Date/ Time: Sat. 4/26, 2pm- 5pm

Location: DRAW Studio @20 Cedar St. Kingston, NY 12401

Workshop:

In a world where the overconsumption of clothing and textiles harms our intricate ecosystems and clogs massive dump sites, learning to reuse fabrics and sew for yourself is a creative and fun way to be positively impactful. In this workshop, students will learn to work from a pattern and learn to sew on a sewing machine to make their very own tote bag. Fabric is available at the DRAW, but students are encouraged to bring their own fabrics and ideas to class.

Teaching Artist: Zibby Jahns, @zibby.jahns

Zibby Jahns is a multimedia artist whose artwork revolves around reconsidering public space to reckon with loss. Zibby’s current work responds to ecological devastation in the wake of colonial extraction culture. She worked in the field with botanist Peri Lee Pipkin in 2023 on a botanical survey of rare Nevada wildflowers that will likely be destroyed by the creation of a lithium mine. Their solo show that opened this spring at Nikki at Mehle Gallery in Arabi, LA explores Lithium extraction through multimedia fabrication of a speculative science fiction film. This installation work combined hand-made costumes, lifesize sets, drawings and A/V components to call attention to the desert ecosystems harmed by extractive industries. Zibby has been teaching studio art for 20 years, currently at the Rhode Island School of Design, and recently at Amherst College and Wheaton College. This is Zibby’s fourth time teaching at The D.R.A.W. Zibby holds a BA in American Studies from Smith College and an MFA in Sculpture from RISD. Zibby currently resides in Kingston, NY.

Date/ Time: Sun. 4/27, 2-4pm

Location: DRAW Studio @20 Cedar St. Kingston, NY 12401

Workshop:

Join us for a hands-on exploration of traditional walnut ink making! While the full process takes time and can't be completed in a single session, we'll guide you through each step, using ink at various stages of completion. You'll also have the chance to experiment with fully finished ink. Each students will take home a recipe and materials to DIY it at home.

Walnut ink has been used for centuries in writing, drawing, and map-making—long before commercial inks existed. Come discover its timeless beauty and versatility

Teaching Artist: Lara Giordano

Lara Giordano (Founder, Director of The D.R.A.W.) is an arts advocate, artist, retired Kingston High School art teacher and lifelong art educator. Giordano was instrumental in the design and implementation of KCSD’s arts driven interdisciplinary curriculum and founder of the PUGG program which started as an extension of her advanced art curriculum at the high school. She is the Founder of the Department of Regional Art Workers (The D.R.A.W.) and a Board Member of Kingston Midtown Arts District (MAD). Giordano is a dedicated community member and has served on the Board of Women’s Studio Workshop, served on the City of Kingston Arts Commission, and is committed to equity and access to the arts and art education for all.

Date/ Time: Tue. 4/29, 6pm-9pm

Location: Neighborhood Print Studio, 49 Greenkill Avenue Kingston, NY 12401

Workshop:

Join us in this one day workshop where artist Dilara Miller will guide students on recycling materials to turn into collagraph plates. Collagraphs are a type of printmaking method where you can cut and dry point into a surface to gain an intaglio like print. Students will be guided on transforming old cartons, juice boxes, etc. into wipeable plates for dimensional prints. Students will be guided on preparing their matrix, techniques on building textures and etching their surface, inking their plate and finally printing their pieces. This is a great method for those that want to recycle old packaging for collagraph prints!

Teaching Artist: Dilara Miller, @vishneli

Dilara Miller is an interdisciplinary artist based between Mersin, Turkey and the Hudson Valley, New York who received her BFA from The University of Colorado, Boulder and her MFA from Northern Illinois University with an emphasis in printmaking and ceramic methods. Dilara’s work critique’s and reflects on the social/cultural effects of being a Turkish/American Muslim woman in today’s society. Through referencing antiquities and how they are presented today, she seeks to identify patterns of hierarchies that exist in our human history through an eco-feminist lens. Dilara has had her work featured in national and international exhibitions such as the Woman,Life,Freedom exhibit in Chicago, Illinois, ALHAMDU | Muslim Futurism exhibit in Iowa City, and the 8th International Lithographic Symposium in Tidaholm, Sweden; as well as having been published in the MAPC Journal and The Hand Magazine.

Date/ Time: Thu. 5/1, 4-6pm

Location: DRAW Studio @20 Cedar St. Kingston, NY 12401

Workshop:

The Eco Arts Week curator and PUGG Youth Workforces will facilitate a panel discussion between leaders in sustainability and ecology and artists inspired by climate change activism. The panelists will engage in an educational discussion about local water sources and pollution prevention practices surrounding Hudson Valley. The panelists include: Mattew Friday- Associate Professor of Art and Sustainability Fellow at SUNY New Paltz; Sebastian Pillitteri- Riverkeeper Community Science Manager; Catherine Law- Science Teacher at New Paltz High School.

*There is a limit of 20 seats in person. RSVP. Remote seats are also available to the public. An online meeting link will be provided three days before the event.

Panelist: Riverkeeper watershed educator, Sebastian Pillitteri

Sebastian is the Community Science Manager at Riverkeeper. Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law‌. Our Community Science Program organizes people from Westchester to the Adirondacks to take water samples for recreational water quality to help us answer the question: how is the water for swimming? In addition to this program he conducts sampling on the Hudson River Estuary from May to October, and organizes an experiential education course called Source to Estuary that teaches youth where their drinking water comes from, where it goes, and what happens to it along the way. He lives in Kingston.

"We are of this earth and water, and we never stop being a part of it. By caring for our rivers, we are caring for ourselves and each other. Better worlds are possible, but only when we understand our connections to each other, water, and earth." - Sebastian Pillitteri

Panelist: Mattew Friday

Matthew Friday, graduate coordinator for the Department of Art at SUNY New Paltz, is an educator, writer, and transdisciplinary artist whose research focuses on the development of apparatuses that examine and provoke new entanglements of ecology and social systems. Over the past few years, Matthew Friday has spoken internationally about ecology, aesthetics and politics at venues such as NYU, the Rubin Foundation, and Kunsthal Aarhus (Denmark). His essays have appeared in October, the Journal of Modern Craft, the Journal Aesthetics and Protest, the Brooklyn Rail and Art Journal.

Working both collectively and individually, Matthew Friday’s research-based projects have taken up issues of urban ecology and watershed remediation. He is an active member of the ecosystem research and design collective SPURSE. He has exhibited at several venues including the Wave Hill, MassMOCA, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Grand Arts, White Columns, the Kitchen, Bemis Art Center, Kunsthal Aarhus, and the BMW Guggenheim LAB. His work has been reviewed in October, the New Art Examiner, Dwell and Art Papers and has been included in several catalogs including The Interventionists (MassMOCA) and Experimental Geography (Creative Time/ Independent Curators International). Friday is currently building a floating classroom/houseboat for community exploration and advocacy along the Hudson River.

"When we emerged on land 4 billion years ago, we enclosed the living waters of our world around us. Water moves through our bodies, our communities, and our dreams and it carries with it the shared legacy of our habits. How do we collectively imagine and build new worlds that recognize water as an agent in our lives?" -Mattew Friday"

Panelist: Cathy Law

Cathy is a graduate of Cornell University with degrees in Biology and Geology. She taught science including AP Environmental Science for 25 years at New Paltz high school. There she started the Courtyard Gardens which become an outdoor classroom for hands-on research. An unexpected result of the teaching garden was the number of students that went onto environmental fields of study after working and learning in the garden. Cathy was also an adjunct professor of geology for 10 years at SUNY New Paltz. 

Cathy is an emeritus Master Teacher of New York State and has published in the Green Teacher Magazine. She has retired from public school and presently works at Stonecrop Gardens. 

“Without education, people unknowingly harm the planet through their actions. Stay informed!” -Cathy Law

Date/ Time: Sat. 5/3, 10am-1pm

Location: Neighborhood Print Studio, 49 Greenkill Avenue Kingston, NY 12401

Workshop:

This workshop introduces you to anotypes, a chemical-free photography technique that uses natural materials like turmeric, beet, and spinach juice to create light-sensitive emulsions. You’ll learn how to prepare your own emulsions, coat paper with them, and expose images to sunlight using stencils and negatives. The process is simple yet offers endless creative possibilities for anyone interested in exploring art with a sustainable approach. The workshop includes demonstrations and hands-on practice, with time to experiment with different techniques and produce unique prints. No prior art experience is needed—just bring your curiosity. All materials are provided, and you’ll leave with a finished print of your own creation.

Teaching Artist: Kai Navarrete, @Kai_Kahlo

Kai Navarrete is a Kingston-based painter from Guerrero, Mexico, whose work explores the cosmos and the human body through sacred geometry. He creates vibrant paintings using traditional pigment-making techniques with organic earth materials.