Visiting Artists Around the World in the Time of Coronavirus

Being under quarantine presents a creative challenge to teachers. How do we keep a class engaging  while we are all staring at video screens? In April, I took my students on several virtual studio visits with artists from around the world.

Michaela Bartonova

For our first trip we went to Prague, Czech Republic for a visit with Michaela Bartonova of Tineola Theater. I first met Michaela when I took students on a puppet making trip back in 2006 where she led a 10 day workshop. Since then Michaela has entered the digital realm and created puppet performances that incorporate live drawings on an Ipad incorporating, shadow puppets, live music and marionettes. Click here if you are interested in viewing the hour long studio visit.

Our second trip was a visit with Japanese artist, Maiko Kikuchi, who lives in NYC. Maiko uses mixed media in her work. She is also a puppeteer and has shown her work at the HERE Theater and La Mama in NYC. She discussed what it means to be an artist in residence and shared some of her stop motion techniques with us. Click here if you are interested in viewing the hour long studio visit Part 1.  Part 2  Part 3

Maiko Kikuchi

Our third meeting was with Danish illustrator, Henrik Drescher, who lives between Brooklyn, NY and China. Henrik shared his work space with us, shared some trade secrets of his drawing technique with a wiggly pen and gave us a drawing demo. Click here if you are interested in viewing the hour long studio visit.

Henrik Drescher

Our forth meeting was with Russian illustrator, Victoria Semykina, who lives in Bologna, Italy and Moscow. She also shared her studio with us and discussed her mixed media approach to her illustration style as well as her fascination with boats. Click here if you are interested in viewing the hour long studio visit.

Victoria Semykina

Our final virtual visit was with Nicholas Kahn of Kahn and Selesnick. I stumbled across this duo in a NYC gallery back in the 1990's and have recently started following their work on Instagram. Click here to see the hour long studio visit.

Nicholas Kahn in front of a work in progress.

Detail of objects in his studio used in photoshoots.

All of these artists are multi-talented individuals working with a variety of techniques and media.