Young Arts Finalist: Aaron Smithson + Merit Winners: Mary Safy & Eungyoung Lee

Three students from Oogie Art were recognized for their artwork in the National Young Arts competition.

Aaron Smithson was chosen as a finalist as one of 12 out of 12,000 students in the USA and invited for a workshop and exhibition at the museum in Miami. He was also awarded a $10,000 Presidential Scholarship. His architectural portfolio displayed organic pieces inspired by the sea and incorporated a wide use of mixed media. Aaron's portfolio is also featured on YoungArts.

The Young Arts competition is highly competitive, and we feel honored to have our students recognized for their artistic achievements. Congratulations Aaron Smithson (Trinity School, Oogie Art), Mary Safy (Stuyvesant Highschool, Oogie Art) & Eunyoung Lee (Lexington Highschool, Oogie Art)!!

Charity Fundraising Show

Oogie Art Gallery hosted a Charity Fundraising Show for the Scholarship at the Talent School in Uganda. Featuring Mark Chearavanont’s black and white photography, many pieces were sold and the funds will go towards raising money for the Kasangula Talent School in Uganda. Mark is an Oogie alumni, and he was accepted from Harvard University. 

Dates:

September 6 ~ 19, 2015

Admissions Visit: Central Saint Martins

Admissions officers from Central Saint Martins located in London, England visited Oogie students for a presentation on the admissions process and the various programs being updated at their school. Each year, several Oogie students apply to Central Saint Martins (part of the University to the Arts London) for their renown fashion major. Amongst their alumni includes Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and each year a few Oogie students are admitted despite the heavy competition.

Date: 

August 1, 2015

Animator Talk: Christy Karacas

Christy Karacas visited Oogie Art to to share his invaluable insights and experiences in the animation and film industry with our students. After the engaging talk, the students had the opportunity to tour Titmouse Studio, where Karacas works as a director. This unique experience provided students with a fascinating firsthand look into the inner workings of a professional animation studio.

Christy Karacas is an American musician, animator, voice actor, director, and writer, best known for creating Superjail! (2007) and Ballmastrz 9009 (2018) for Adult Swim, as well as directing the Cartoon Network series Robotomy. He is a founding member and guitarist for the band Cheeseburger. Karacas studied Film, Animation, and Video (FAV) at the Rhode Island School of Design.

The Well Project for Kasangula School, Uganda

Students from Oogie Art visited the Kasangula Talent School and Mityana Village in Uganda as part of the Uganda Leadership Program. Students conducted art classes and installed a well for clean water in the community. The project is the first step in a series of changes that will take place in the community, including an installment of electricity at the school. It was a great opportunity for Oogie students to connect with the students, creating artwork together and bringing about positive change. 

Designer Talk Event: Caryl Glaab - Director at Blue Man Group

Caryl Glaab is the creative director of the Blue Man Group, a trio of bald blue men that perform absurd theatrical acts like banging on PVC pipes all choreographed to drumming beats and no dialogue. Glaab talked about the importance of being present during the design process and gave Oogie students an extensive presentation on creating the look and feel of Blue Man Group. Designer talks like these help students gain advice and insight into the design industries from professionals.  

Date: 

July 11, 2015   1 PM

Washington D.C. Art Leadership Program

For a few days, Oogie students traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in our Art Leadership Program, which is part of the International Child Art Foundation, an enrichment program that provides workshops and art lessons for students all over the world. Oogie students met with several mentors and connected with local students to bring about different art programs. Director Choi emphasizes the importance of being a leader and not a follower, and this was a rare and uplifting opportunity for students to share their knowledge and creativity with their peers and children.   

Dates: 

June 10, 2015 ~ July 3, 2015

Smart Sketchbook Series

Director Wook Choi self-published a series of nine books called “Smart Sketchbook Series” which include fast guidelines on different art techniques for drawing and painting. Each book provides a sample drawing or painting and includes a blank page for students to directly practice onto. Some techniques include drawing a still life of different objects, how to draw the human figure, self-portraits, etc. using mediums like charcoal, pastel or acrylic. You can buy your copy directly from Oogie Art, or purchase them online at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com

Student Spotlight: Alexander Khomyakov

Congratulations to our very own Oogie Art alumni Alex Khomyakov for becoming a design assistant at Apple Inc. Alex graduated from RISD studying graphic design and interned twice at a Swiss design company called Department. His hobbies include surfing and learning new languages. You can read more on his experience at RISD, Apple, and his advice to students in the new publication of Art College Admissions II.

Scholastic Art National Award Ceremony 2015

The Scholastic Art National Award Ceremony took place at Carnegie Hall in NYC. 12 National winners attended from Oogie Art. Oogie art beats its own record for the Scholastic Art & Writing awards each year. 

Oogie Art Research Program Landscape Explorers

Diane Kim published “Landscape Explorers” working with the Oogie Art Research Team. Landscape Explorers is an exploration of landscape artwork from all around the world, starting from the 17th century to contemporary work. Kim was accepted from Columbia University. 

Leading & Learning Group Show

The work of Ugandan students was featured in the Oogie Art Gallery this December. The work is the result of a collaboration between Oogie Art students and the children of the Mityana Village at the Kasangula School. Students discussed their experience and talked about their leadership roles during their visit. 

Dates:

December 13 ~ 27, 2014

Group Show at Time Warner Cable in New York City

Oogie Students had a group show at the Time Warner Cable building. The show was titled “Digital Technology Art” featuring work from students that used Adobe Photoshop and several other digital platforms to edit their work, a combination of photography and mixed media. 

Dates:

August 1 ~ 30, 2014

New York Times Article: Laura Anderson Barbata's "Stories and Stilts"

Oogie Art was mentioned in the New York Times article featuring the performance artist Laura Anderson Barbata’s program “Stories and Stilts” at the BRIC House through August 31st. The event featured is part of the Oogie Art Internship experience. During the program, students lead families through the “Transcommunality” show and presented a Korean folk tale titled “The Pious Daughter” Lots of preparation went into this and it was a great opportunity for students to experience installation and performance art firsthand. We are so proud of all the Oogie Art Students that participated!  

Uganda Leadership Program

Oogie Art will be traveling to Uganda for another Leadership Program. Students will help launch art programs for orphans and children in Africa at the Kasangula Talent School in the district of Mityana and the Gaba Orphanage Home at the Bethany Children’s Village. This will be a great opportunity for students to connect with the children and learn great leadership skills.

Dates:

August 3 ~ 14, 2014

Designer's Talk: Marco Lafiandra

Marco LaFiandra is a Designer and project manager at DDC Designpost. He moved to New York City 6 years ago from Italy and studied Industrial Design in college. Marco gave a presentation about the design process and experience of being a designer from both Italy and NY. His advice for students was to never abandon their personal vision and mission, and to always connect with clients on a deeper level. 

Date:

July 26, 2014

Artist's Talk: Maren Hassinger

Maren Hassinger is the Chairwoman of the Sculpture department at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She’s known for her public art using industrial and natural materials. She also works in performance and video. Oogie students participated in a group sculptural installation and had a group discussion. 

Date: 

July 19, 2014  1:00pm 

Artist's Talk: Vito Acconci (Jan 24, 1940 - Apr 27, 2017)

Vito Acconci was a world renown landscape architect, designer, performance and installation artist. He came to fame in the 1970s and left a mark on the art world for his unsettling performances and installation work. Oogie students were given an interesting and unexpected presentation of his work, including architectural renderings, video clips, and his overall philosophy throughout his life as an artist. Vito stated that he loved architecture because it always has renovation built into it. Students left inspired with a different view of landscape architecture and performance/installation art. 

Charity Fundraising Show at Oogie art Gallery, NY

The work of Sophia Raia was featured in the Oogie Art Gallery this May through June. Sophia Raia is an Oogie Art student from the Saddle River Day School in NJ, she was accepted from Wesleyan University. This is one of the first of student works that will be featured as part of a series for fundraising events. This particular fundraising event was for a Tribute to Wounded Special Forces Heroes. 

Date:

May 29 ~ June 5, 2014

Scholastic Art National Award Ceremony 2014

Oogie Art had 7 National Winners attend the Award Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York. Oogie art beats its own record for the Scholastic Art & Writing awards each year. The following students participated: