COMPASS ARTS was built upon the idea that learning and creating are best accomplished through exploration, improvisation and play, Compass Arts seeks to expand the minds of children and adults and empower each individual through its interactive arts classes. Currently housed in the Compass Arts Enrichment Center in the heart of downtown Beacon, NY and drawing from the talents of professionals in a variety of arts fields, Compass Arts continues to grow its offerings, enabling you to find YOUR direction.
FEATURED CLASSES
Rigamajig is a building kit conceived for hands-on free play and learning. It's a collection of wooden planks, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and rope designed to engage the inquisitive mind and creative spirit of children. Through play, they think three dimensionally, create physically, and work collaboratively. Building with this simple set of parts helps children combine imagination with cognitive thinking & invention, embrace process over outcome, and empowers them to be makers of their own world. During the builders' club, the adult "teachers" will present creative play prompts and questions to inspire students in their creations and facilitate problem solving, but not guide students to any particular end. This is experiential and all about the child's creative process!
Each session, students will have fun exploring and creating in a different art medium. With a focus on natural and recycled materials, our experiments in mixed media will include printmaking, sculpture, textiles, natural dye, and more! First, we’ll investigate the art technique and creative process used by professional artists or a particular culture, along with the social context of the work. Students will interpret artworks, discuss how media is used to tell stories or makes functional objects, and do warmup art exercises. The majority of each session will be time for students to develop and express their own ideas through play and making art. At the end of each session, students will present their pieces to share.
Sing and Move Jamboree is a singalong-style class that will get your child moving! Welcoming children ages 0-5, this 45-minute class combines classic children’s songs and yoga-inspired movement with the exploration of rhythm and melody through props and small instruments. This class also exposes your child to the banjo and violin through fun, American folk tunes tailored for children.
In this half-day camp, children ages 4-10 will explore the magic of the world we live in. Inspired by local lore and legend, as well as the mighty powers of nature, projects will open the eyes of even the most skeptical kids, prompting the question: do you believe in magic? Children will start the day with open play in throughtfully presented stations that highlight themes and content for the day. A morning meeting will follow, including an introduction of the day's project. We will break for snack before we spend the rest of the morning engaged in making!
Join us on our Fantastic Voyage; a multicultural exploration of storytelling, art-making, theater and movement!! Students in public school who would like to join for the second half of the week are welcome at a prorated rate. Email for more information.
Over the course of the week, students will create an original world and the characters that inhabit them. They will find out how other artists have created their original cartoon worlds, learn shape language, and talk about how to use color in their cartoons to create mood and help tell the story. This camp is a half day afternoon camp, so even students in Beacon City Schools can attend.
In this half day camp, students will explore the art of mask making, puppetry, and the power of props in imaginative play! We will spend part of our day engaged in the process of making, as well as devoting a portion of our time to exploring “performance” through open ended play and theatre-inspired games.
Welcome to the big top! Through art-making, movement, and imaginative play we will explore the magic of the circus world! Camp will culminate in a mini performance in which each camper will have the opportunity to showcase their unique talents. Will your child be a juggler, show their super strength, or tame a wild beast? We shall see!
Through mindfulness exercises that consider each and every part of the body as a tool for mark-making, students will be given a GIANT “canvas” to investigate and work on over the course of the week. We will use our hands, arms, legs, feet, and more to invent new ways to apply paint to paper. Explorations into basic engineering, such as the construction of a pendulum for dripping paint in an arching shape, will open up new and exciting possibilities!
Over the course of the week we will use various pieces of special Compass Arts equipment (such as our parachute and tunnels) as well as cardboard, found objects, and our imaginations to construct amazing structures to play in everyday! For inspiration, we will research animals that work collectively to build their homes, as well as architectural forms across the world.
Students will be immersed in a variety of challenging instrumental and vocal material, learning about improvisation, theory, and composition, and creating a vibrant performance that will be shared that Friday at the end of the camp. A focus on rhythmic work and ensemble playing, combined with movement and theatrical elements, brings a deeper understanding to musicianship and music making that is enthralling for this age. Students who play other instruments (uke, piano, violin, guitar, etc) are welcome to bring them to the camp and we will incorporate them into the performance. Keyboard on site.
Join us for a super fun filled week of theater! Led by Eric Saiet and Gina Samardge, this camp will have the students up on their feet playing theater and improv games, exploring character work, skit writing, and creating original material, as well as looking at scenes from existing plays. They will also get experience on percussion instruments (xylophones, drums and small percussion) as a tool for underscoring their writing or creating a song for a skit. Come experience all of the benefits that theater has to offer: meeting lifelong new friends, team building exercises, research, working with props and costumes, exploring movement and percussion instruments as ways to help bring writing to life, and other fun activities! |
Rigamajig for Homeschoolers 6 and up
Mixed Media Art Studio for K-5th homeschoolers
Sing and Move Jamboree! for little ones 6 months-5 years and a caregiver
Magicarium Camp for 4-10 year olds
Fantastic Voyage Camp for 5-10 year olds
Cartooning Camp for 8-14 year olds
Playful Performers Camp for 3-6 year olds
Circus Camp for 3-6 year olds
Art and Movement Camp for 5-10 year olds
Forts, Tunnels and Structures Camp for 3-6 year olds
Rompatom Camp for 8-14 year olds
Imagination Playhouse Theater Camp for 8-14 year oldsCOMPASS ARTS ENRICHMENT CENTER
395 Main Street in Beacon, New York
(enter from the parking lot in the back)
