Big Barn Art Studio

Founded by Hollis Churchill and Nico Migdal, Big Barn Art Studio seeks to provide a space for young artists to expand their creativity while learning the history and influences of modern craft and art.

Youth Workshops

Ages 9–12

Big Barn Art Studio was started with the mission to engage and educate young artists with a deep knowledge of craft and technique, while providing space for them to grow their creative voice and vision. During the Summer Workshop at Big Barn, students will have the opportunity to develop creative skills through themed sessions; Paper Play, Fiber Arts, and Woodworking 101. Each week-long session includes planned activities informed by art and craft history, and allows students to work through all steps of the creative process, from first sketches to final product. Each session's activities are outlined below.

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Fiber Arts: June 22-26, July 27-31

Whether you’ve never held a needle and thread, or if you’re working on a hand-sewn runway collection, Fiber Arts at Big Barn Art Studio allows students to work at their level, from beginner to experienced sewists, while pushing students to develop their sewing and construction skills. During the week, students will have the opportunity to work with fiber across a range of techniques; starting with hand sewing basics to weaving, cyanotype printing, botanical dyeing and more.

This session is perfect for students interested in: hand-sewing, quilting, sculpture, natural dyeing, pattern making for sewing.

Sessions

Paper Play: July 13-17, Aug 10-14

From paper making, to moving puppets, to papier maché, Paper Week at Big Barn Art Studio stretches the limits of how paper can be used and re-used. Over the course of a week, students will gain a deep knowledge of how paper can be manipulated and changed to create vastly different works of art. Students will have the opportunity to bring animals and characters to life through papier maché mask making, learn how paper is made, and eventually use that hand-made paper to create a paper quilt beyond the usual confines of collage.

This session is perfect for students interested in: sculpture, painting, drawing, collage.

Woodworking 101: July 20-24, Aug 17-21

Woodworking 101 aims to equip students with the skills to become the household “handy-kid”, and build their confidence with woodworking hand tools. Within a smaller group setting, students will learn extensive tool safety while working on personal woodworking projects. Throughout this week-long session, students will have the opportunity to design their own projects with the instructors’ supervision, and embark on creating two robust projects. This session is designed for new woodworkers, but all levels of experience are accepted.

This session is perfect for students interested in: woodworking, architecture, furniture design, hand tool proficiency, creative freedom.

Daily Schedule

8:45 am — 9:00 am:

9:00 am — 10:30 am:

10:30 am — 10:50 am:

10:50 am — 12:15 pm:

12:15 pm — 1:00 pm:

1:00 pm — 2:45 pm:

2:45 pm — 3:00 pm:

Drop-off

Morning activity

Snack Break

Morning activity

Lunch Break

Afternoon activity

Pick-up

*All students must bring a nut-free snack & lunch from home.
*All students are encouraged to bring a water bottle.

Meet Your Instructors

Hollis H. Churchill

Hollis graduated from Bennington College with a BA in sculpture and architectural design. Her work is heavily influenced by art history and American heritage craft. A Sharon Connecticut native, Hollis works at Little-ish, a toy store in Litchfield, CT during her time spent at home, and has gained a strong sense of children’s art and craft. Hollis is passionate about the importance of teaching young creatives about contemporary artists and movements, and how they’ve been influenced by history. She’s ready to embark on a summer filled with creative learning, and is super excited to make papier mache masks during the Paper Play sessions.

Nico Migdal

Nico has worked as the Camp and Communications Manager for Brushstrokes Studio in Berkeley, CA for the past two years. Before Brushstrokes, she volunteered at Creative Growth Studio in Oakland, CA, and taught outdoor education as a camp counselor at Trackers Earth in Portland, OR. Nico studied dance and sculpture at Bennington College, primarily focusing on fiber arts, ceramics, and animation. They’re incredibly excited to see what students make this summer, and are specifically looking forward to botanical dyeing during the Fiber Arts sessions.,

Each session is priced at $620 per student. We are happy to discuss reasonable tuition adjustments if necessary.

To reserve a spot, Big Barn Art Studio requires a non-refundable $50 deposit, which will be applied toward the total tuition fee.

Please email us with any additional questions.

Rates & Dates

Session

Fiber Arts

Paper Play

Woodworking 101

Fiber Arts

Paper Play

Woodworking 101

Date

June 22-26

July 13-17

July 20-24

July 27-31

Aug 10-14

Aug 17-21

Price

$620

Please send us an email at bigbarnartstudio@gmail.com with the subject line Registration if you are interested in registering. Include your child’s preferred session dates, age, and previous experience with art (no experience necessary, only an eagerness to learn and engage!)