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School of Art Dean’s Workshops 2024

The goal of the School of Art Dean’s Workshops is to expand student engagement and build skills and community, creating hands-on programming where students can come together in person from different programs and departments and directly engage in meaningful activities led by experts. These dynamic, exciting, first-come-first-served workshops augment what students are already learning in the classroom and what’s available through various outstanding lectures and diverse events Institute-wide. Ideas for the workshops were generated in collaboration with School of Art chairs and faculty members. This series reflects our school’s mission to provide a rigorous, student-centered education that emphasizes risk-taking and exploration. Spring 2024 was the first iteration of the School of Art Dean’s Workshop Series. Thank you to everyone who helped plan and facilitate these workshops!

Spring 2024 Workshops

Umfundalai Essentials LIVE: Pan-African Dance for Mirroring and Strengthening Diverse Communities

Two women participate in a dance performance, crouching with one arm extended forward and the other bent at the waist. The woman on the left has curly hair pulled back and wears a green long-sleeve top and white pants. The woman on the right has her hair in a ponytail and wears a mustard-yellow shirt with white pants. Both women are smiling and appear engaged in the activity. Behind them, other participants are visible, with a wooden staircase and railing in the background.
Two women engage in a drumming activity. The woman on the left, with long, straight, light brown hair, leans forward while striking a drum covered with a purple cloth. She wears a colorful, patterned top and white pants. The woman on the right, with long black hair, holds a large, beaded gourd instrument and wears a brown long-sleeve shirt with white pants. Behind them, artworks are displayed on the wall. The setting appears to be an indoor space, possibly a classroom or studio.
A group of people participate in a dance class, standing in a spacious room with high ceilings and large windows. The dancers, mostly women, are dressed casually in t-shirts and pants with white wraps around their waists. They are all engaged in the same dance move, raising their arms above their heads. In the foreground, there are colorful gourds on the floor. The room has a modern, open design with stairs leading to an upper level, and posters on the walls. The atmosphere is energetic and focused.

Hosted by Creative Arts Therapy

Participants had the opportunity to participate in lappa* art-making, a dance/movement therapy session with live drumming, and discussion. They investigated healing processes and the ways Umfundalai is a cultural resource. A lappa or lapa is a piece of cloth, worn throughout the continent of Africa, which looks like a skirt.  Lapas are worn in informal and formal settings. In Umfundalai, this is about two yards of fabric that is tied around one’s waist when dancing or being present in the space. 

Erin Bryce Holmes, MS, LCAT, BC-DMT, was an apprentice with Urban Bush Women, principal dancer with Kariamu & Company: Traditions, African American Dance Ensemble, Tania Isaac Dance, Dance Theatre X, Denovo, Ephrat Asherie Dance and with Bill T. Jones developing FELA! She is a Visiting Instructor in Pratt’s Creative Arts Therapy Department and a dance/movement therapist at Interfaith Medical Center, Umfundalai instructor, and directs Bryce Entertainment, LLC.

Poncilí Creación: Possibilities of Matter

Two performers are on stage wearing colorful, surreal costumes with large, exaggerated masks. The masks are green with various shapes and textures, featuring large eyes and mouths. The costumes are pink and orange with swirling patterns. The performers have their arms raised and appear to be mid-dance. The background includes several pieces of art on the walls and some stage props on the floor. The setting is an indoor performance space.
A performance is taking place in an indoor space. One performer is wearing an elaborate, tall costume resembling a large red creature with long limbs and a detailed mask. Another performer in a pink and orange outfit holds a smaller colorful puppet. An audience sits on the floor and in chairs, watching the performance intently. The room is dim
A performer in a tall, elaborate red costume resembling a fantastical creature is center stage, with another performer in a colorful outfit holding a puppet to the left. The performance takes place in an indoor space with an audience sitting on the floor and in chairs, watching intently. The room is dimly lit with focused lights on the performers. The background includes posters and an observer standing near the wall.

Hosted by Art and Design Education and Fine Arts

The workshops focused on taking a different approach to the production and creation of ideas in our modern world, with the intent on delivering a crash course on object manipulation and the transformation of matter. Participants had the opportunity to test new materials and unleash their creativity in an attempt to bring an idea from the mind into the 3D world. Championing DIY culture and artistic risk, the brothers explained why they see no limits when it comes to acquiring and transforming matter into objects that can come alive and interact with reality. They demonstrated the steps of conceptualization, sketching, creating, and activating soft sculptures. The goal was for participants to learn the skills needed to bring an idea to life and create an example—be it a puppet, a tool against the apocalypse, or both.

Cerebro de Abuela Piel de Piedra Performance

A wordless talk about the power of freedom and creativity in the 21st century disguised as a puppet show. “Poncilí Creacíon capture the spirit of mass protest in Puerto Rico.” – Eva Diaz, Frieze, March 2023.

Poncilí Creación is an art collective known for their fantastical and improvisational approach to puppetry and performance. Composed of identical twin brothers Pablo and Efrain Del Hierro, the duo describes its practice as a form of “speculative alchemy.”

Whose AI?

A woman in a denim jacket sits at a round table with a laptop, microphone, and a red coffee cup, addressing a group of attentive people seated in a classroom setting. The room is well-lit, with white walls and high ceilings. The audience includes men and women, with some taking notes and others listening intently. The atmosphere is one of focused engagement and learning.
A man in a blue shirt and glasses sits in a classroom, engaging in a discussion with a woman in a denim jacket who is partially visible in the foreground. Next to him are two younger individuals, a woman and a man, both attentively listening. The room has white walls, and other students are seated in rows behind them, indicating a learning environment. The man is gesturing with his hand as he speaks, suggesting an active and interactive discussion.
A group of students sits in a classroom, engaged in a lively discussion. A woman in a white hoodie with short, dyed hair is speaking animatedly while holding a laptop. Next to her, a woman with curly blonde hair and glasses is smiling, and another woman in a gray tank top and ripped jeans is holding her phone. In the foreground, a woman in a denim jacket sits at a round table with a laptop, listening attentively. The room is well-lit with large windows allowing natural light to filter in. A presentation setup with a microphone and screen is visible near the speaker.

Artist Carrie Sijia Wang delivered a series of creative workshops exploring AI chatbots and their impact on society. Participants engaged in playful, explorative activities to build chatbots together, develop a clearer understanding of AI technologies and their social implications, and partook in critical conversations as these technologies continue to take shape.

Carrie Sijia Wang is an artist and educator based in New York. Combining art, technology, and research, she makes performances, videos, and participatory experiences to explore the humanization of machines and the mechanization of humans.