Free Art Workshop for Kids on Creating Optical Illusions

Stacy Dunn's artwork focuses on color theory and optical illusions. Here children will view an exhibit of her paintings and share the different things they see. Then everyone will be provided art supplies and taught how to make an optical illusion to take home. There are options available for different skill levels from ages 7-12.

The exhibits asks “What do you see when you look at the world?” As the children view the paintings, Stacy will show everyone how to look from different angles and change focus to see ways the paintings can change shape. She'll teach them ways the eye plays tricks on people and discuss why people see different things at first glance.

They'll discuss how at first everyone sees what we're used to. We see what we have encountered in the past because we can’t see something we don’t know exists.

Unless we stop and check in with the world around us, we might be seeing what we're used to or re-experiencing something that has happened in the past, rather than recognizing we are encountering something new in the present.

As the kids create their artwork they’ll share ways this can apply to more than artwork. They'll discover how through considering if previous experiences apply, and directly asking other people what they see, we gain a greater understanding of the world around us. We learn how sometimes what we see and experience is very different from what we assume is happening in someone else’s world. We learn how exciting it is to find out how many things are happening in the world around us that we never knew were possible.

During the workshop parents are more than welcome to join in or walk around the gallery. This program is made possible by the New York City Artist Corps, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York Foundation of the Arts.

Host or Publisher Dunn357