Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Introduction to Collage

Student work from this year can be viewed at the bottom of this page! Check it out!

Collage is an exciting and expressive art form using common, inexpensive materials. In this hands-on eight-week workshop, students will be introduced to the materials and techniques needed to create their own collaged artworks. Final project artworks will be exhibited during the final eighth session, where a self-selected body of each student’s artwork will be displayed in an informal, social gathering and shared with friends, family, and the community.  This exhibit is a public opportunity for participants in the program to discuss their own and others’ artwork and, perhaps for the first time, to see themselves as artists. 


In this “Introduction to Collage” workshop, participants will:

  • Gain an understanding and mastery of fundamental design principles.
  • Master the technical skills required to work in collage.
  • Create a series of original works that express each participant’s unique creative point of view.
  • Be able to describe, analyze, and interpret their own and others’ artwork.


Workshop Notes:

  • Workshop classes are sequential. Every week, new art-making skills build upon the ones learned in the previous week.
  • Social interaction is stressed with ample and intentional opportunities throughout the workshop for students to talk about their work and the process of art making and learning.
  • Supplies will cost $70 per student and be paid for the State of Delaware’s Creating Aging Initiative. The supplies will be the students to keep at the end of the workshop. 
  • Maximum students in this workshop: 12
  • The target audience is adults, in particular, seniors.

Workshop Location Requirements: 

Enough tables and chairs (or desks) to accommodate all students. Trash can or waste paper basket. One electrical outlet. Ability to darken the room so slides can be shown.


References, Experience, Qualifications


Mary Jane Arden earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Delaware, where she studied under Anne Krohn Graham and Rosemary Lane. Some years later, she was awarded a Master of Education in Applied Technology from Wilmington University. She is also a graduate of the University of Delaware’s Webmaster Certification Program.


The early years of her career were spent at the Delaware Museum of Natural History (now the Delaware Museum of Science and Nature), where she was the Director of Exhibits and Graphic Arts for 14 years. In 2000, she joined Delaware Technical Community College as a member of its Marketing Department until her retirement in 2022.


Additionally, for ten years, Mary Jane was an adjunct instructor at Willmington University, where she developed and taught a course on User Centered Design for the University's College of Technology. She developed two versions of this course, one to be taught face-to-face and the other exclusively online.


During her years at Delaware Tech, she also worked as an adjunct instructor, developing and teaching the Computer Graphics Specialist Certification Program, the Graphic Design Certificate Course, and Introduction to Drawing.


Mary Jane is the recipient of numerous awards for her graphic design. Her artwork has been featured in national publications: Somerset Studio, Belle Armoire, and Art Doll.



Favored Mediums and Current Directions

For the last five years, Mary Jane has focused her artistic energies on creating mixed-media assemblages and collages. She uses her skills working in digital photography and editing, graphic design, and drawing to create the elements that she incorporates into her finished artwork. 


Found objects also play an important part in her work. When traveling, she is always on the lookout for paper ephemera and searching woods and beaches for bits of natural elements to incorporate into her work.


Workshop Fees:

“Introduction to Collage” Workshop Fees with supplies provided to students: $2,380 (based on 12 students)

$   960 16 hours of instruction
$   480 8 hours of curriculum development and class preparation
$   840 Supplies for 12 students ($70 each)
$   100 Culminating event supplies (food, drink, paper products)

Collage Workshop Fees with students providing their OWN supplies: $1,540 (based on 12 students)

$   960 16 hours of instruction
$   480 8 hours of curriculum development and class preparation
$   100 Culminating event



Outline of the Introduction to Collage Workshop:

Week 1: Get Ready to Tear it Up & Cut it Down! 

Artists: Lady Isi and Mary Delaney

Project 1: Nameplate Collage

Project 2: Flower Collage


Week 2: Tracing and Grid Systems

Artists: Samuel Price and Megan Coyle

Project 1: Apple Tracing Collage

Project 2: Grid System Beach Collage


Week 3: Stencils and Stamping

Artists for the week: Lynne Perrella, Andrea Matus DeMeng, and Banksy

Project 1: Positive and Negative Stencil Collage 

Project 2: Stamped foreground and background Collage


Week 4: Getting Punchy! (paper punches and solid colored paper)

Artist: Jill Pam

Project 1: Paper Dot Collage


Week 5: Going Old School!

Artists for the week: Johanna Goodman and Ivy Newport

Project 1: “Dress a Face” magazine collage 

Project 2: Vintage Photograph(s) Collage


Week 6 : Telling a Story

Artists for the week: Henri Matisse and Kara Walker

Project 1:  Homage to Matisse collage

Project 2: Illustrating a Single Word collage. 


Week 7: Enter the Third Dimension!

Artists for the week:  Betye Saar and  Nick Bantock

Project 1: Tell a story in collage


Week 8: Hang it Up!

This week will focus on finishing up past projects, selecting work for the show, and learning how and why artists title (or don’t) title their artwork. We also cover signing and dating artwork conventions.


Week 9: The Exhibit!

The culminating event will be an art show where a self-selected body of each student’s artwork will be displayed in an informal, social gathering and shared with friends, family and the community. 


This exhibit is a public opportunity for participants in the program to discuss their own and others artwork and, perhaps for the first time, to see themselves as artists.


Enjoy my student's ARTWORK!















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