Open Studio at Pier 57

Open Studio at Pier 57 invites children to explore hands-on projects across a wide range of artistic disciplines. Each session introduces children to the elements and principles of art while surveying artists across generations and continents.

Specially designed for children on the Autism Spectrum but welcoming to all, each session is focused on multisensory material exploration and accessible artmaking practices. Participants will explore art materials (such as clay, paper, or textiles) at their own pace alongside movement breaks and ample time for storytelling and social interaction.

Open Studio at Pier 57 is recommended for ages 12 and under.

Monday, April 1: Trompe L'Oeil

Make art that deceives the eye in honor of April Fools Day! Artists such as Liu Bolin, Neil Gall, and Célia Kogut have perfected the art technique of trompe l’oeil to ‘fool’ viewers into believing that a three-dimensional artwork actually exists on a flat plane. Children will draw inspiration from these artists such as as they play with illusion and perspective to create works that are not quite what they seem. 

Thursday, April 4: Stamp Experiments

Although not originally intended for artmaking, rubber stamps are a creative and fun way to create patterns on paper. Drawing inspiration from Brazilian artist Carmela Gross, who creates stamps from line fragments found in famous paintings, artists will use objects of varying textures as stamps to create their own compositions. 

Monday, April 8: Expressing Emotions

Happy, sad, angry, contemplative, confused – our facial expressions reveal a lot about our inner feelings! Across art history, artists such as Charles Antoine Coypel, Johnson Tsang, and Mikaela Sheldt have created portraits that depict the infinite expanse of human emotion. Children will choose from two-dimensional or three-dimensional mediums as they bring human expression to life through drawing, painting, or sculpture, taking into consideration their own feelings and emotions that day. 

Thursday, April 11: The Art of Glass

Glass can be both decorative and functional, making it the perfect art medium for experimentation! Contemporary glass artists such as Dale Chihuly and Deborah Czeresko create glass chandeliers that merge the functional with the decorative, while Josh Raiffe’s glass handbags for Coperni prompt discussions about practicality and artistry. While not experimenting with actual glass, children will play with the effects of glassware – translucency, disguise, and tactility – to create their own multimedia artworks. 

Monday, April 15: Art in Public

You don’t need to be inside a museum or gallery to view art – incredible works of art are located in parks and public spaces all over the world! Artists such as Jun Kaneko and Simone Leigh are known for their larger-than-life sculptures in public spaces that prompt discussion, interaction, and participation among viewers. Children will keep these artists and artworks in mind as they craft dioramas of the public art they wish to see in their world. 

This activity takes place in the at Pier 57, located just beyond the food hall.

The program’s curriculum is rooted in accessible artmaking practices and Children’s Museum of the Arts’ pedagogy of Look, Make, Share. Take a peek at one of our virtual “Inclusives” lessons, catered to children with Autism, that families can try at home:

Please be advised this is not a dropoff session. While caregivers are welcome to stay with their children, families are encouraged to enjoy the extraordinary setting of Pier 57 in the adjacent Family Living Room for the duration of the session. Caregivers are advised remain on the premises while children are working.

Emma Waldman (she/her) is an artist and educator who is passionate about encouraging creativity in all of us. She is an oil painter who uses mixed-media materials such as newspaper, fabric, and wax to create intuitive, energetic action sculptural-paintings. She is currently CMA's Lead Artist Instructor and Inclusive Programs Specalist, where she leads the museum's experimental arts program for children with Autism in partnership with Sinergia and hosts multisensory studios for children with disabilities in parks and community spaces across the city. Emma holds a B.A. with Honors in Studio Art and Psychology from Skidmore College.

Children's Museum of the Arts is on a mission to unite children and artists to create and share ambitious works of art with their communities and the world. Since 1988, CMA has crafted innovative programs that change the way New Yorkers value its youngest artists and their aesthetic contributions. Our programs are 100% free and designed to inspire cultural change — by publicly celebrating what's possible when you give children the materials, access, and encouragement they deserve to be recognized and appreciated as real artists.

Located within Hudson River Park between West 14th and West 17th Streets, Pier 57 is a year-round cultural destination on the Hudson River that celebrates New York City and its diverse community. Pier 57 includes plentiful public spaces, both indoors and outdoors with sweeping views of NYC, where visitors can gather for a waterfront experience filled with food, art, culture, nature, and more. Its public spaces include a new rooftop park stewarded by Hudson River Park Trust which offers inspiring views, lawns and seating. The ground floor is home to a food hall, mission-centered showcase kitchen, dining and demonstration space called PLATFORM by JBF, and a rotating chef residency program called Good to Go by JBF, all curated by culinary nonprofit the James Beard Foundation.

Children's Museum of the Arts' Open Studio at Pier 57 is generously supported by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, William Talbott Hillman Foundation, First Republic Bank, The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Google Community Grants Fund, Amazon, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harriet Ames Charitable Trust, The Cowles Charitable Trust, Hammitt, and the Viniar Family Foundation.

Additional support is provided, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Host or Publisher Children's Museum of the Arts