A R I M A S Kids Art Lab

4 Day Summer Art Intensive

Build a Sculptural Crown or Mask

Give your young artist the time and space to build something imaginative, dimensional, and completely their own.

ARIMAS Kids Art Lab is a four-day summer art intensive for young artists ages 8–11. During four five-hour studio days, students will design and construct one large sculptural crown or mask using paper mâché, cardboard, paint, texture, and mixed-media embellishments.

Rather than rushing through a quick craft, students will move through a real creative process: imagining, sketching, building, strengthening, painting, refining, and presenting a finished work of art.

With a maximum of five students, each child receives individual support while also experiencing the energy of creating alongside a small group of young artists.

No previous art experience is required. All standard project materials are included.

Founding Summer Rate: $300

A child’s spot is fully confirmed once payment and the required registration forms are both complete.

Program Details

Ages: 8–11

Experience level: Beginner-friendly

Format: Four-day summer art intensive

Schedule: Four consecutive program days

Time: 9:00 AM–2:00 PM each day

Total studio time: 20 hours

Class size: Maximum of 5 young artists

Minimum enrollment: 3 students

Founding summer rate: $300 per child

Location: ARIMAS Studio at the Village of Industry & Arts, Philadelphia

Materials: All standard project materials are included

Registration covers the complete four-day program. Individual days cannot be purchased separately or divided between children.

Children should be available to attend all four days. Important building and finishing stages continue from one day to the next.

What Young Artists Will Create

Each student will design and create one large sculptural crown or mask.

Students will choose one project format so they have enough time to develop a strong, carefully finished artwork rather than rushing through multiple smaller projects.

Projects may include:

Bold silhouettes and dimensional shapes
Raised paper-mâché forms
Painted symbols and patterns
Metallic, matte, bright, or layered color finishes
Sculptural points, curves, hair, horns, petals, or abstract forms
Cardboard, paper, foil, fabric, beads, and lightweight embellishments
A title and short artist statement

Finished projects may be wearable, display-ready, or both depending on the child’s design.

Final projects will vary because each student will make their own design decisions within the studio’s approved size, material, and safety limits.

Day One: Imagine + Build

Young artists will:

Explore crowns, masks, wearable art, faces, symbols, and sculpture
Brainstorm the feeling or story behind their artwork
Sketch multiple ideas
Choose a crown or mask format
Select an approved project size and structure
Build the cardboard and lightweight base
Begin shaping the main silhouette
Apply the first paper-mâché layers
Label and safely store the work for overnight drying

Day Two: Shape + Strengthen

Young artists will:

Review and strengthen the dried base
Add additional paper-mâché layers where needed
Build raised details and dimensional forms
Experiment with balance, repetition, texture, and symmetry
Add approved points, curves, features, or sculptural extensions
Refine the edges and overall silhouette
Prepare the project for final drying before painting
Develop a color and surface plan

Day Three: Color + Character

Young artists will:

Prepare the dried surface for painting
Apply base colors
Develop patterns, symbols, faces, and visual details
Explore contrast, layering, metallic finishes, and texture
Test embellishments before permanently attaching them
Continue building the personality and story of the artwork
Begin creating a title and artist statement

Day Four: Finish + Present

Young artists will:

Complete final painting and surface details
Add approved lightweight embellishments
Refine edges and visible construction areas
Add wearable ties or display supports when appropriate
Complete a title and short artist statement
Prepare the artwork for presentation
Photograph the finished artwork when permission is provided
Package the project for safe transportation home

What Young Artists Will Learn

How to develop an idea through sketching
How to transform flat materials into dimensional forms
Basic armature and lightweight construction methods
Introductory paper-mâché techniques
How to strengthen and balance a sculptural structure
How drying time affects the art-making process
Color planning and paint layering
Pattern, texture, symbolism, and visual storytelling
How to make creative decisions within practical limitations
How to care for tools, materials, and a shared studio
How to discuss and present a finished artwork

Daily Studio Rhythm

Each day combines focused studio work with breaks, lunch, cleanup, and time for reflection.

A typical day may include:

9:00–9:20 AM: Arrival, welcome, and daily plan
9:20–10:30 AM: Main studio work block
10:30–10:45 AM: Movement and restroom break
10:45–11:45 AM: Second studio work block
11:45 AM–12:15 PM: Lunch
12:15–1:30 PM: Final studio work block
1:30–2:00 PM: Cleanup, reflection, and dismissal preparation

The exact rhythm may shift depending on project drying time and the needs of the group.

Short supporting activities may be provided while projects are drying, including sketchbook work, collage, artist labels, pattern development, and mini design challenges.

What’s Included

Twenty hours of small-group studio instruction
Cardboard and lightweight building materials
Paper and standard paper-mâché materials
Studio-safe adhesives
Paint and brushes
Drawing and planning materials
Approved mixed-media and decorative materials
Use of age-appropriate studio tools
Aprons or shared protective coverings when available
Table coverings and project storage between sessions
Step-by-step demonstrations
Individual support in a five-student group
A title card or artist statement for the finished work
Final project packaging when appropriate

Specialty materials brought from home must be approved by the instructor before they are added to a project.

Tools + Safety

This is a mixed-media sculpture intensive. It is not a metalsmithing or hot-work class.

Children will not use torches, soldering equipment, jeweler’s saws, or powered jewelry tools during this program.

Students may use age-appropriate materials and tools such as:

Scissors
Cardboard and paper
Paintbrushes
Water-based paint
Paper-mâché materials
Studio-safe adhesives
Lightweight mixed-media materials

Tool use is demonstrated and supervised. Children must use materials only as instructed and remain within the designated program area.

What to Wear + Bring

What to Wear

Clothing that may safely get paint, paste, or glue on it
Closed-toe shoes
Comfortable clothing suitable for art-making
Long hair tied back when needed

Please do not send children in special clothing that cannot become stained. Some art materials may not wash completely out of fabric.

What to Bring Each Day

A labeled water bottle
A packed lunch
One or two snacks
Any required emergency medication identified on the registration form

Please do not pack foods containing peanuts or tree nuts. ARIMAS cannot guarantee a completely allergen-free environment.

Refrigeration and food-heating services are not provided. Pack food that can remain safely stored in the child’s lunch bag during program hours.

Required Registration Forms

A parent or legal guardian must complete all required forms before the first program day.

Required information and permissions include:

Child and parent or guardian contact information
Emergency contact information
Relevant allergies and medical information
Sensory, learning, mobility, behavioral, or support information
Emergency-care authorization
Participation and studio-safety acknowledgment
Age-appropriate tool and material permission
Authorized pickup information
Behavior expectations
Security-camera acknowledgment
Separate photography and video preference
Cancellation, absence, and late-pickup acknowledgment

A child’s spot is fully confirmed once payment and the registration forms are both complete.

Do not enter private medical information into the public Shopify order notes. Required information will be collected through a separate registration form.

Contact ARIMAS before registering if your child requires medication administration, personal-care assistance, or another form of support during program hours so the current studio setup can be discussed.

Arrival + Pickup

Program hours are 9:00 AM–2:00 PM. This program does not include before care or extended care.

Check-in begins no earlier than 8:50 AM
Children must be signed in by an authorized adult
Pickup begins at 2:00 PM
Children must be signed out by an authorized adult
Photo identification may be requested at pickup
Children will not be released to an unlisted person

Independent dismissal is not available for this ages 8–11 program.

A parent or guardian must notify ARIMAS directly if the authorized pickup person changes.

Families are responsible for prompt pickup. Late-pickup procedures and any applicable fees are explained in the Class and Workshop Policies.

Health, Allergies + Emergency Information

Families should provide any information reasonably necessary for a safe studio experience, including relevant allergies, asthma, seizure conditions, diabetes, fainting history, sensory needs, mobility needs, or other conditions that could affect participation.

ARIMAS does not need a child’s complete medical history. Information should focus on what is relevant during the four-day program.

Emergency medication must be clearly labeled and identified on the registration form. Contact ARIMAS before the program if a child cannot independently carry or use medication they may need during program hours.

In an emergency, ARIMAS will contact emergency services when appropriate and then contact the child’s parent, guardian, or listed emergency contact.

Health and support information is kept separate from public class lists and is shared only when reasonably necessary for the child’s safety.

Accessibility + Student Support

ARIMAS welcomes families to share relevant learning, sensory, mobility, communication, behavioral, and support information before registration.

Requests will be considered individually based on the child’s needs, the activity, available staffing, and the current studio setup.

Sharing support information does not automatically prevent a child from participating.

This small-group program involves sustained art-making, transitions between activities, shared materials, following safety directions, and participating in cleanup.

Contact ARIMAS before purchasing if a child requires one-to-one support, personal-care assistance, or significant modifications so the program can be discussed honestly before registration.

Behavior + Studio Expectations

Young artists are expected to:

Treat other students and the instructor respectfully
Follow safety and tool instructions
Use materials only for their intended purpose
Remain within the supervised studio area
Respect other students’ artwork and personal space
Participate in age-appropriate cleanup
Ask before leaving the work area
Avoid behavior that creates an unsafe environment

ARIMAS will communicate with the parent or guardian if behavior repeatedly disrupts the program or creates a safety concern.

A child may be removed from an activity or the program when behavior presents an immediate safety risk to the child, other students, the instructor, the studio, or the artwork.

Removal for unsafe conduct does not automatically qualify for a refund. Additional information is provided in the Class and Workshop Policies.

ARIMAS Kids Art Lab is a focused instructional art program. It is not drop-in care, open studio time, or extended childcare.

Security Camera + Privacy

Security cameras may record designated common studio areas for safety, security, and property protection.

Security footage is separate from promotional photography and is not automatically used on the ARIMAS website or social-media accounts.

Security cameras are not placed in restrooms or private changing areas.

A parent or guardian must acknowledge the studio security-camera policy as part of registration.

Security footage may be reviewed when reasonably necessary to address a safety incident, property issue, disputed event, legal requirement, or insurance matter.

Photography + Social Media

Promotional photography and video require a separate parent or guardian choice. Security-camera acknowledgment does not count as a promotional photo release.

Families may choose:

Yes, my child may appear in photographs and video
Hands, artwork, and process only with no identifiable face
No promotional photographs or video of my child

Children without promotional permission may still participate fully in the program.

ARIMAS may photograph completed artwork for documentation when permitted. A child’s full name will not be publicly attached to the artwork without specific parent or guardian permission.

Absences, Cancellations + Minimum Enrollment

This is a connected four-day project. Missed studio time cannot always be recreated during another program day.

Individual makeup days are not guaranteed. The instructor may make limited adjustments when practical, but families should not expect a private replacement session.

The program requires a minimum of three enrolled students. If minimum enrollment is not reached, ARIMAS may reschedule the intensive, offer a transfer, or issue a refund according to the Class and Workshop Policies.

Additional information about cancellations, transfers, missed sessions, illness, studio closures, and refunds is provided in the linked policies.

About Handmade Variation

Every crown and mask will be designed, constructed, painted, and embellished by hand.

Small variations, visible textures, asymmetry, brush marks, and evidence of the building process are natural parts of handmade artwork.

The goal is not for every project to look identical. The goal is for each young artist to complete a thoughtful, expressive piece that reflects their own ideas and developing creative voice.

Read Class and Workshop Policies

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