INTERTIDAL LIFEFORMS By Colin Foord--Morphologic Studios

WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE OUR SPECIAL THANKS TO THEODORA LONG FROM THE BISCAYNE NATURE CENTER. Please check it out. They offer all types of outdoor family activities. It is a real jewel on Key Biscayne. www.biscaynenaturecenter.org


Colin, Theo and the kids

On our last Saturday (sniff) artist and marine biologist Colin Foord of Morphologic Studios took the kids on a trolley car ride and walked them through the coastal hammock from the Biscayne Nature Center to an ancient, fossilized mangrove forest at the water’s edge of Bear Cut. After learning about the mangroves (they had a good deal of knowledge at this point, which impressed Colin) the kids then waded into shallow water to explore the tide pools and sea grass with nets. The kids were able to identify hermit crabs, shells, and small fish which were caught and released. By Colin Foord.


Wading into shallow waters


Under Colin's trained eye, the kids found a diversity of marine life


from small to big hermit crabs


to sea cucumbers--Luka shows Kamila not to be afraid of holding one


they found all kinds of things they wanted to take home--from bamboo-Kurt in the picture


To coconuts--our dear Rosie holding one


Then, back at the camp, the kids engaged in the creation of their own mangrove pods

which they took home for conservation purposes.

KIDSART HAS BEEN AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE THIS YEAR. WE WISH ALL OUR WONDERFUL PARTICIPANTS THE BEST OF LUCK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. WE ALSO LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT ARTOCONECTO...PLUG IN, WILL HAVE A BOOTH DURING THE FALL FOR THE ARTS FESTIVAL ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, WHERE ALL THE ARTWORK MADE BY THE YOUNG ARTISTS WILL BE ON DISPLAY FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF ALL THE ARTS COMMUNITY IN MIAMI. THE DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY IN THE UPCOMING DAYS.

Thank you so much to our sponsors for trusting us with this project:

World Resource Cafe
Bamboo Barry

our partners:

Urban Paradise Guild
Rethink and Reuse

the artists:
John DeFaro, Onajídé Shabaka, Karen Rifas and Colin Foord

to our volunteers
Annette Mauricio, Cooper Underwood, Fernando Ramos and Candice Major

To all the parents

And a special thanks to De La Cruz Collection and The Biscayne Nature Center for allowing us to conduct our workshops on their premises. Thank you very much
for making KIDSART 2010 possible.

The Artoconecto Team

THE RAINMAKER By Karen Rifas

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE STAFF OF DE LA CRUZ COLLECTION


Before their workshop, the kids were given a tour of the De La Cruz Collection, very impressive as Nina shows below


Nina's 'The Scream'


Entering Karen's lab, the kids were so intrigued

'Abandoned' Site-specific installation.
Karen demonstrates how in nature even leaves can have a double life

Last Saturday, the kids toured the De la Cruz Collection and participated in Ms. Rifas' installation entitled 'Abandoned', her current site-specific, environmental art project. They picked their favorite leaves from the art laboratory which were used to add to the exhibition and to trace and embellish bamboo rainmakers. The rainmakers were assembled using various additional materials. By Karen Rifas

The wall in 'Abandoned' is an interactive piece in which the kids left their leaves behind for posterity

HERE COMES THE RAINMAKERS...
Lucas and Bao
Phoenix and Bao
Sophia and...drums?

Please stay tuned for upcoming news and events. We would like to give a special thanks to:
Karen Rifas, De La Cruz Collection, John DeFaro, Onajídé Shabaka... AND to our fabulous sponsors:
World Resource Cafe
Bamboo Barry

See you next weeeeeeekkkkkkk.

Hidden in the Water Forest

A temporary mural was created which was used as a map to describe native and non native flora. Leaf forms were described and used to create the fauna (animals) that live in the mangrove ecosystem. These animals were mounted to a wall at the Artlab33 Art Space gallery. By Onajide Shabaka



HIDDEN IN THE WATER FOREST WAS AN AMAZING DISCOVERY OF MANY OF THE FISH THAT LIVE WITHIN OUR MANGROVE SYSTEM IN SOUTH FLORIDA.




Hugo Jr. Daisy and Ashley mixing paint


Ashely drawing straight from her memories of fish


Truman realizes that the color of the paint matches his t-shirt. A good way to disguise a stain

Julia coloring her fish in pink. Very focused

Tara gives us a big smile

Hugo Jr. uses color, leaves, push pins--you name it


Bao admiring his piece and giving final touches

YES

We would like to give special thanks to Sam Van Leer from Urban Paradise Guild for the donation of leaves and branches.

And of course World Resource Cafe for their succulent food!

See you next week with another installment of KIDSART, The Rainmaker: the Kids and Karen Rifas

THE GATOR. WORKSHOP DESIGNED BY John DeFaro

Head body and tail in progress
All photos credit: John DeFaro

John DeFaro, a Miami, Florida and Southampton, New York-based artist returned after his successful KIDSART 2009 workshop ‘The Bottle Tree’ by offering another exciting workshop titled ‘The Gator.’

The artist continued his exploration of fundamental sculptural idea of shape and form with the kids by utilizing and celebrating our environment, mainly the Florida Everglades, with gathered discarded 2009 holiday evergreens consigned to the curb sides of Miami streets the artist has been saving for the makings of art. Informing a bold, readily recognizable folkloric aesthetics to materials and exhibiting a child-like engagement with process was the obtained goal. They achieved a sensibility that was simultaneously inviting and foreboding with dashes of humor.

THE KIDS LOVED IT. By John DeFaro

Rosie, Daisy and Kurt (left side) Luka and Luke (right side), in the garage painting organic materials for The Gator's nest.

Artist Candice Major cutting up fabric shared by Rethink Reuse Miami

Photo credit: Fernando Ramos

John DeFaro and the kids working on The Gator body

Ashley coloring frog for surroundings The Gator's nest

Kids coloring reptiles with makers before cutting them out

Guess who? Behind 2009 MY O MY stickers created by the artist

Mateo picking clam shell to color

This picture is just so cute--weaving fabric on Gator's head

Nina and Kamilla taking a break on hammock

On their waayyyy to the Everglades. See you next week when artist Onajide Shabaka will bring the kids Hidden in the Water Forest.

We would like to give special thanks to: Fernando Ramos, Candice Major, Cooper Underwood, Rethink and Reuse, and World Resource Cafe!

KIDSART: Elements in Time and Nature: 'THE POOL'

Photo credit: John DeFaro

'Elements in Time and Nature' kicked off last Saturday with a project called The Pool. 'The Pool' is a multidisciplinary workshop designed by Alexandra Rangel-Brody, a videographer, photographer and Executive Director of Artoconecto.

THE YOUNG ARTISTS THIS YEAR ARE:
KURT CARLSON
DAISY HOOVER
ROSE HOOVER
LUCAS RODRIGUEZ
JULIA CHAMBERLIN
TRUMAN CHAMBERLIN
BAO KASTAN
PHOENIX JAMES
NINA VARA
CHLOE MENDEZ
TAYLOR MENDEZ
HUGO MIJARES JR.
SOPHIA MIJARES
KAMILLA POLESE
LUKA POLESE
ASHLEY JIMENEZ
TARAH SOO-KIM



Photo credit: Alexandra Rangel
The Kids surround John DeFaro, who is also giving Julia specific instructions for picture taking.

On their first Saturday, the kids engaged in the construction of tribal objects named ‘The Brushsticks’ and ‘The Masks’--they actually renamed them 'The Skulls' using organic materials found in our immediate surroundings.


Busy bees Hugo Jr. and Kamila, and we suspect that that hand belongs to Annette Mauricio


Kamila, Luka, Mateo in the background, admiring Chloe's breakthrough. Taylor is busy giving her tribal mask a final touch


Photo credit: John DeFaro
Sewper Cooper giving Bao a demonstration

Yossi chose fabrics as his medium


Luka and Kurt--quietly but getting it done


Rosie is planning her layers of organic decorations very carefully--watch


Photo credit: John DeFaro
The kids in Alex's jungle listen carefully to the instructions for the video.


Our dear collaborator Annette Mauricio holding one of the kid's creations. In the background, Nina, Daisy and Hugo Jr. pulling inorganic material from the pool. They are serious at work

'The Pool' will be presented as video art
We would like to thank:
John DeFaro, Annette Mauricio, Cooper Underwood, World Resource Cafe, Bamboo Barry and Rethink and Reuse for making this workshop possible. See you next weeeeeek.