Rhizome is pleased to offer a range of in-depth programming, facilitated by practitioners, for homeschoolers and afterschoolers. These will be small, friendly, relaxed classes focused on creative collaboration and open-minded engagement with the material. Please email info@rhizomedc.org with any questions. Scholarships available. Classes meet in-person at Rhizome except where noted.
Material Vison: Collage, Assemblage and Mixed Media | Ages 11-14 (flexible) | Mondays 12:15-1:45 | Nov.6-Dec.18
Writing For Flow | Ages 9-11 | Mondays 4:30-5:20pm | Sep.11-Dec.11 *option for remote participation*
Experimental Writing Lab | Ages 15+ | Wednesdays 10-11:30am | Sep.20-Dec.13
High School Language Arts: How to Read Like a Writer | Ages 14+ | Wednesdays 12-1:30pm | Sep.20-Dec.13
No classes September 25, October 9, November 22-24. Additionally, no Material Vision class November 20.
Material Vison: Collage, Assemblage and Mixed Media
Ages 11-14 (flexible)
Mondays, 12:15-1:45 - two six-week sessions
Session 2: November 6 - December 18 (no class Nov.20)
Sliding scale: $80-120 per 6-week session (includes materials)
Considering mythologies, mysteries and symbols; our surroundings and ourselves, participants will create various 2D artwork and/or sculptural objects over this multiple-week class.
We will look at work by modern and contemporary artists who create using collage and assemblage, trying out some of their techniques.
We will use ink and paints, found and made papers, ceramic and wood, as well as repurposed and natural objects to construct cohesive projects.
Writing For Flow
Ages 9-11
Mondays, 4:30-5:20 pm
September 11 - December 11 (no class Sept.25 or Oct.9) - 12 classes total
Fee: $120-180
* option for remote participation *
This is a play-based practice class for 9-11 year olds. Creative prompts, group writing activities, and in-class writing sessions-- great for enthusiastic writers but designed to entice the reluctant or inhibited writer too. Writing as a form of play helps shorten the distance between the thoughts in our heads and the words on the page. Go wild, and go for the giggles, while building stamina, confidence, and appreciation for the possibilities of the blank page.
Experimental Writing Lab
Ages 15+
Wednesdays, 10 -11:30 am
September 20 - December 13 (no class Nov.22) - 12 classes total
Fee: $285 (including materials)
Sliding scale available if needed - please email us
In this 12-week workshop we will engage with practices, prompts, and constraints to generate innovative writing. Our aim is to discover the unexpected — to bypass habitual thinking and writing in favor of language that will surprise us and lead us into new creative territory.
We'll explore movements such as Dada, Surrealism, Oulipo, and Language poetry; experiment with asemic, automatic, and collaborative writing; create our own language games and constraints; and perhaps write a manifesto.
High School Language Arts: How to Read Like a Writer
Ages 14+
Wednesdays, 12-1:30pm
September 20 - December 13 (no class Nov.22) - 12 classes total
Sliding scale: $215-325
We will read and discuss short stories and essays by a range of authors. Reading material will expose students to forms covering everything from early Modern to Postmodern fiction, and traditional and experimental essays. In response to the literature, students will consider purpose, craft, and audience. The class routine will include written reflections and discussions in the Socratic style.
About the instructors:
Leslie Bumstead is a writer and educator who teaches literature, composition, and creative writing in the DC area. She has taught in various settings: homeschooling cooperative, public high school, AIDS clinic, university, prison, and summer camp. Her collection of poems, Cipher/Civilian, was published by Edge Books in 2005. Other works, including essays and translations, have appeared in anthologies and literary magazines. She loves to collaborate with students and facilitate their own engagement with literature and writing.
Anna Josephson is a homeschooling parent in the District. She teaches academic writing and composition at the University of Maryland. She grew up in Alaska, where she received Socratic seminar education starting at age 12. She is a published author currently shopping her first novel.
Caroline MacKinnon is a parent, artist and educator who lives in Takoma Park, MD. She teaches ceramics classes to children and adults at the Takoma Park Community Center. She also holds art workshops for small groups in area schools and has previously run arts camps at Rhizome. She likes meeting people, making art and collecting things.