The Montclair Art Museum Opens Digital Media Lab

May 19, 2011 - PRLog -- The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) announced today that it is opening a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art Digital Media Lab, with classes beginning in the summer session of its Yard School of Art. The Digital Media Lab, along with the Museum’s recently opened Ceramics Studio, greatly enhances the range of courses that MAM’s Yard School of Art offers.

The Digital Media Lab will provide a hands-on learning experience for students, using the latest technological tools available. Classes will be offered year round at all levels (beginning, intermediate, advanced) and to all ages (kids, teens, adults). Classes will be kept small—15 students maximum—to ensure individual attention, and will be taught by experienced faculty who are working artists.

Lora Urbanelli, director of the Montclair Art Museum, said: “The Digital Media Lab represents the Museum’s twin commitment to further strengthening the curriculum of our Yard School of Art and to embracing new media and technologies for serious educational and artistic purposes. As part of a museum, the lab will offer students opportunities to engage with the collection and to learn from artists in residence. In this way and others, the lab dovetails nicely with the Museum’s newly focused emphasis on contemporary art, and the launch this fall of our contemporary art program. A major exhibition will open at MAM in September featuring the video work of 2011 Guggenheim Fellow Marina Zurkow. Like that of many contemporary artists, her work incorporates new technologies, including multichannel videos and animated cartoons.”

Lab equipment includes 15 20-inch iMacs, Canon photo printers, scanners, a large plasma screen, a green screen for special effects, and the complete Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection. Classes cover a variety of subjects, such as digital photography, video production and animation, website design, video game design, smart phone apps, and Photoshop. SummerArt 2011 offers eight weeks of classes for kids, teens, and adults, June 27–August 19. Registration is ongoing. For students ages 8–12, there will be a special Digital Media Camp, offering the following courses over four different sessions (students may sign up for one or more sessions): Digital Photography, Digital Art and Web Design, and Video Game Design. The camp is open to all levels and no prior knowledge of software is required, although basic comfort using a computer is recommended.

Registration for SummerArt is now open, but space is limited and students are advised to register early. Course descriptions, fees, and more information are available online at http://www.montclairartmuseum.org or by calling the MAM Yard School of Art at 973-259-5139.

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The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) presents exhibitions and programs that reflect its collection of historic and contemporary American and Native American art. MAM's Yard School of Art offers classes for people of all ages.