Visit Materials for the Arts: Resource Gathering & Teaching Artist Training

Visit to Materials for the Arts: Resource Gathering & Teaching Artist Training

February 20, 2025

9:45am-12:15pm

Please meet in the lobby of Materials for the Arts at 9:45am

33-00 Northern Blvd 3rd Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101

(20 spots available)

Join Civic Engagement Fellow and NYC Public Artist-in-Residence Alex Strada for an in-depth visit to Materials for the Arts (MFTA), NYC’s premier creative reuse center. We will meet with MFTA’s Director of Education, John Cloud Kaiser, and Education Coordinator, Niceli Portugal, to learn about MFTA’s approach to upcycling, redistribution, and creating free and dynamic art opportunities for NYC public school students.

The event will include a warehouse tour, a “shopping” period (all items are free), and a workshop where students will learn how to lead art classes using unconventional, upcycled art materials. The lessons shared in this workshop are designed to equip participants with foundational skills for leading similar art workshops in a variety of settings—from sidewalks to classrooms—with students of different ages and backgrounds.

Each attendee can take up to two large bags of materials home with them. IKEA or Fresh Direct-style bags are recommended. Please bring your own.

Participants should have an interest in social practice art and/or teaching art, though no prior experience is required.

Materials for the Arts is a partner in at the DeKalb Gallery, an exhibition organized by Strada in support of Pratt’s neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Host or Publisher Pratt Institute