Open to new and advanced players. Dungeons and Dragons presents endless possibilities and allows you to roleplay as a hero in your own story. Players work together as a team to decide how to respond to problems and solve them. D&D is not only fun-- it's a group social activity that teaches teamwork, cooperation, storytelling, problem-solving, and even math. D&D has become one of our most popular classes, we are so excited to introduce a new generation to this timeless and unique game!

MEET THE DUNGEON MASTER:

MICHAEL BADGER (he/him) has been a fan of fantasy and role playing games since time immemorial. He learned to run Dungeons & Dragons games by listening to actual-play podcasts and DMed his first campaigns for his sister and friends during COVID lockdown. He never really stopped after that, turning him into what is known as a forever DM. He practices improv locally and has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing - using both to write and run home-brew settings for friends and family. He strongly believes that communal story-telling is an incredible way to grow, learn to think creatively, and build strong community.

Open to new and advanced players. Dungeons and Dragons presents endless possibilities and allows you to roleplay as a hero in your own story. Players work together as a team to decide how to respond to problems and solve them. D&D is not only fun-- it's a group social activity that teaches teamwork, cooperation, storytelling, problem-solving, and even math. D&D has become one of our most popular classes, we are so excited to introduce a new generation to this timeless and unique game!

MEET THE TEACHER:

SASHA RIVERA KRUGER (she/ her) is a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature and a dual minor in Chinese and Asian Studies. Her journey with teaching began in 2008 when she embarked on a volunteering abroad program to teach English in Zhongshan, China. This shaped her understanding of the importance of inclusive communication, and drove her passion for helping her students embrace the challenges of honest self expression, no matter the language. Her love for collaborative storytelling brought her to the world of TableTop Role Playing games, what started as a desire to spend more time playing with her son has turned into an essential part of her career. When not running her own campaigns, she is preparing to attend various conventions where she runs D&D games and assists vending artists, most recently New York Comicon, Jordancon, Cyphacon, Pax Unplugged and Fanexpo New Orleans.

Quick thinking, big laughs, bold choices. Find your people at Art Camp 504's newest Teen Club, Improv Comedy!

Whether you are a natural jokester or just curious about trying something new, this class is designed to help students build confidence, sharpen their wit, and find their unique comedic voice—no experience required! Through engaging exercises and acting games, students will learn the essentials of comedic timing, improvisation, and stage presence—all while having an absolute blast! By the end of the course, you'll leave with a solid grasp of comedy fundamentals and the confidence to apply humor in any creative field. The semester culminates in a family performance at Big Couch Nola!

TROUPE GUIDELINES: Listen actively when others are performing, Wait your turn and respect the flow of the activity, Follow the rules of each game or exercise. Improv is all about collaboration. Students must be able to work respectfully and cooperatively with everyone in the troupe. 

This class is in partnership with Big Couch Nola. Class is held at Big Couch Theater, 1045 Desire St in the Bywater.

FINAL PERFORMANCE: Tuesday, Dec 9, 5:45 - 6:45pm

MEET THE INSTRUCTOR:

Mary Jacobs is a local comedian and Improv educator from New Orleans, Louisiana. She’s trained and taught across America, including and education from infamous Second City in Chicago. Her passion for educating youth in the comedic arts is no joke and believes comedy can connect us to our humanity and community in a deep (and silly) way. In addition to her experience as an educator she can be found across stages in New Orleans as a comedian, host, and MC. She is so looking forward to the opportunity to foster the next generation of jesters here in New Orleans. Mary currently works with Big Couch Nola - a creative incubator that produces standup & sketch comedy, theater productions, drag, film, music and more!

Family Music Class presented by Blue House Music and Art Camp 504 is an immersive music experience for infant, toddler and Pre-K age children along with their caregivers. The infant and toddler class focuses on early language development, especially phonemic sound, and gross motor development  from crawling and first steps to finger-walking and motoring around. The class teaches eye tracking, attention, and connection with the caregiver. Through singing, movement and instrument play children will experience rich learning in key developmental domains while caregivers gain powerful tools to communicate with their little ones. Blue House Music is an early learning program for children under five that empowers caregivers to actively participate in music making.

Class begins promptly at 4:30pm. Please arrive around 4:15 to get settled before class. We encourage families to play at Markey Park or visit Pizza Delicious after class ends! We love making new friends!

HOW TO JOIN FOR DROP IN DATES: We reserve two drop in spots per class. You must RSVP and pay via venmo to reserve your spot at least 24 hours in advance. Due to building capacity, we do not accept walk-ins without an RSVP.

1. RSVP: Email bluehouseclasses@gmail.com to see if there are spots available for your chosen class
2. SUBMIT PAYMENT: Send payment $30 via venmo to @artcamp504 or cashapp $artcamp504. Your spot is not confirmed until we receive payment for the date

MEET THE TEACHER:

CHRISTOPHER “MR. CHRIS” SHEARD (he/him) is a music teacher and teaching artist with over fifteen years in the field of early childhood music. He has been certified in Music Together, Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts and the Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential. He is the founder of Blue House Music, a direct-to-family early learning music program that serves children under five and their caregivers. He currently works as the lower school music teacher at The McGehee School for Girls and Little Gate. He is a Bywater resident, father of two, and is so excited to join the Art Camp 504 team!

Family Music Class presented by Blue House Music and Art Camp 504 is an immersive music experience for infant, toddler and Pre-K age children along with their caregivers. The infant and toddler class focuses on early language development, especially phonemic sound, and gross motor development  from crawling and first steps to finger-walking and motoring around. The class teaches eye tracking, attention, and connection with the caregiver. Through singing, movement and instrument play children will experience rich learning in key developmental domains while caregivers gain powerful tools to communicate with their little ones. Blue House Music is an early learning program for children under five that empowers caregivers to actively participate in music making.

Class begins promptly at 4:30pm. Please arrive at 4:15 to get settled before class. We encourage families to play at Markey Park or visit Pizza Delicious after class ends! We love making new friends!

HOW TO JOIN FOR DROP IN DATES: We reserve two drop in spots per class. You must RSVP and pay via venmo to reserve your spot at least 24 hours in advance. Due to building capacity, we do not accept walk-ins without an RSVP. 

1. RSVP: Email bluehouseclasses@gmail.com to see if there are spots available for your chosen class
2. SUBMIT PAYMENT: Send payment $30 via venmo to @artcamp504 or cashapp $artcamp504. Your spot is not confirmed until we receive payment for the date

MEET THE TEACHER:

CHRISTOPHER “MR. CHRIS” SHEARD (he/him) is a music teacher and teaching artist with over fifteen years in the field of early childhood music. He has been certified in Music Together, Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts and the Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential. He is the founder of Blue House Music, a direct-to-family early learning music program that serves children under five and their caregivers. He currently works as the lower school music teacher at The McGehee School for Girls and Little Gate. He is a Bywater resident, father of two, and is so excited to join the Art Camp 504 team!

Family Music Class presented by Blue House Music and Art Camp 504 is an immersive music experience for infant, toddler and Pre-K age children along with their caregivers. The infant and toddler class focuses on early language development, especially phonemic sound, and gross motor development  from crawling and first steps to finger-walking and motoring around. The class teaches eye tracking, attention, and connection with the caregiver. Through singing, movement and instrument play children will experience rich learning in key developmental domains while caregivers gain powerful tools to communicate with their little ones. Blue House Music is an early learning program for children under five that empowers caregivers to actively participate in music making.

Class begins promptly at 4:30pm. Please arrive around 4:15 to get settled before class. We encourage families to play at Markey Park or visit Pizza Delicious after class ends! We love making new friends!

HOW TO JOIN FOR DROP IN DATES: We reserve two drop in spots per class. You must RSVP and pay via venmo to reserve your spot at least 24 hours in advance. Due to building capacity, we do not accept walk-ins without an RSVP.

1. RSVP: Email bluehouseclasses@gmail.com to see if there are spots available for your chosen class
2. SUBMIT PAYMENT: Send payment $30 via venmo to @artcamp504 or cashapp $artcamp504. Your spot is not confirmed until we receive payment for the date

MEET THE TEACHER:

CHRISTOPHER “MR. CHRIS” SHEARD (he/him) is a music teacher and teaching artist with over fifteen years in the field of early childhood music. He has been certified in Music Together, Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts and the Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential. He is the founder of Blue House Music, a direct-to-family early learning music program that serves children under five and their caregivers. He currently works as the lower school music teacher at The McGehee School for Girls and Little Gate. He is a Bywater resident, father of two, and is so excited to join the Art Camp 504 team!

Procreate for the iPad is a powerful, user-friendly tool that allows artists to experiment and create amazing works of art - from simple sketches to detailed and complex animation! The possibilities are endless! Animation on Procreate is a life changer and so easy to achieve. In this six week introductory course, students will learn how to create cute characters in motion. We will design a character and then learn how to use various layering techniques to bring this character to life through movement. We will warm up the class with foundational drawing skills and techniques and slowly move into the process of animating. Learning the shortcuts, layer masks, layer stacking, duplicating, repeating and editing are all a part of the learning process, along with improving and advancing the skill to create drawings.  

Materials Needed: iPad with Procreate installed, Apple Pencil or a stylus, Enthusiasm and imagination!

DAY 1 – Overview of Procreate’s main features: layers, masks, brushes, brush customization, and the Animation Assist tool. While exploring the app, students will brainstorm ideas for an original character.

• Assignment: Sketch a character of your choice (on paper or in Procreate). Think about colors and give your character one action (e.g., waving, dancing, batting eyelashes).

DAY 2 – Developing Ideas + Advanced Drawing Skills: Group discussion of sketches, looking at references for inspiration. Lesson on advanced drawing concepts: line quality, shape design, shadow shapes, light and shadow, color relationships, and more.

• Assignment: Review class concepts by experimenting with different drawing skills. Bring a few practice sketches to share next class.

DAY 3 – Character Refinement: Iterations, shape clean-up, and coloring, using skills learned in previous sessions. Peer feedback and exchange of ideas.

• Assignment: Continue refining your character by polishing shapes and improving colors.

DAY 4 – Lesson on Procreate’s Animation Assist: Frame-by-frame motion, duplication, and onion skinning. Students create a simple animated gesture for their character.

• Assignment: In a separate document, animate a simple black-and-white geometric shape. Save it for the next class.

DAY 5 – Work on character animations in black and white: Refining frames, cleaning up motion, and peer feedback. Students are introduced to color in animation and shading for depth.

• Assignment: Take your geometric shape animation from last class, add a single color, and animate it.

DAY 6 – Finalizing + Exporting Animations: Students complete their animated characters in color, refining motion and shading. Class ends with exporting projects and creating final video clips.

MEET THE INSTRUCTOR:

AKSHITA MONGA (she/her) is a realist and figurative artist, currently living and teaching in Barcelona, Spain. She’s previously trained as a digital artist and gone on to work as head illustrator for a youth magazine - arre.co.in creating relevant illustrations for write-ups and news stories. She’s also worked with writers and film-makers to create Children’s Story Books and Graphic Short Stories & Commissioned paintings. Akshita is currently working as an advanced oil painter and graduated from the renowned Barcelona Academy of Art, which is a traditional atelier school, training artists in 19th Century European Classical Art. Her works have been displayed at Nippon Gallery, Mumbai, India, Mrs. Toolips Gallery, Barcelona/Vienna, Guinizzelli Space, Barcelona and many more. We met Akshita through our graphic designer Maya Jevans, they were studying together at the Academy of Art in Barcelona. Akshita has been teaching virtual classes with Art Camp 504 the past three years, sharing her international expertise with our young artists! Visit Akshita’s website