Only open to 2nd-5th Grade students at Becket Washington and Craneville Elementary.

About ARTcentric: Berkshires

The ARTcentric: Berkshires program positions local, established, Berkshire artists as “the masters” with each project inspired by their techniques and artistic visions. Through "Artist Spotlights", "About the Artist" and "Deep Dive" videos, and other live, video-based, and virtual resources, students will dive into the life and work of each artist and use their passion and mastery as inspiration for engaging, multi-media art projects. Led by IS183's talented faculty Artists, in ARTcentric: Berkshires, students will be introduced to artists, virtually "visit" their studios, hear about their journey to become professional artists, and finally create work using the same techniques. Students will assign a deeper meaning to the art they see in the county and develop a pride of place as they learn about the talent in our region. The program gives new definitions to “artists” and “art”, takes artists out of history books, and opens up possibilities for future careers.

ARTcentric: Berkshires - Elementary Edition 2

Featured Artists

Karen Arp-Sandel:

Karen Arp-Sandel is a visual artist specializing in collage art that includes mail art, collage sketchbooks, analogue photomontage, painted paper abstracts, found-object assemblage, shard mosaic murals, and hand bound artist books. She is the founder of Vibrant Visionary Collage Community and FeMail Art Network, which are international collaborative groups that empower women as artists. She holds a faculty position at IS183 Art School since 2000 and currently serves as Faculty Representative on the Board of Directors. An educator for 35 years, Karen advocates for educational equity, social justice and teaches art to amplify the creative voices of all people. Karen’s works out of Maison Collage Studio in her home, in Canaan, NY, where she makes art as a daily practice, teaches collage, and heads up a lively FeMail correspondence.

Michael Rousseau:

Michael Rousseau is a native of the Berkshires and has been continuously drawing and painting since an early age. After experimenting with many abstract acrylic painting styles, he switched to oil painting and began to devour the lessons of past masters, launching into a lengthy, self-guided exploration of oil painting materials and techniques. This has led to in-depth studies of the effects of chiaroscuro (light + shadow) and the chromatic effects of glazing.

Michael’s work is often inspired by Caravaggio and other Old Masters from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. His paintings often depict figures in a darkened environment.

Michael has two degrees from Rhode Island School of Design (MAT K-12, and BFA Illustration) and has been teaching publicly and privately for 15+ years. He was awarded a grant from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation to travel throughout Italy to study the life and work of Caravaggio and learn about his methods, materials, and techniques.

Materials

Students are welcome to use their own materials from home (outlined below) or pick up a FREE art kit from IS183 Art School. Details regarding picking up an art kit can be found in class confirmation email upon registration.

white drawing paper paper (9x12)
colorful construction paper (9x12)
collage paper (paper scraps and old magazines, decorative papers, etc.)
glue stick
scissor
watercolor set
watercolor brush
paint cup
watercolor paper
pencil
eraser
markers
crayons
pencil sharpener
ruler or straight edge
stamp (optional -- if doing mail art swap. Otherwise, students can share mail art with family member or friend. To be discussed in class!)

Don't let the price of tuition stop you from making art!

IS183 Art School provides scholarships based on financial need, discounts to EBT cardholders, and opportunities for work exchange.

Become an IS183 Member!

As a member you will receive exclusive benefits, stay up-to-date on upcoming programming and events, and join our creative community!

Contribute to The Artful Future Fund!

Further engage with IS183’s mission. Support IS183’s artists, students, and studios by making a donation.