Winter & Spring Drawing Academy
Twenty years ago, in collaboration with NYC Parks, the Society created the Drawing Academies to reach youth ages 9-13 living in underserved neighborhoods in NYC. This free program seeks to expose students early on to illustration and careers in the arts. During Winter and Spring school breaks, students are transported from their recreation center to the Society. They spend an entire morning creating art with an accomplished illustrator or comic art professional. Each student is provided with art supplies and lunch in our 128 Bar & Bistro. This program reaches 50 students each year. Open registration is not available for this program.
The Winter & Spring Drawing Academy is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Summer Illustration Art Academy
Ten years ago, we expanded on the Winter & Spring Drawing Academy and created the Summer Illustration Art Academy, a month-long summer camp. Each morning, students are transported from their recreation center to different cultural sites in NYC. There they learn different drawing techniques on location with an accomplished illustrator or comic art professional. Students are gifted with a backpack filled with art supplies, and lunch is provided. This program reaches 60 students each year. Open registration is not available for this program.
The Summer Illustration Art Academy is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
High School Career Exploration & Portfolio Building Workshops
In collaboration with the School Art League and Exploring the Arts, the High School Career Exploration & Portfolio Building Workshops serve 200 students from NYC public schools. Students are given presentations by leading professionals in the illustration and comic & cartoon art fields. Students engage in small-group drawing assignments and critiques. Students discuss their work with the teaching artists to learn how to build competitive portfolios for college applications. They are given art supplies, textbooks, and graphic novels to take home with them. The Society makes sure to include a diverse roster of teaching artists, an important aspect, so that the students may see working professional artists with similar backgrounds to them. Open registration is not available for this program. However, virtual workshops are available, if your school is interested please contact info@societyillustrators.org .
High School Career Exploration & Portfolio Building Workshops are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Saturday Stories
Saturday Stories is a monthly illustrator-led workshop for children and their families. Each month the Society invites children’s book illustrators to host a story time and hands on workshop. The workshop is related to the wide range of materials and processes that illustrators use to create picture books. This program is currently being offered virtually. With support from The Bruce J. Heim Foundation, this program is free to attend during November and December, 2020. This program is usually offered for a nominal fee. For scheduling of this program visit upcoming events.
Saturday Stories are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
After-school Illustration Workshop Series
This fun illustration class offers in-class character drawing skills and inspiration from weekly Scavenger Hunt & Draw prompts. Students develop a portfolio of different drawings and hone their individual creative visual illustration style. Each week we will build on understanding character development and how illustrators use research for inspiration. Each week students receive drawing prompts and an art materials list. At the end of the series students will have experienced drawing different characters and story ideas. They will also have gained a fun experience talking about their characters with the group. For scheduling of this program visit upcoming events.
Thank you to our generous sponsors for helping to fund these programs. Your donations make these programs possible!