art through themes and experiences that are close to them. They will create using a variety of techniques and materials — both in the studio and in the exterior of the gallery. They will be accompanied throughout the camp by our gallery educators, who will create a safe space for exploration, creativity, and the joy of making.
MONDAY / The Landscape Around Us — the Art of Seeing and Creating
The first day will be devoted to exploring our relationship with the space in which we live, create, and spend time together. We will focus on perceiving our surroundings with all our senses — getting to know the gallery, its atmosphere, and one another. Children will create their own sketchbooks, which will accompany them throughout the entire week and serve as a place for ideas, drawings, and observations. Through playful activities in the courtyard, we will learn to observe objects, shapes, and details around us. We will discover our unique artistic handwriting through sketching and experimenting with line. Using the technique of frottage, we will "collect" textures directly from tree bark and explore how natural structures can be transformed into abstract painting. The close of the day will belong to studio work, where children will make their own pigments from natural materials and attempt to capture the elusive atmosphere of leaves moving in the trees. Together, we will discover that art is not merely a depiction of reality, but also a means of expressing mood, emotion, and one's own experience of the world around us.
TUESDAY / The Body as Medium — a Studio in Motion
The second day will belong to the most natural instrument we always have with us — our own body. The day will begin with a shared warm-up through a playful session incorporating elements of children's yoga, held directly in the studio. We will explore how we are feeling and whether we are capable of communicating without words. Through games involving facial expression, gesture, and non-verbal communication, children will discover how much can be expressed through a single movement. We will try our hand at mime and charades, transforming our bodies into a medium full of emotions and stories. Together, we will explore how contemporary artists work with the body and discover that a work of art need not be merely a painting on a wall — it can also be a person themselves, and their movement through space. Children will have the opportunity to create "living pictures" and performances that arise in the moment. We will learn to perceive the body as an instrument of creativity, play, and self-expression — and discover that art can be alive, spontaneous, and present here and now.
WEDNESDAY / Art Through All the Senses — Beyond the Realm of Sight
What if, for a moment, we were to close our eyes in the gallery? The third day will be devoted to discovering art through all the senses and seeking an answer to the question of whether art can be perceived in ways other than through sight. The day will begin barefoot — we will awaken the sensation in our feet by walking across a variety of materials, surfaces, and textures. Children will try "seeing" objects through touch alone and will transfer their perceptions first onto paper and later into modelling clay. In the afternoon, the studio will be transformed into a study of synaesthesia — the blending of the senses. Children will create their own graphic scores, in which tones and rhythm replace lines and colours. Together, we will explore how music might look, or how a painting might "sound". The day will conclude with a shared reflection and a playful "body orchestra", in which our bodies become musical instruments and the gallery space comes alive with shared rhythm and movement.
THURSDAY / Space, Surface, and Line — Two-Dimensional Media
On Thursday, our studio will be transformed into a true printmaking workshop. The theme of the day will be Surface and Line, and children will be introduced in a playful manner to both traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques. Together, we will discover how an image is created that can be printed repeatedly and reproduced further. The day will begin with a visit to an exhibition, which will serve as inspiration for our own work. The centrepiece of the programme will be the technique of relief printing — children will experience the entire process from the initial design, through the working of the matrix, to the printing itself. Alongside printmaking, we will also experiment with typography, stamps, and the arrangement of visual motifs. Children will carry their newly acquired skills into practical work — they will design and print their very own original T-shirt to take home as a personal memento of the entire creative week spent in the gallery.
FRIDAY
The theme of Friday will be applied art and design. The day will begin in the Design in a Nutshell exhibition, where children will discover that even the most everyday objects can be small works of art. The creative challenge of the day will be the making of their own functional object — an original brooch. Children will work with textiles, colours, and a variety of materials, channelling into their designs the inspiration and experiences gathered throughout the preceding week. The afternoon will belong to the joint finale of the entire camp. For a short while, the children will become curators of their own exhibition. Together, we will select, arrange, and install the works they have created within the gallery space. Children will experience how images, objects, and space communicate with one another and how an exhibition is built that creates a meaningful experience for the visitor.
The entire creative week will culminate in a celebratory presentation and a small private view, during which the children will present the results of their work to their parents.
Participant age:
6 to 12 years old
Schedule:
Daily programme 8.00 to 16.00
Capacity:
Maximum group size 20 children
Price:
Camp fee 210 €
Dear visitors,
Due to the limited capacity of our workshops and programmes we recommend purchasing your tickets online. Places can also be reserved via email at vzdelavanie@sng.sk. In the event of an email reservation the ticket must be purchased within 48 hours of making the booking either online or in person at the SNG box office. Otherwise the reservation will expire.
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to your participation in our programmes.
