The Cultural After-School Adventures Program (CASA), is an initiative of The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs that supports after-school cultural activities at public schools in all five boroughs. CASA programs enhance the NYC core curriculum with cultural experiences that promote intellectual and creative exploration as well as develop academic and social, and life skills.

Click HERE to watch this lesson on YouTube. — *Click* ***HERE*** *to watch this lesson on YouTube.*

Art Journal Cover

In this first lesson, CAW Teaching Artist Ms. Megan show you how to create a colorful cover to hold all your future remote projects. You will need a pair of scissors, an empty cereal or cracker box, and some paper you can use to decorate your cover. You will also neeed a glue stick or white school glue, or you can follow the instructions to make some glue out of flower and water.

Send a Postcard to your Future Self

The year is 2030 and you are ten years older than you are now. Tell your future self something about who you are now – your hopes, your fears, what you are proud of, whatever you think is important. Using whatever medium you would like, we’ll show you how to decorate the front and write on the back of your postcard.

Changing Minds Comic

You end up in the wrong Zoom Chat with someone you admire and someone you would like to change. This is your story, so it can be anybody in the world, living, dead, or even fictional. You end up having a conversation. Who are these people? What would you say to them? And what do you think they would say to you? In this lesson, we show you how to turn this scene into a page from a comic book.

What We Miss Timeline

Put your feelings into pictures. In this lesson, Ms. Megan invites you to create a timeline for your art journal that mourns the opportunities you missed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finish the statement: “I hate that I never got to...” After you have had a chance to process your negative feelings, make plans for a better summer once the PAUSE ends.

Masked Self-Portrait

In this final lesson, which is part of the ongoing art journal project, we invite you to make a self-portrait and then create a decorative mask to cover your face. How do you feel about having to wear face masks in response to the corona virus? What does your mask say about you? What do you show the world and what are you hiding beneath it?

Creative Art Works remains committed to providing these experiences during the PAUSE. These remote learning modules can be done by any student at any time. Parents and guardians are encouraged to participate in these lessons, but older students may be able to complete the projects on their own.

Many thanks to the New York City Council and The Department of Cultural Affairs and the City Council Members who support CAW’s CASA programs: Mark Levine, District 7 in Manhattan; Ydanis Rodriguez, District 10 in Manhattan; and Ritchie Torres, District 15 in The Bronx.