If
your child is artistically inclined, then encouraging him or her to develop
those skills could boost both hand-eye coordination and left-brain
development—besides doling out a solid dose of f-u-n. We asked a few young artists
who attend some of the amazing art programs offered throughout the city to
share their work with us. The bottom line: where do we sign up?
Mollie E. Fink, 6, Kids at Art 
What inspired you to create this piece?
It
was for my little brother’s birthday, Miles. He loves Spiderman, so I went
up to my room and made [it] using only my brain. I remembered what
Spiderman looked like and then I copied it in my head. I used many pieces of
paper—six—to make him big.
Have you given it a name?
Birthday
Spidey.
What are your favorite materials to work with?
Paper,
markers, scissors and tape.
How does art make you feel?
Like
really happy.
Where do you think you’ll be in 20 years?
I
will be in an art museum.
Photo Credit: Andrew Schwartz
Evan Pollack, 3, Moomah
What inspired you to create this piece?
I
thought it was cool.
Have you given it a name?
No.
It’s the sun, the dinosaur, the clouds, the volcano and the armadillo.
What is your favorite material to work with?
Clay—I
like to roll it.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A
baseball player.
Eliot Ingersoll, 10, HiArt!
What inspired you to create this piece?
I was inspired by one of my favorite artists, Hayao Miyazaki. He
is the creator of the movies Spirited Away, Pom Poko, Ponyo
and My Neighbor Totoro. First, I sketched the picture and then I took my
time to watercolor it.
Have you given it a name?
Waiting For No One.
What is your favorite medium to work with?
I love watercolor the [most]. I was surprised that it was not too
hard to do. I started out learning to sketch and have tried sculpting,
painting, printmaking, photography, stop-motion movies and collages.
How does art make you feel?
It makes me feel calm and relaxed—like I go to another universe,
getting sucked into the picture. I never really turn off my art brain, it is
always ticking.
What do you enjoy about the Manga program at HiArt?
It is the only class my mom has found that teaches Manga to kids. I
love the teacher, Yali Lin, because she explains the steps to drawing and stays
focused on the class. I also like being in a class that has kids of
different ages, not just kids my age, because skill is not according to age. Yali
will give us an idea of a picture to create, and everyone in the class will be
working on the same thing, but the result of each person’s drawing will turn
out according to their skill level. I love learning about the different Manga
artists, and Yali always has a lot of different books, movies and drawings to
help inspire me. The studio where we meet is really cool, too—I feel like a
real artist in a studio.
Where do you think you will be in 20 years?
Hopefully, in 20 years I will be living in Japan and
working as an illustrator. I am really inspired by Japanese artists and the
culture (including the food). I hope to travel there and learn the language.
Emily Braun, 9, The Art Farm in The City
What inspired you to create this piece?
My love for orange elephants.
What is your favorite material to work with?
Paint, but I also like jewelry making.
How does art make you feel?
Creative.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
An author and maybe an illustrator.
For more information on cool classes for kids, see our
directory on www.newyorkfamily.com.
WHERE TO TAKE ART IN NYC
74th
St. MAGIC
74magic.com
92nd Street Y
apple seeds
appleseedsnyc.com
ArtKids
The Art Farm in The City
art@home
Children’s Museum of the Arts
Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Church Street School for
Music and Art
The Craft Studio
craftstudionyc.com
Discovery Programs
Gymboree Play & Music
Gymtime Rythm & Glues
HiArt!
The JCC in Manhattan
Kids at Art
kidsatartnyc.com
Kids at Work
Kidville
Little Shop of Crafts
littleshopny.com
Make Meaning
Moomah
moomah.com
MoonSoup
New York Kids
Club
Private Picassos
State
News (supplies)
112
East 86th Street
212-831-8010
Wet
Paint Art Studio
wetpaintartstudio.com
The Ys
ymcanyc.org
Young Artists Program, Educational Alliance
edalliance.org
