RESIDENCIES
Professional Art Education Experiences for Schools
School Murals
Enhance your school with a new mural painted by your students and staff! We love to collaborate with schools to elevate their spaces with unique and vibrant murals. Over the past few years, we have completed over ten school murals. We offer several different creative approaches for students of all ages. Your students will absolutely love this project!
Contact us to learn more.
5-7-Day Residency
Connections: Visual Art & Collaboration
All Grade Levels
Photo Composition
Learn how to apply the elements of design
to create and edit amazing photos! Students
will receive a presentation, enjoy a photo walk
and learn how to edit their photos. Photos can
be printed for a school exhibition or delivered
as a video slideshow.
1-3-Day Residency
Connections: Literacy & Visual Art
Grades 2-12
Shirt Design
Students love seeing their designs come to
life on their own shirts! Designs are created by hand, digitally or through printmaking processes. Schools can select a theme, such as school spirit,
or allow students to design freely.
3-Day Residency
Connections: All Subject Areas
All Grade Levels
Classic Animation
Students will bring their drawings to life using classic animation techniques inspired by Walt Disney's Principles of Animation and iPad apps. This program can be combined with the Cartoon program to offer students more exposure to creative animation techniques.
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: All Subject Areas
Grades 4-7
Collaborative Earth Art
Get your students outdoors for this unique program that introduces the creative possibilities of earth art. The cultural roots of mandalas and the history of ephemeral art will inspire students to create a beautiful work of art to enhance the campus. Students may work individually if desired.
5-Day Residency
Connections: Visual Art
All Grade Levels
Let's Collaborate!
Do you have an idea you would like to see brought to fruition at your school? We love to collaborate! Whether it is enhancing a particular area of your school or finding the right creative approach to connect to your curriculum, we have a solution. Connect with us today!
Public Art Installations
Let us guide your students through the creative
process of designing an art installation to enhance your school! We will brainstorm concepts around a theme and create a collaborative work of art!
5-7-Day Residency
Connections: Visual Art & Poetry
All Grade Levels
Cyanotypes
Create gorgeous cyanotypes with your class using natural objects or digital negatives. Students will learn the history and science behind the process prior to designing their own works of art. Small prints on paper and large fabric murals are available for display at your school. The curriculum is modified to meet goals for each grade level.
1-Day Workshop or 3-Day Residency
Connections: Science, Literacy, History, Art
All Grade Levels
Alt Process Photography
Alternative process photography has
beautiful results! This program exposes students
to the art of creating chemical reactions
for artistic impact. Approaches include lumen printing, chemigrams, liquid emulsion, image
transfers and more! The curriculum is modified
to fulfill science and art goals for the grade level.
1-5-Day Residency
Connections: Art, Science, History
All Grade Levels
Nature Photo & Poetry
Capture nature in extraordinary ways in this fun program that gets your students outdoors! After learning composition basics & receiving tips on nature photography, they will enjoy a photo excursion and editing session. A lesson on haiku or free verse poetry will be provided the following class.
2-3-Day Residency
Connections: Art, Literacy, Science
Grades 3-5
Cartoons
Students will love bringing their stories to life
as 3D cartoons in this super fun program!
Students will learn how to create a storyboard,
design and enhance characters and narrate
their stories to create adorable movies!
2-3-Day Residency
Connections: Art, Literacy, Technology
Grades: 3-7
Music Videos
Create an unforgettable music video with your
class this year! Students will work as a team to
develop concepts for their video including the song, costumes/props, set and creative approach. We will direct students as they act out their portion of the song. Videos can highlight individuals or feature the whole class animated using the pixelation technique. This is always a fun choice!
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: Music, Dance, Visual Art
Grades k-12
Stop Motion Animation
This program introduces students to the various
approaches to stop motion animation. Animate
with objects, food, clay and more! Students can
design their own sets or use green screens to
travel their characters anywhere!
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: All Subject Areas
All Grade Levels
Abstract Painting
Let's paint! Students will love learning about the different styles of abstract painting. Wet and dry brush techniques as well as color mixing techniques will be introduced. This program is fun and laid back. It allows every student to feel successful because abstraction is limitless!
1-2-Day Residency or Workshop
Connections: Art, Music
All Grade Levels
Art for a Cause
Work with Blackbird to support a cause that speaks to your class. We will brainstorm and develop concepts for how to create art that supports the cause. We have over fifteen years of experience in designing programs to bring students together to support various causes. We have created handprinted bags filled with blankets and goods to handout to the homeless community. Our programs helped to spread awareness and supported clean-up efforts after Hurricane Katrina and so much more! You want to make a positive impact using art?
We do too!
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: All Subject Areas
Grades 4-12
Virtual Programs
We offer virtual residencies and combined virtual/in-person programs to lower program costs and allow schools to impact larger numbers of students. Our Canvas courses are preloaded with videos and instructional resources to guide students through the creative process from start to finish.
Residencies and Workshops are Available
All Grade Levels
Sculpt Your Own Chia Pets
This fun and creative program combines science and art for a whimsical final display of spouted sculptures. Students will learn how to create their own unique pinch pots and sculptures ready for chia seeds to sprout!
3-5-Day Residency
Connections: Science, Art
Grades 3-12
Liquid Acrylic "Pour" Art
Students will love the process of manipulating paint and medium on wooden panels. We use kid-friendly products to achieve professional results. This artistic process allows everyone to be successful and the paintings are gorgeous!
1-2-Day Residency or Workshop
Connections: Science, Art
Grades 3-12
Surreal Digital Art
Students will enjoy learning how to create beautifully layered digital works of art on their phones using free apps. This program can be themed or students can let their creativity run freely! Final works can be placed together in a shareable slideshow or printed for an exhibition at your school. For schools who have access to Photoshop, the program can be focused specifically on Photoshop processes. Image by Elia Pelligrini.
1-3-Day Residency or Workshop
Connections: Science, Art
Grades 8-12
Neon Glow Art
Explore the creative possibilities of neon art in this fun program! Students will work with neon lights and/or neon paint to create one-of-a-kind displays for their school. Lights can be formed into words, one-line drawings and collaborative, glowing class murals.
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: Science, Art
All Grade Levels
Installation Art: Butterflies, Birds, Mandalas, Hot Air Balloons & More!
Let us collaborate with your class to enhance an area of your school with laser cut wall art that will be individually enhanced by your students. Students will learn about installation art, how to apply a variety of mediums on acrylic or wood and assist with the design of their art large, collaborative art installation. Quotes may be added to the visual display for more impact. Students can design panels completely or work with a template. The final product is professional and will enhance your school for years to come.
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: Science, Art
All Grade Levels
Recycled Art: Robots, Dreamcatchers and More!
If you are looking for a program to connect to recycling, look no further. We offer a variety of programs that teach students about artists who work with recycled materials and make sure the creative process is fun. We can do robots, dreamcatchers, abstract installations and more! Image by Dan Lewis.
2-5-Day Residency
Connections: Science, Art
All Grade Levels
Themed Exhibit & Field Trip
With a background in the museum world, we have a wealth of experience in designing professional exhibitions of student work based around current events and themes. We can also guide students through the creation of their own, personal art exhibitions. Collaborate with us to create a program that will wow your school administration and student body. The program can include a visit to a local museum as inspiration for the class project.
4-8 Day Residency
Connections: Art, Literacy, Technology
All Grade Levels
Wall Quotes & Poems
Students will come up a quote or poem that describes their public art message they want to display on campus. Letters can be created and mounted in a variety of ways to make a professional display that highlights each student’s creative contribution. This project can be completed as a class or in small groups. It is a great way to get students excited about reading and writing. Each letter will be enhanced using mixed media art and/or painting techniques.
4-8 Day Residency
Connections: Art, Literacy, Technology
All Grade Levels
Creative Lighting for Portraits
Students will create beautiful portraits using professional studio lighting, ordinary objects, projected images and handmade light filters. Artists who focus on the creative use of shadows for emphasis will be introduced for inspiration.
1-3 Day Residency or Workshop
Connections: Current Events, Art, Science, Literacy
Grades 6-12
Science & Photography
Discover the creative possibilities of combining water and oil in this science-based photography program. Students will experiment with lighting and a variety of materials to produce abstract art for display at your school!
1-Day Workshop
Connections: Science & Art
Grades 3-5
Conceptual Portraits
Students will learn how to convey ideas through symbolic portraits of themselves or their classmates. Students will write and sketch out a plan for their portraits. We will provide lights, backdrops, props and more to bring their ideas to life. Photo shoots can be completed on campus or at a location of their choice. Artists focusing on conceptual portraiture will be introduced to offer inspiration. Photos can be paired with poems or narratives in the format of books or prints for display at your school. Students can express their individual ideas or create photographic art around a particular theme.
2-5 Day Residency
Connections: All Subject Areas
Grades 9-12
DIY Photo Filters
Students will enjoy creating handmade filters to add color, texture and unique lighting effects to their photos. Work created by Instagram influencers and master photographers will be introduced for inspiration. Students will get to use their filters to capture beautiful photos of their peers and campus.
1-2 Day Residency or Workshop
Connections: Art, Technology
All Grade Levels
Tie-Dye Shirts & Science
Make your own Tie-Dye Shirts with Blackbird Studio this year! Students will enjoy the process of designing their own shirts while learning about the history and science behind the creative process. This residency can include the creation and use of natural dyes from plants, foods and nuts. This program is an optional add-on program for the Design Your Own Shirt program.
2-5 Day Residency
Connections: Science, Art, Literacy
Grades 3-12
