Artists & Authors

“Frog and the Flies”- During this workshop, you will be creating a piece-by-piece affirmation art activity that can be hung anywhere in the house. An all paper project that will represent that learning to self- love is a process and a pattern.

“Hello Grateful Junk”- It’s important to keep the environment in mind at times and what a wonderful way to do so by creating or designing something we are grateful for with recycled materials. You will have a variety of supplies to create, mold and build with. It will be an opportunity for the children to connect to their imagination and self- love toward their planet and themselves. Everything around us has a purpose for more than one thing, let’s see what we can create with leftovers.

Take a moment to chill at Allison’s tent! Sessions will run every 30 minutes and are 15-20 minutes in length. All ages can participate. Allison will have cushions for each person and chairs for parents. Relax and be guided through meditation.

Find out the answers to “What is art?”!

One side of the tent will have paper with the question of “what is art” children will be encouraged to create, write or express their answer on the paper. It will be hung up on the wall of the tent with string. The other side of the tent will have “spin the wheel” game. The participants will have to answer a question like; “Can a robot make art?”. Explore these questions and more to deepen your understanding of the arts!

Imagine a book with many tales to tell. A pop-up book with things that spring to invent artistic stories. We’ll play with cut-outs and colours, fancy papers, googly eyes and doodads. This is an oral storytelling fun shop. The pictures we create will inspire the stories we tell to spark our imagination muscles!

Children will make masks to help uncover feelings about their own identities. It can also help to understand where a child is most vulnerable in this area. Children will paint their feelings on a mask. They will create a persona on the mask that reflects both their joys and struggles. They will create a mask with two faces and then try to understand which side of the mask they are and why.

Workshop 2: Think about an emotion you are feeling inside. If it was a thing, what would it look like? Kids can illustrate this on paper if we run out of masks. Krystle will then verbalize the reason they illustrated what they did to their parents. 

This workshop will include experiments and exercises for the children to explore Mark Making using various drawing techniques. The focus will be having the participants explore the act of doodling and then noodling to create from their imagination but using reality as a starting point

Workshop 2: How to draw your own dragon, mermaid or fairy! How to draw a creature creation! Children can create their own creature taking different parts of animal and creating a new creature.

Our interactive drama games will cover a variety of different drama skills that are fun, high energy and team-building. Our objective is to create an exciting and nurturing platform, where students can work in small groups, as they discover new things about each other as they participate in improvisational exercise that culminate in a final presentation. To enhance their creative experience, we will also include some fun costumes and props that will be provided by Theatrix Costume House.

Erica will read her book “My Many Hats”. The children will have a discussion afterwards about the many different hats their caregivers and themselves wear. The activity will be making a hat of an occupation they dream to be in one day.

Workshop 2: Erica will read her book “Missing you”. The children will have a discussion afterwards about losing a loved one. Children will create a memory box that will hold trinkets or pictures.  Option 3:  Erica will read “Stuck in the middle” Q&A discussion, crossword activity taken from Erica’s activity book. Erica will take this up with the group and open the floor for discussions.  

Overview history of Benin Kingdom and the role of masks in African culture. Ekiuwa will teach the kinds about Queen Idia and Benin Kingdom. Children will decorate their own masks, then a small presentation of the children and their different masks they created

Wooden plaques will be given out, the children will write their name in the middle and surround it with botanical shapes such as leaves, florals, etc. Leaves of a variety of plants can be used to create a “stamp”. The leaf is painted and then turned over to stamp onto the substrate.

Workshop 2: Plants will be displayed in the tent where the children will study them and create artwork based on them. This is a “still life”. They will be given some time to carefully observe plants in pots up-close. Then using pencils, they will lightly draw the contour, or outline, of the plant. The next step will be to add details such as leaves, stems, or flowers using colour pencils

“Artsy Chemistry & Solar Painting”- Children will learn how powerful the sun is, and learn to create solar printed images on card stock using a collection of photosensitive emulsions.

Workshop 2: “Story Book Brainstorm”- Collaboratively written stories using Improv. Using principles of Improv, Lacie will use her skills as a writer to guide participants in writing their own children’s story collaboratively.

Create your own underwater world!

Children will learn the basics of working with air dry clay and create whales or other sea creatures with a variety of beginner techniques!

A French reading circle! Mary & John will read both French and English so it will be accessible for all peoples! Their book goes into detail about sizes, fruits, vegetables, and family. After reading the book children can do worksheets around fruit, vegetables, and vocabulary!

Dance workshop – floor warm-up, learning basic ballet positions and steps, creative movement to themes, using recorded music & props such as veils, tambourines, hula-hoops.

Paper flower workshop where kids can make Iris or Japanese Peony flowers. The children will be able to take home wrapped small bouquets of flowers! Each session will be 10-15 mins each.

Mark incorporates electronic looping, found objects, vocals, body percussion and audience participation in his free-form pieces! Affectionately known as “The Junkestra” explore creative ways of making instruments out of objects that would commonly be referred to as Junk!

Children will be creating shadow puppets that they would design and take home. Michelle will provide a paper cut out “animal” head that the children can customize into an animal design (cat, dog, pig, unicorn, etc.) of their choice (Examples will be given for younger participants) If time permits, participants will transform their shadow puppets into moving puppets by providing the option to add on fixed and moving linkage points (they could add a tail or limb to their puppet if they wish). The children could end by creating stories/plays or casting shadows (if possible depending on the tent situation) with each other. 

Create your own letter collagraph cardboard plate. While the plate is drying story time with Shimmery Shannon! An alphabet book about a surprise Birthday party for Zebra. Kids connect with the letter collagraph they chose to create. “E is for Elephant…” Once print is made they can take home to frame 4×7 print.

Finger crochet/ knitting necklace/ bracelet. Sasha will provide basic crochet skills that help promote hand eye coordination as well as passive self-regulation skills. 

Make sure you check out the afghan that was created at our festival last year!

Vassi will read her book called “Story Swapping” to the group. The group will discuss the ideas of story swapping and what is means. (Values behind the story, children’s voices being heard, knowing that everyone’s ideas matter, the sharing of family traditions.) In a group, they will share family traditions to build on the uniqueness of a story. Then, each children can create a story map of their day at the event to story swap at home.

11am

While You Sleep
Ages 0-6 / Grades: Early Years

Welcome to the world of sweet dreams. Night-helpers, which turn out to be her own toys, in
the picture book While You Sleep, care for the world overnight, stuffing clouds, painting
flowers, and dust butterflies, to make the earth beautiful once again. Join me, Jennifer
Maruno, in becoming one of these night-helpers along with a game of bunny bingo! Jennifer
lives in Burlington, Ontario.

12pm

Amy Wu and the Ribbon Dance
Ages 4-8 / Grades: K-3

Charlene Chua draws many things, from baos to dragons, and everything in between. When
they are not drawing, they enjoy cooking, reading, and playing with their cats. Charlene grew
up in Singapore, and now lives in Canada. Her favourite baos are still char siu baos, and her
favourite dumplings are air-fryer wontons!

2pm

Rani’s Remarkable Day
Ages 4-8 / Grades: K-3

Anoosha Syed has illustrated many books for children, including That’s Not My Name, Bilal
Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed and I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown. She lives in
Toronto.

Friday June 2, 6:30pm

My Friend Christopher

Saturday June 3, 11am

Dan The Music Man

Saturday June 3, 12:30pm

Lexy The Rap Dad

Saturday June 3, 2:30pm

CRASH Rhythm

Saturday June 3, 4pm

Closing off our day together…
Mr. Ben’s Music!

Hamilton Public Library is returning to Imagine in the Park again this year, with our Bookmobile! In addition to providing traditional bookmobile services (browsing the collection of library materials on the bus, receiving a library card, etc.), we would they are also offering arts-based programming every 30 minutes. They will be bringing lots of different options like Read-Aloud’s, open art supplies and community projects. Make sure you pick up an entry form for their Children’s Bookmark Design contest!

The Art Gallery Of Burlington will be joining us once more! We love their creativity, and their activity is always a crowd pleaser!

We’ve made some new friends over the last year, and the Children’s Garden Project is one of them! Located outside of the festival (near the baseball field) they will be hosting artsy garden activities!