Layers: A Summer Art Program Exploring Memory and Identity
About this Event
MENTIS SUMMER 2026 YOUTH ART WORKSHOP SERIES
Join us at Mentis this summer for a super fun and creative youth art workshops taught by local artist, Eric Muensterman! Whether you're a beginner or already love to draw and paint, this series is all about exploring your artistic side and making new friends. Bring your imagination and get ready to create some awesome art in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Don’t miss out on this cool summer event!
For ages 14-19. Maximum of 15 participants. $20 per class or $100 for all 6 classes ($20 savings)
Art has long been recognized as a powerful tool in supporting emotional wellbeing. Research in art therapy a field supported by organizations such as the American Art Therapy Association shows that creative expression can reduce stress, support grief processing, improve mood, and increase self-awareness. Studies from institutions including Johns Hopkins University have found that engaging in creative activities can lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels and promote emotional regulation.
Art helps because it:
• Externalizes internal emotions
• Creates safe distance from difficult experiences
• Encourages reflection and meaning making
• Supports connection and communication
This summer’s program centers on the idea that while things, people, or moments may be “gone,” they are not forgotten. Through visual exploration of color, space, layering, and symbolism, students will explore memory, presence, and emotional balance.
Class One: The Color of Emotion (June 24)
Students will explore how color affects mood and perception. We will examine how artists use color to create emotional impact, then experiment with abstract mono prints.
Topics:
• Psychological effects of color
• How color influences feeling and memory
• Choosing color intentionally
• Abstract monoprint exploration
This class establishes emotional literacy through visual language.
Class Two: The Void In Between (July 1)
An exploration of negative space what it is and how it functions.
Students will:
• Study the relationship between positive and negative space
• Create solar prints using cut-out shapes
• Reflect on how absence can define presence
Class Three: Geli Cards (July 8)
Geli printing is a layered, intuitive process combining image transfer and texture.
Students will:
• Create layered abstract prints
• Explore the “not forgotten” theme through symbolic imagery
• Design and produce handmade cards
Class Four: Negative Space in Charcoal (July 15)
Students will explore the balance of positive and negative space.
Process:
• Cover an entire page in charcoal
• Use erasers to draw a still life by removing charcoal
This reductive method visually represents balance, the yin and yang concept, demonstrating that light exists within darkness and vice versa.
Class Five: Reduction Printmaking (Still Life Focus) (July 22)
Building on skills from Class Four, students will:
• Complete a still life drawing
• Plan and carve a reduction print
• Use registration techniques to add layered color
• Produce five printed cards
This project reinforces patience, planning, and transformation mirroring emotional growth.
Class Six: Eraser Prints, A Napa Collaboration (July 29)
Students will carve mini eraser prints inspired by Napa. These individual prints will then be combined into larger, puzzle like collaborative works.
Discussion focus:
• How individual contributions create collective meaning
• How ideas evolve when combined
• How uniqueness strengthens community
This collaborative approach reflects the program’s mental health theme: connection, belonging, and shared experience.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 23.18 to USD 108.55
