Young Audiences teaching artists are committed to inspiring the imaginations of young people and have strategies for working with the complexities of school environments. Through a variety of ongoing professional development opportunities and a multi-faceted evaluation system, as well as through their experience with students and educators, Young Audiences teaching artists are continually growing as teachers and as artists.

In my workshops, students learn about either Zines or Autobiographical Comics; and over the course of the residency, publish their own work in this style. My goal in teaching is Empowerment through Self Expression. I find students to be highly motivated by the idea of their work being published and distributed to their peers. One of my main focuses in art is accessibility. This residency’s tools and supplies may be found in any desk or office space, leaving students (and teachers) with the opportunity to self publish long after I’ve left the classroom. I feel that Zines and Comics are a great resource to the Right Brain Initiative, as they are art forms appropriate for almost any subject. I have adapted my programs to a variety of subject-matter over the years; including Literature (the Scarlet Letter), History (the Civil War) and Health (self image, gender and the media for adolescents) I look forward to finding new ways to integrate self publishing into school curriculum.

I offer two self publishing programs; Zines 101 and Autobiographical Comics

The Zine-Making Residency Program directly connects with the English/Language Arts core curriculum in the subject area of writing by engaging students in the creative process of pre-writing, drafting, editing and publishing. There is an optional performance component as well (see description below).

 

Zines 101!

Grades 4-12

 

Q: "What is a zine?"

A: Good Question!

Put simply, a zine is a self-made publication that may include creative writing, artwork, comics, poetry or all of the above.  Zines can be as simple as a stapled booklet, or as complex as a hand-bound artist book, and have a broad range of topics; from personal experience to politics, gardening, music or even napping. The choice is yours. 

 

In this 5-8 session residency, seasoned self publisher and comic artist Nicole J. Georges covers the What and How of zine-making; helping students discover the thrill of self expression and sense of expertise from creating their very own personal zines.  Students will examine a selection of age-appropriate editions from the wide world of zines, and learn the history of the form. With the help of clip-art, rub on type, and other antiquated office supplies, we explore the cut-and paste method of layout and design, and leave class as published writers, artists, and historians.

 

Teachers will have the option to end their residency with a performance of published student work.

 This can occur at an arts night, as entertainment for classmates, or as an educational performance for classmates or younger students.  For those uninterested in performance, we have the option to host a Zine Swap, in which all classes involved in the residency may swap their finished product with each other.

 

 

Making Autobiographical Comics

Grades 4-12

 

Create your own visual storyline that moves away from superhero life and delves into something far more exciting: Your Own!

 

This 5-8 session residency offers students the opportunity to create and publish a personal comic based on true life experiences, ideas and events.

Students will review examples of Autobiographical and non-fiction comics, both in published and independently produced formats. We will discuss sequential art as a form of expression, and will learn the process of putting out your own comic: everything from basic lettering & visual design to readability and reproduction. Students will leave class not only with greater comic know-how, but also with their own self published mini-comics!

 

Note: This residency can be adapted to work with subject matter more closely related to teacher goals and/or curriculum. I.e., historical comics, persuasive nonfiction comics, etc.

Creativity                                                 Focus

Representation                                       Responsibility

Design                                                       Shading

Symmetry                                                 Inking

Spelling                                                     Legibility

Reproduction                                          Accessibility                                         

 Planning                                                  Time Management

Self Expression                                        Empowerment

Drafting                                                     Editing

Layout                                                        Voice

Literacy                                                      Visual Presentation

Fun                                                               Freedom

These residencies can be tied in with a number of subjects; using sequential art and writing as a creative way to further explore subjects such as health, literature, history, and science. Students will plan, edit & revise work in this program.

I would like to work within the current classroom culture to best approach and grab the attention of students. I would like to identify and work with the teacher’s curriculum goals. I will lay out our project with the expressed goals in mind and try and work with the teacher to give students time outside of my residency to work on their research, writing and/or sequential art.

If the teacher has any books or resources for the students which go along with our theme and/or content, I encourage them to bring these into the residency. Otherwise, I do have sample materials which I can bring for students to peruse and receive inspiration from.

$60 per classroom session (50 minutes), and per preparation hour, and per planning & reflection meetings with school.

Additional costs may apply for materials.

Mileage expenses: For travel outside the 15-mile radius of Young Audiences’ downtown Portland office, travel to school is reimbursed per mile based on the applicable IRS Standard Mileage Rate.