Mission:

SMASH ART has been created out of a sincere desire to provide an emotional outlet for children, teenagers and adults that involves both physicality and artistic expression. SMASH ART is designed to help individuals adjust to the demands of life through the expressive and cathartic process of artmaking and physical movement.

SMASH ART Philosophy:

Often, many children, teenagers and adults have pent-up emotions, a lack of creative expression opportunities, and too much energy for regular everyday life situations, which is why I, Amara Bedford, have developed a hands-on workshop that combines elements of art class with gym class, called SMASH ART. The type of participant whom I had in mind while developing Smash Art include any or all of the following, though not limited to: kids/teens/adults with ADHD/autism/high-energy/less verbal/emotional trauma/frustration in life/prefer hands-on experiences, or anyone who wants to try the workshop out. By providing the hands-on experience of SMASH ART, in which participants get to choose the colors of paints they use in their painting, and then release energy and emotion through punching their piece of paper in a fun, safe environment, participants have the unique opportunity to combine art class with gym class with an accepting, supportive, and high-energy instructor (Amara Bedford) who has an M.A. in Art Therapy and Counseling. The SMASH ART process is possible for anyone who is able to dip a boxing glove in paint and make contact with their suspended piece of paper. Anyone can create a SMASH ART original painting which they get to keep. The physical process of SMASH ART provides a cathartic experience of self-expression, releasing bottled-up emotions, and possibly making the rest of life more tolerable and even enjoyable. SMASH ART could help high-energy students blow off some steam so that they can sit down and focus in their more sedentary classes.

Cost: $35/person for SMASH ART Workshop

Items that are used in SMASH ART:A durable room/gym room, table, old boxing gloves, a washing station for washing hands after workshop, paints, durable paper plates, tarps, duct tape, clamps, bungee cords, punching bag, wrestling mat, paper, website, hand-wipes, trash can, SMASH ART attire for participants (old clothes that can get messy).

Layout of a SMASH ART Session: Participants arrive in a room protected by tarps. There is a central table where tempera paints are provided, along with a plate and a boxing glove per student. Napkins and hand wipes are provided. Participants must bring a change of socks and outerwear to change into after the workshop (what they are wearing during the workshop may get paint on it).Each student is provided with a suspended piece of paper in their zone around the perimeter of the room that corresponds with their table setting (plate, napkin, and boxing glove). Once each participant has established themselves with their own zone on the wall (their own page of paper) with their own boxing glove and plate for paints, the workshop can officially begin.The instructor and assistants dispense paint onto each student’s plates according to which colors each individual wants to “smash” with. Students are asked to be considerate of others by not using up too much paint (blobs no larger than 3 inches in diameter per color). We begin with a warm-up game: how many times can you punch your piece of paper in 20 seconds? The instructor/facilitator will time the group. Pause to reset the room: instructor and assistants remove each student’s page from the clamps holding them up on the wall, place the now paint-covered pages over in a drying station to the side of the room, and set up new sheets of paper for each participant for the next round of Smash Art. Instructor asks students to share with the group what the warm-up felt like for them/ how they liked it. Ideally, each participant gets a chance to speak up. Now, the instructor asks the group to envision a lion who is chained down and then the lion breaks its own chains from its own inherent strength, then asks the students to think of what that image brings up. The students form a line and take turns one-by-one punching a punching bag that has a large piece of paper attached to it. When each student does their one big punch, the instructor exclaims, “Triumph!” Students are encouraged to cheer each other on during each of their turns. The instructor asks the group to each think of a situation in their life in which they may feel like the chained lion before it had broken free. Students don’t need to tell anyone what their own “chains” are. They just need to picture at least one thing that they feel a desire to break free of. For their final piece, each student now has the opportunity to choose their colors/paints again and create their own, second art pieces by punching their own piece of paper, while age-appropriate music plays, for about 20 minutes. Some students may fly through creating their Smash Art, and may use up to 4 pieces of paper total for the entire workshop. Others may prefer to spend the entire time on their one, final piece. When 20 minutes are up, the music will stop and the students will be asked to walk around the room and may make respectful comments on each other’s Smash Art creations. All Smash Art paintings are to be removed from the walls and transported to the designated drying area of the room. Students regroup and go around the circle sharing one word to describe their experience of Smash Art. Time to wipe hands, and clean up (perhaps change into extra change of clothes before going home).