The Bronx Museum
Lifelong Studio: Artmaking for Older Adults
Lifelong Studio is a series of sequential, hands-on artmaking workshops at The Bronx Museum for adults ages 55 and over. Each 8-week program is free of charge and culminates in an artmaking project and final celebration.
Created in 2023 with funding from E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Lifelong Studio offers older adults opportunities to express their creativity, learn new artistic techniques, and hone existing skills while engaging deeply with the museum space.
Sign up for our Lifelong Studio mailing list HERE or continue to check this webpage to hear about future programs.
Previous Workshops
Intro to Painting Techniques
Through this introductory painting class, participants had the opportunity to learn how to express themselves through a range of painting techniques. Together, we explored oil painting, watercolors, and inks, all while learning how to transform materials such as canvas, wood, and paper into painting surfaces. At the end of the workshop, participants showcased their paintings as part of the 'Making Room' exhibition at the Museum.
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Monotyping and Monoprinting
Summer 2024
This iteration of Lifelong Studio printmaking was an eight-week monotyping and monoprinting intensive. These two printmaking techniques incorporate elements of painting and drawing and the workshop pushed participants to expand their approach to mark-making and iterative works. The course emphasized using color, texture, and visual composition to evoke other senses. We approached printmaking processes as a form of storytelling. At the culmination of the eight-week workshop, participants showcased their final projects at the Closing Event for the 'Making Room' exhibition.
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Intro to Printmaking
Summer 2023
Participants explored various printmaking techniques, including screen printing, relief printing, and risograph printing—creating individual and collaborative prints based on works of art in the Museum's collection and recent exhibitions. In addition to learning specific art-making skills, participants learned about the history of printmaking and the relationship between printmaking and social movements. Final prints were combined into a print portfolio and presented at the Museum.
Zine Making
Summer 2023
Participants learned the history and technique behind "zines"—DIY, creative, and hands-on publications—as they created their own theme-based zine to share with their communities. Participants learned writing, drawing, printmaking, layout, photo and text editing, and other skills in production of a zine on a topic of their collaborative choice.
Intro to Bookmaking Techniques
Participants had the opportunity to explore a wide range of bookmaking techniques, including concertina fold, Japanese binding, pamphlet-making, relief, and paper marbling. Alongside honing their technical skills, attendees delved into the book as an artistic medium for self-expression. The culmination of their efforts was showcased at the Museum through the presentation of their final artist’s books. Additionally, participants engaged in a collaborative book project that became part of the Museum's Research Collection.
Photography: Picturing the Community
Spring 2023
Through this sequential photography studio program, participants learned the history and impact of photography in society and the art world. Participants also learned the foundational mechanics of photography and saw how artists have utilized photography in their creative practices. Participants worked towards a final project of a bound photo series book. At the culmination of the program participants took home an edition of their photobook, a portfolio of all of the additional projects completed in the studio, and a small kit of materials that allowed them to continue their photography explorations.
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Video produced by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy.