I just love creating meaningful graphics for SWCC! These stickers not only look awesome, they also share an important message about our native wildlife.
Please share these memorable message to help keep our wildlife wild! Purchase at the SWCC Store.
The Photo Booth is now on display at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center! Visit their website for details regarding tours and special events!
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”5″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]It was great to be asked to produce the content for the SWCC virtual school curriculum. We are currently piloting the program and it will be available soon!
Wow we has such a great response with our Animal Ed-Ventures at Home that we decided to launch our Animal Ed-Ventures At Home Kit!
Each week I created a series of activities that explaore a different theme.
Week 1 – Regal Mutts. Explore our awesome mixed breed dogs and create your own Regal Mutt
Week 2 – Beautiful Reptiles. Learn about our snakes and lizards.
Week 3 – Jr. Vet Tech. Learn some basic vet skills.
Week 4 – Awesome Amphibians. Become a Herpetologist and learn to identify different amphibians.
Each week your child will receive a surprise box in the mail to open and explore the world of animals through hands-on crafts, activities, learning opportunities, plus links for online videos, virtual classroom and animal meet-and-greets.
Each box consists of at least two engaging activities developed by our professional educators, along with all the materials needed for crafts. Choose to either have your box delivered to your home, or pickup from our Campus for Compassion location, and get ready for an educational and engaging animal ed-venture!
The Education & Outreach Department has gone virtual! I’m now creating a series of videos for our Ed-Ventures series. We post on facebook at 10am every Wednesday. Please click on the images watch the videos on the Arizona Humane Society website!
Continue reading Arizona Humane Society Ed-Ventures Video Series Online!
I’m excited to announce that I will be the new Humane Education Instructor at the Arizona Humane Society! I can’t wait to combine my passion for the arts and animal welfare.
Image from the project Regal Mutts. What’s in a Breed?
I love getting notes from my students! She loved my Regal Cats mixed media project!
Students from CFLA have been working hard creating auction paddles for the annual Children First Foundation Gala and Auction. We spent the day spraying and painting plates in acrylic paint while looking at the work of artist Kandinsky. Visit the website for info and tickets.
I had a great time working with the kids at this summer’s Wonder Camp.
They really took on the challenge of creating their special Wonderland. I had some great feedback from parents, “My son loved his camp experience this week!! The variety of activities kept him wanting to come back each day and the staff was amazing. We will definitely be looking into future camps. š ” You can see some of the photos in the galley below:
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I’m so excited to be designing and facilitating summer camp this year at the i.d.e.a Museum. I have been working hard on creating the week long programme. This year we will be taking Wonder Camp to Wonderland. You can sign your children up to camp here.
You can see the camp promo video on youtube.
I was really excited to see the work of the students in my Walkers Teen Art Club. I was with them until Jan 2019 and was really proud to see some of the work they did with me up on display. It runs from the 20 June – 4 July, you can read more about the exhibition here.
I’m excited to be working as a Gallery Educator at the I.D.E.A Museum here in Mesa. It’s be exciting to lead tours and educate children about the exciting exhibits in the gallery. I even had the opportunity to share my ideas for the next exhibit – Roadside USA. You can see some on my ideas on display in the museum from June 14th – Sept 8th. you can also read more about the museum here.
We are excited to be featured in the Curator’s Corner of the Christmas at the National Gallery newsletter! The exhibition will run until Jan 24th 2019
There is also a lovely article written about the exhibition by Patrice A. Donalds. “Claire Musser’s art vivid pastels drew your eyes immediately to her desire to see a better balance between man and the delicate environment they have been gifted. Her piece Botanic Park left a deep impression on my mind’s eye, and brightly coloured images of the park found its way into the video installation. The video was a mesmerizing journey of a young lady, her red balloon and how both their presence impacts the sea, the mangroves, flora, and fauna of the Botanic Park. Words cannot describe the powerful imagery the video evoked; it must be seen and experienced for one’s self.”
You can read the full article here.
It was an amazing night at the opening of Traces: Activating the Art Curriculum. It was an honor to be asked by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands to participate in this exhibition. My Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Park painting can been seen as their Facebook cover photo!
Iām so proud of all my colleagues from high schools across Cayman. It was especially wonderful working with Sarah McDougall to produce our Common Thread collection based on the work we do here at CIFEC. We look forward to talking about our project and the work we do at the National Gallery in early 2019!
CIFEC students are excited to be working on a poster project for Plastic Free Cayman. They were privileged to meet Youth Ambassador Stef McDermont to learn more about plastic pollution. We hope these poster encourage people to ditch single use plastics, take part in beach clean ups and recycle. We all can’t wait to see the finished posters early in 2019!
From 10 December – 18 January 2019Ā
The National Gallery is pleased to present new works by Kerry Ann Brown, Kerwin Ebanks, Sarah McDougall, Claire Musser, Lorna Reid, and June South-Robinson, art educators who teach within the art departments of public high schools across Grand Cayman. Representing John Gray High School, Clifton Hunter High School and the Cayman Islands Further Education College, they have come together in dialogue around the National Art Curriculum, to illustrate how lesson plans are transformed into inspiring art projects.
The showcase demonstrates the various concepts and techniques that are introduced to students through the art curriculum, demonstrated here in their own work, and how they have followed instructions set for their students to expand their own personal portfolios.Ā In keeping with the wide scope of the curriculum, it includes a diverse range of art media and materials such as painting, sculpture, photography, video, and more.
-NGCI Curatorial Team
Recently I’ve been busy preparing workshops for the National Gallery outreach programme. I’ve just completed an exciting and productive surrealist collage workshop with the women at HMP Fairbanks. I’m very much looking forward to also working with the residents at Caribbean Haven Residential Centre over the next few months.
Jan 2019 – I just ran my last art class at Caribbean Haven Residential Centre. We worked on our drawing skills in charcoal and used Hollywood Icons as our inspiration. I was pleased with how much they achieved in the one hour session and everyone left the class with a real sense of achievement and accomplishment.
I’m currently working on the website www.locallyinspired.orgĀ
This website will be hosting a collection of video tutorials inspired by the “local”. Our first set of tutorials was film and produced with the help of past CIFEC students. I’m so excited to be part of this fantastic project!
The videos are currently in post production so please check back soon.
It was great to see the work of the BTEC Art & Design students on display at CayFilm tonight! These are the 3 winning ‘Canvas” poster designs created by the students. These students were among the four who received Distinction* for their BTEC qualification! This year over 85% of students on the course gained the higher grades of Merit or Distinction. We had over 70% of students at an overall Distinction grade which included 55% of students being awarded a Distinction*!
Thanks so much to Pascal of PCreative for working with the students during our Artist in Residence programme and for inspiring us all by creating such an awesome film! The trailer can be seen here and you can see the entire film on the festival circuit. Good luck Pascal can’t wait to see the next film!
You can also see the posters featured in the Cayman Compass video and photographs that accompany their news coverage.
I have been amazed at the great work produced this year at CIFEC.Ā Please join us to celebrate their success on the BTEC Level 2 Art & Design, BTEC Level 2 & Level 3 Creative Media Production course. If you missed the show you will be able to watch the exhibition video on our youtube channel.
I was once again excited to see all the great work on display at the Walkers Art Club Exhibition. I’ve had a fantastic year working with teens from across the island. We’ve been working hard all year and delighted to see our 3D Alexander Calder inspired piece featured in the official photographs.
3D Project to Celebrate World Oceans Day 2018
Ā Ā 
In February 2018 we were asked to produce a short film for the TAYA Lounge / Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. This collaboration is a direct result of the professional productions and dedication we have shown to our previous clients. The social media edit is now live and look out for the the 30 second edit at Camana Bay Cinema this summer!
Artwork designed not only to impress but to motivate. Thatās exactly what the Department of Environment was looking for when they decided to launch a new education program for the protection of the Marine Parks.
They commissioned the creative and talented students in the BTEC Creative Arts programme at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre to create a series of posters. They had no idea, the caliber of work they were going to see from this remarkable art class.
When the Cayman Life TV crew showed up, students were presenting their work to their clients. The presentation involved describing the development process and what inspired them at each stage along the way. They also shared the techniques and strategies they tried and finally, the finished product. Representatives from the D-O-E were more than impressed.
Timothy Austin, Deputy Director Research and Assessment at the Department of Environment, tells Cayman Life, āThe posters are absolutely phenomenal in terms of the artistic interpretation and the guys and girls have really taken an amazing slant on that.ā Mr. Austin says he is thrilled with the incredible artwork and powerful messages.
So is his colleague, Croy McCoy, a Senior Research Advisor at DOE. āThese kids really took it on board and delivered a message that I myself still find amazing. Itās been a real good journey to see these kids excel in that area.ā
The goal of the course is to give students an important lesson in life. They work directly with real clients on a real campaign and it gives them a glimpse into what will happen in the real world when they get older.
Art and Media teacher Claire Musser explains it is completely different than the art that the students did in high school because they have to work for a client and to a creative brief. She says āStraight away we asked them to create their own spin on things, count their own ideas, bring in their own thoughts and we just take it from thereā
While there may be nothing more nerve-wracking than putting your efforts out there for criticism and approval, learning how to accept feedback and how to incorporate that input into your work ā is a lifelong lesson that will pay dividends professionally and personally.
Student Andrea Herrera says she had reservations at first. āI thought it was going to turn out really bad actually, but my teachers were there to guide me through the whole time, they give me some ideas and it just turned out really well.ā
Her fellow student, Terek Stewart says he learned a lot about himself along the way. āIt was a lot of fun, I did a lot of experimenting trying to find my style of work and I think I found that.ā
To sum it all up (in the words of Art and Workskills teacher Sarah McDougall)ā¦
āTHESE POSTERS HAVE REALLY BLOWN US AWAY. ITāS BEEN AN ABSOLUTELY VINTAGE YEAR FOR GOOD WORK AND TOP RESULTS.ā
Congratulations to the CIFEC Art Program at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre for receiving the Cayman First Classroom of the Month award for April 2018
the above article was published on Cayman Life TV
A quick look at the BTECĀ Ā art and media courses that will be on offer at CIFEC in 2018/2019
Official Event Videographers at Chalkfest 2018
BTEC Level 2 Art & Design students have been collaborating with the Department of Environment to produce a set of posters to highlight the need for Marine Protected Areas in the Cayman Islands. Students were introduced to the topic with a presentation by Croy McCoy from the DoE. They later had the opportunity to discuss their design ideas with Tim Austin and Croy McCoy from the DoE. It was evident early on that the students were producing some of the best artwork seen at CIFEC. Both their teachers, Mrs Musser and Mrs McDougall were impressed with the work being produced so a meeting was arranged with Cayman Life TV. The DoE was invited back to view the final Marine Parks posters and this was filmed for Classroom of the Month ā April 2018. Tim Austin says, āThe work is phenomenal in terms of artistic interpretation. They have taken something important to DoE ā Marine Protected Areas, and turned it into incredible artwork with powerful messages. I am amazed at what they have doneā. We are really proud of our Art & Design students and canāt wait to see their posters around the island and the film onĀ Cayman Life TV
as featured in theĀ Education Pulse Vol. 8
Official Event Videographers atĀ Red Sky at Night 2018
BTEC Level 3 Creative Media Production students were invited to film as event videographers for Red Sky At Night 2018. Here at CIFEC our media department produces films under the name Kaymanite Production. Katty Christian, Michael Pearson and Andrea William worked under the supervision of their Media Teacher Mrs Musser to capture the essence of the event. Katty says, āI got to use my newly upgraded media skills to work for a client and show them what we are capable of doing. With creativity and alongside a great team we experienced and captured a spectacular eventā. They filmed throughout the afternoon and into the night to collect several hours of footage. Michael Pearson says, āIāve developed my communication skills and become more confident with filmingā.
We were thrilled to hear that our past BTEC Level 2 Art & Design student Shanique Frater was the proud winner of the YELLO 2018 cover design! She entered the competition while competing her BTEC Art & Design course at CIFEC. We think her work is fantastic and she has certainly developed her own unique style. Kaylyn Bodden, Content Feature Writer at Yello says, āHer piece, The Cayman Parrot, is absolutely beautiful and really blew us awayā. We were excited to see how she developed the skills and techniques that she learnt while on the course and she has truly grasped the use of mixed media and colour. We invited her in to discuss her work with our current students, she says, āThe BTEC Art & Design course taught me how to use colours and put them togetherā. Shanique is planning to continue in the arts and study visual arts and sequential arts at overseas at SCAD. We wish her all the best and canāt wait to see more of her amazing work.
Shaniqueās YELLO cover design and BTEC coursework
We were excited to work withĀ Malcolm Ellis & Michelle Morgan producers of the short film, Sacrifice. Students created posters to promote their movie just in time for CayFilm 2017.
Art & Media students had been working hard on various projects throughout the year. Just as the term was about to come to a close we were offered free passes for CayFilm! This was a fantastic way to reward students for their hard work and dedication to the course. An amazing time was had by all!
Thank you CayFilm and The Security Centre.
You can read more about usĀ Ā hereĀ
This is my first Walkers Art Club Exhibition with the Teens Club at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands . We had a great term collaborating on our 3D installationĀ and I’m really looking forward to working with the teens again in the next school year.
We are excited to be working with the National Trust for the Cayman Islands to design a series of posters to celebrate their 30th Anniversary.
In September 2016 we worked on a short film for local designer Isy B. This award winning short filmĀ premiered on the runway at Phoenix Fashion and was shown to a crowd of over 1000 people.
It was also later shown at the Poinciana film festival and on Cayman Life TV. You can watch the award winning filmĀ here,Ā and read about the project in theĀ Education Pulse Vol. 5.
Level 3 Creative Media Production students fight for conservation.
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Back in 2010 I ran a 5 week scuba diving expedition to Fiji. Students took part in valuable marine conservation work and became PADI Advanced divers. The trip involved a great deal of fundraising by the students, it took two years to plan and we raised over 30,000 GBP from events such as car boot sales, fairs, scuba diving sessions, and a sponsored shark dive This fundraising helped students develop their organisational skills and was a life changing experience for everyone involved.
I have also organised residential art trips to London, Paris and Barcelona and a skiing trip to Austria.
