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NEU Vitality Art Workshops

The Neuberger Museum of Art is launching an  exciting new series of community-based, hands-on, art education experiences for adults aged 55+

Make art and new friends as you learn and create! 
Be inspired by our permanent collection!

art school, creativity and people concept - happy senior woman artist with easel and pencil drawing picture at studio Organized with the generous financial support of E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, the NEU Vitality Art Workshops are art education experiences designed specifically for older adults. Participants will connect with the Museum’s collection and current exhibitions through group discussions on modern and contemporary art history and hands-on art projects.

The first Workshop, Fundamentals of Drawing, begins in mid-October and continues through December 2023. A teaching artist from the Purchase College faculty will lead each of the eight (8) 90-minute weekly sessions in a small-group setting of no more than 15 art-minded participants. Grow a sense of community as you hone your artistic skills. 

Register for Fundamentals of Drawing
You will be taken to a secure website to register and pay for this Workshop.

Fundamentals of Drawing

Fall 2023

Participants will learn basic skills including composition, perspective, value and light, shape and form, line, and proportion, drawing inspiration from a variety of subjects inspired by the Museum’s permanent collection.

Class Size
Limited to 15 registrants.

Course Dates, Times, and Location 
The eight-session workshop series will meet on Wednesdays from 11:30am - 1:00pm in the Museum’s Third Floor Skylight Gallery.  Course dates:

  • October 11, 18, 25
  • November 1, 8, 15, 29
  • December 6

The workshops will culminate on Wednesday afternoon, December 20, with an Art Showcase in the Museum’s Open Classroom featuring the projects produced by participants during the Workshop. 

Registration Fee
$350 (inclusive of all course materials).

Register for Fundamentals of Drawing

Upon successful completion of your registration, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with details about your participation. The NEU Vitality Art project manager, bliss.burrell@purchase.edu, will follow-up with additional information in the days leading up to the first event.

Spots are reserved on a first come-first served basis.  No refunds will be provided for missed sessions. 

Photo of a man with facial hair and a blue collared shirt Meet the Teaching Artist
Benjamin Degen
(b. 1976 Brooklyn, NY)

Degen uses image-making as a process for learning and teaching, connection, vision, realization, and transformation. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998 from The Cooper Union and his work has been exhibited in galleries nationally and internationally, as well as in exhibitions at MoMA PS1, The Collezione Maramotti, The William Benton Museum of Art, and the Weatherspoon Art Museum. His artwork is held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Collezione Maramotti, The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Tang Museum. He has taught at Cooper Union, The Rhode Island School of Design, Brooklyn College, Pioneer Works, The Brooklyn Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is currently a lecturer of painting and drawing at Purchase College, SUNY, lives and works in Beacon, NY, and is represented by Susan Inglett Gallery in New York City.

E.A. Michelson Philanthropy Logotype in a horizontal format

 

 


The NEU Vitality Art Workshops program is generously funded by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy
.

Throughout our lifetimes, creativity is within us waiting to be awakened and expressed – bringing a new sense of accomplishment and connection with communities. E.A. Michelson Philanthropy supports programs that bring these benefits to people of all ages.

The Vitality Arts Workshops provide individuals aged 55+ a community-based creative outlet. Creative aging programs offer older adults a revitalized experience in learning, nurturing their sense of purpose while enhancing their wellbeing. These programs foster social connections and ignite passions for creating among peers, while facilitating friendships and the building of a supportive art-minded community. Each of the NEU workshops planned through the end of 2024 will be focused on a different art discipline.

For more information about the program, email nma.education@purchase.edu.


Individuals requiring accommodations for equal access to this program are encouraged to contact the NEU Vitality Art project manager, bliss.burrell@purchase.edu, so that a good-faith effort can be made to meet the identified needs.