Pop art summer begins
For the month of July, Summer POP! invites young artists to make their own Pop art from home, by way of FREE virtual artmaking classes.
Claes Oldenburg, Floor Burger, 1962. Canvas filled with foam rubber and cardboard boxes, painted with acrylic paint. Overall: 132.1 x 226.1 cm. Purchase, 1967. © Claes Oldenburg. 66/29.
School may be out for summer, but that doesn’t mean learning has to completely stop. As our AGO Virtual School Programs take a break for the summer, and in anticipation of the major exhibition Andy Warhol, comes Summer POP! Four times a week, from July 5 to 29, Summer POP! invites young artists to join free virtual art classes inspired by the work of Andy Warhol and other celebrated artists from the Pop art movement, like Claes Oldenburg and Roy Lichtenstein. Geared towards children and pre-teens, all classes will be livestreamed on AGO.ca.
“Pop art can teach us many new ways to look at things around us,” explains AGO Art Instructors Janine Lindgren and Olia Mishchenko, who are leading Week One classes. “We’re looking forward to sharing the works of artists who took inspiration from popular culture and common everyday objects, often using unusual scale and materials. Young artists who are curious about art and are interested in making inventive artworks at home should join us for activities designed to guide them in making, discovering and exploring.”
Each week brings a new theme to dive into during class. Volume plays with size and scale, Repetition explores creating patterns in printmaking, Colour discusses ideas around colour theory, and Movement showcases how to make stop motion pieces. “We hope [young artists] will discover new techniques and new ideas for art projects made with recycled materials,” say Lindgren and Mishchenko. “We look forward to their reaction when they find out that even a soup can can be [turned into] art.”
Beyond attending the weekly sessions, there are other ways to join in on the creativity and fun. Canadian accessory and lifestyle brand Herschel Supply Co. has partnered with the AGO for Herschel Homework™. Young artists are invited to participate in Herschel Homework™ Pop Art challenges for chances to win a new Herschel backpack. Also, young artists can share their creations on social media (@AGOToronto) with the hashtag #SummerPopAGO and #AGOMakes. Below, AGO Art Instructor Amanda Acuri demonstrates how to make a colourful camouflage cape for outdoor adventuring using just a paper table cloth, tape and water-based markers, inspired by Andy Warhol’s Statue of Liberty (1986).
Summer POP! classes are held Monday to Thursday and are free with no registration required. Visit the website for more details on what to expect and what materials to gather ahead of time. Read about the newsworthy 1967 acquisition of Claes Oldenburg’s Floor Burger in AGOinsider.
Summer POP!
Summer POP!
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