Camp Explore

CAMP EXPLORE 2024: Full STEAM Ahead at The Westport Library!

Camp Explore returns for its fifth year of free STEAM exploration. Workshops kick off June 25 and run from 10 am to 11:30 am in The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum. These are cumulative programs; as such, participants are requested to attend all three days. Registration Required.

Camp Explore is made possible by the continuing generosity of Roz and Bud Siegel.

Coding LightLogo with Josh Burker

Coders will be introduced to LightLogo, a microworld where we make a variety of light patterns with only 10 lines of code. This program encourages algorithmic thinking — learning how to express a sequence of things that expresses itself over time. 

Requirements: Windows or Mac computer (NO Chromebooks) with USB port. Software download required prior to start of the workshop.

  • Grades 7-9 (in Fall 2024)
  • June 25-27
  • 10-11:30 am
  • Trefz Forum
  • Free!

Josh Burker is the creative technology teacher at Marymount School Upper Middle Division in New York City. He has taught in both public and private schools for more than 20 years, working with Logo programming, robotics, fabrication, electronics, and art. He writes books, holds workshops for teachers, and consults on educational projects that he finds inclusive and disruptive. He is the author of The Invent to Learn Guide to Fun and The Invent to Learn Guide to More Fun, both of which inspire makers of all ages to explore the intersection of crafting and technology through whimsical, creative projects.

This is a cumulative, three-day workshop. Attendance at all three sessions is recommended.

Sculpture with Iyaba Ibo Mandingo

Each student will construct an abstract sculpture that is designed to fit together to create a completely new piece of art. We will use found objects and upcycled materials to build the sculptures. Everyone will take home their individual sculpture.

As a group, we will decide a theme, whether it grows vertically or horizontally, if the surfaces will be textured or smooth, and what colors will be used. At its core, this is an exercise in observation and rhythm as a group.

  • Grades 6-8 (in Fall 2024)
  • July 9-11
  • 10-11:30 am
  • Trefz Forum
  • Free!

Iyaba Ibo Mandingo is a painter, poet, writer, actor, and playwright, and an arts collaborator, artist advocate, and arts educator. He came to the United States from his native country of Antigua as a young boy. Iyaba owes his love of the arts to his mother, a trained singer, and his grandparents, a tailor and a seamstress who first introduced him to colors and patterns, paving a path to the many forms of expression he employs. Iyaba studied fine arts at Southern Connecticut State University and currently teaches in and around the tri-state area as a master teaching artist. Iyaba currently resides in Bridgeport, where his art gallery — 9104 The Art House — serves as a workspace, classroom, and creative hub.

Bats Langley’s Impressionist Picnic

Bats Langley’s Impressionist Picnic is an exploration of impressionist art and how it has changed the way we visualize contemporary life. From pixelation used in LED screens to how we use filters on our phones, impressionism has changed our eyes and brains, influencing how we look at color, shape, and design.

Students will learn and understand impressionism through discussion, painting exercises, and creating their own impressionist works. No experience is necessary, but participants should be comfortable using paint.

  • Grades 6-8 (in Fall 2024)
  • July 23-25
  • 10-11:30 am
  • Trefz Forum
  • Free!

Bats Langley is a painter, sculptor, writer, illustrator, toy designer, and creator. Most recently, Bats illustrated the biography of Jackie Kennedy, titled Jackie and the Books She Loved. He is a Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) grad. He is a regular contributor to Spider, Ladybug, Cricket, and Scholastic magazines and has been a frequently featured cover artist. Bats is the creator of GUS, and his art has been shown in galleries in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Providence, Hangzhou China, and at The New Britain Museum of American Art and the United States Capitol building. Bats’ work was exhibited at the AFA Gallery in New York City and in Las Vegas, shown alongside some of his idols: Maurice Sendak, Tim Burton, Charles Adams, Dr. Seuss, and Charles Schultz.

This is a cumulative, three-day workshop. Attendance at all three sessions is recommended.

Questions on any of these programs? Please contact Margaret Pastel at [email protected]

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