Teens ages 13 – 17
The teens age group, spanning from 13 to 17 years old, is marked by remarkable changes in both personality and cognitive development. Our workshop are designed to shape their transformative journey through artistic expression. The six major traits are Identity Formation, Cognitive Advancement, Autonomy Seeking, Peer Relationships, Hypothetical Reasoning, and Emotional Shifts.
Workshops are tailored to the specific age group and designed in close collaboration with psychologists to align with the developmental abilities, interests, and attention spans of children within that age range. By tailoring each workshop to a specific trait, participants can immerse themselves deeply in the exploration of each aspect of adolescent development while harnessing the therapeutic and expressive power of art.
Here are six examples:
🧩 Creating Identity Collages
🎨 Painting Cognitive Abstracts
🛠️ Building Autonomy Assemblages
🤝 Sculpting Peer Relationships
✏️ Drawing Hypothetical Worlds
💖 Elevating Emotions Through Kintsugi
🧩 Creating Identity Collages
Exploring mixed media and reflective writing, participants embark on a creative exploration of their evolving identity through the creation of multi-dimensional identity collages. By combining mixed media techniques with reflective writing, they visually document their journey of self-discovery and growth.
Participants receive and are introduced to an assortment of art materials.
Participants learn techniques to construct identity collages on large sheets of paper or canvases, arranging and layering to form a visual representation of their personal journey.
In addition to the collages, they are guided to create a visual timeline of their life experiences, achievements, and challenges. This timeline fosters deeper introspection into the events that have shaped their sense of self.
Participants then engage in reflective writing, composing written reflections on their evolving identity, capturing the emotions and insights associated with their journey.
At the end, participants gather to share their collages and written reflections with the group. This exchange promotes meaningful discussions about the various paths to self-discovery and the significance of artistic expression.
Through the creation of identity collages and the combination of visual and written elements, participants gain a profound appreciation for the complexity of their identity formation process. This workshop fosters both artistic expression and self-awareness, resulting in a tangible representation of their unique journey.
Explore further on our blog: Nurturing Identity Formation in Teens: A Journey of Self-Discovery.
🎨 Painting Cognitive Abstracts
Through guided exercises involving acrylic painting techniques, participants delve into the realm of abstract art, learning to translate complex thoughts and emotions into visual forms.
Workshop begins by discussing the essence of abstract art and how it transcends the confines of realism to convey emotions and ideas, showing examples of renowned abstract artists and their unique approaches to storytelling through abstraction.
Participants receive an introduction to fundamental acrylic painting techniques, including brushwork, layering, blending, and texture creation.
Through guided introspection, participants will identify complex emotions or thoughts they wish to convey through their artwork.
They learn about the power of color, shape, and texture in evoking specific feelings, encouraging participants to select elements that resonate with their chosen theme.
They are provided step-by-step guidance, demonstrating how to apply techniques to create depth, movement, and visual impact.
The workshop concludes with a mini art exhibition where participants can view each other's creations, sharing their artwork and the emotions behind their creations.
This workshop challenges participants to analyze complex emotions and concepts, and deliberately select colors, shapes, and textures to convey specific feelings; this fosters cognitive flexibility and the ability to synthesize intricate ideas into tangible representations, enhancing their problem-solving abilities and intellectual growth.
🛠️ Building Autonomy Assemblages
Assemblages involve combining various found objects and materials to create unique sculptures that tell personal stories. Through guided activities, participants will have the opportunity to express their individuality, make artistic decisions, and reflect on their journey towards autonomy.
Adolescents learn the concept of assemblages and how they can be used to express personal narratives with examples of famous assemblage artists and their works.
They are provided a collection art tools such as glue, tape, wires, etc., and a diverse range of found objects, such as keys, fabrics, old toys, buttons, and more.
Participants select objects that resonate with them and reflect their personal experiences, story or emotion.
They are guided to experiment with different arrangements and placements of objects to convey their chosen narratives while reflecting on their own journey toward autonomy.
They are frequently provided with prompts to contemplate their achievements, challenges, and aspirations.
Participants share their completed assemblages and the stories they represent.
The workshop concludes with focus on the importance of creative self-expression and using assemblages at home as means to enhance autonomy-seeking in a healthy manner.
This workshop provides a space for adolescents to engage in a unique form of self-expression through assemblages. By selecting objects and arranging them into meaningful sculptures, participants have tapped into their creativity and exercised their autonomy in artistic decision-making. Through shared stories and reflections, participants have gained insights into their personal journeys, fostering a deeper understanding of themselves and their evolving identities. The workshop encourages adolescents to continue embracing their autonomy through creative exploration.
Explore further on our blog: Autonomy Seeking in Teens: Empowering Independence
🤝 Sculpting Peer Relationships
Enhance peer relationship skills through the tactile art of clay modeling; engaging in collaborative and creative sculpting, participants gain valuable insights into the dynamics of peer interactions.
Participants are introduced to basic clay handling techniques: pinching, coiling, and slab construction.
Participants form pairs or small groups, emphasising how collaborative art-making can mirror positive peer interactions.
Each group collectively creates a sculpture with a block of clay that tells a story or represents a shared experience.
Participants are encouraged to discuss and collaborate on the theme, design, and details of their sculpture.
Participants individually create small clay sculptures that represent their emotions or personal experiences, considering others' perspectives while expressing their own feelings.
The workshop concludes with a group discussion on the collaborative process and the emotions that emerged during the activities where they share their observations and insights about communication, teamwork, empathy and understanding.
Through the tactile experience of working with clay, this workshop provides adolescents with a unique platform to develop and strengthen their peer relationship skills. By collaborating on sculptures and expressing personal experiences, participants gain insights into effective communication, empathy, and the power of shared creativity. The workshop helps adolescents to carry these newfound skills and perspectives into their peer interactions, fostering meaningful connections and positive relationships.
✏️ Drawing Hypothetical Worlds
Enhancing hypothetical reasoning skills through imaginative drawing activities; participants learn basic sketching and shading techniques while cultivating their creative thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Participants are introduced to Surrealism and shown examples that illustrate hypothetical scenarios; they learn the importance of imaginative thinking and how it contributes to problem-solving.
Participants receive prompts with everyday situations (e.g., a park scene, a classroom).
Guided on how to doodle, sketch and shade, they use drawing materials to illustrate the situation.
They then modify the drawing to represent an alternative scenario ("What if...?") or ("In a world without gravity...") with emphasis on imagining freely and with no limitations.
The workshop is summarised with focus on enhancing hypothetical reasoning through imaginative drawing, highlighting the importance of creative thinking in exploring various possibilities and solutions and encouraging them to continue applying imaginative drawing in their daily lives.
This workshop provides adolescents with a fun and engaging way to enhance their hypothetical reasoning skills. Through imaginative drawing activities, participants practice envisioning alternative scenarios and translating them into visual representations. By cultivating creative thinking and problem-solving abilities, participants are equipped to approach challenges and opportunities with a more open and imaginative mindset. The workshop encourages adolescents to continue exploring the power of their imagination in various aspects of their lives.
💖 Elevating Emotions Through Kintsugi
Navigating emotional shifts by blending colour psychology and the ancient art of Kintsugi; participants learn colours’ influence on emotions and the art of repairing with gold to navigate emotional growth.
Participants are introduced to the connection between colors and emotions, and how art can serve as a tool for emotional expression.
They learn the philosophy of Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken ceramics with gold, as a metaphor for emotional growth and a practice of embracing imperfections and resilience.
Participants are provided with different colors and their associated emotions
They are encouraged to reflect on their personal emotional states and select colors that resonate with them to paint the pot before they break it.
Participants repair the broken pieces using the Kintsugi technique, using gold-colored adhesive to highlight the mended cracks.
Workshop concludes with participants reflecting on the metaphor of healing and strength in the process, and share the emotions they associated with their chosen colours.
Encourage participants to reflect on the metaphor of healing and strength in the process.
Through the combination of color psychology and the art of Kintsugi, this workshop provides adolescents with a holistic approach to navigating emotional shifts. By exploring emotions through colors and symbolically repairing broken objects with gold, participants engage in a process of self-reflection, emotional expression, and growth. The workshop encourages adolescents to recognize the beauty in their emotional journey, emphasizing that healing and resilience can arise from acknowledging and embracing imperfections.
