Irma Freeman Center for Imagination

Classes & Workshops for 2010

scholarships available


Click on images to see what fun we have!

 
The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination
                                      Ongoing Classes at the IF Center 
                        Coupons good for one class through July 30. 2010
                                            click for registration
                                            click for scholarships           
                   
Yoga - Teens - Adults. Mondays 6:30 - 7:45 pm NO CLASS ON JULY 5th!
We have mats! Experience the energizing peace that comes from stilling the mind, cultivating the vital force in the breath, and focusing it on moderately-paced physical postures. This class is suitable to all levels of physical fitness. $7 per class

West African Drum Class -  Sundays 2:30 - 3:45 pm  NO CLASS JULY 4TH!
Drop ins welcome. Some drums available. For more information see <http://camaradrumanddance.com/Classes_%26_Workshops.html>

African Drum Circle- All levels welcome! Third Sunday of every month 
4:00 - 6:00 pm  
Drop ins welcome. Some drums available. Lead by Yamoussa Camara

Family Figure Drawing - All levels. Saturdays 12:30 - 2 pm  
This class has been cancelled. We may resume in the fall.

                               Summer Classes at the IF Center

It’s Good To Be Me: Yoga for Kids -Ages 9 - 13 NEW DATES
Wednesdays 5 - 5:50 pm.  July 7, 14, 21, 28
Experience yoga through play, movement, traditional instruction and contemplation.  $60

Green Architecture & Me - Ages 10 - 14  Summer camp
9 am - 12 pm. Monday - Friday  July 5th  - 9th
What makes the spaces you live in “green or “sustainable”? What does being “green” have to do with you? Find out how you impact your environment. Come learn, design and build responsible architecture, and invent the future of where you live, work and play. Parents are invited to an exhibition of class creations! $95

Marvelous Mosaics - Ages 7 & up. 1 - 3 pm. M - F July 5 - 9.
Learn different styles of this ancient art form. Design a group project as well as three of your own beautiful mosaic artworks! $75

Marvelous Mosaics - Adults. 6:30 - 8 pm. Wednesdays July 7 - 28
Learn different styles and the history of ancient and modern mosaic with Sheila Ali and special guest artist Laura McLaughlin. Design three mosaic projects. Materials fee & tools included. $75

Puppet Stories - Ages 7 & up. 1 - 3 pm. M - F  July 12 - 16
We will build puppets and props with papier mache, wood,    fabric, paint, glue and recycled /found materials. We will perform a puppet show for parents at our own puppet theater! $75

DIY Green Energy - Ages 7 & up. 1 - 3 pm. M - F July 19 - 23 This class is a synthesis of art & green technology. We will experiment with different kinds of green energy, applying hands-on knowledge to fun DIY projects. We will use recycled and found materials to make solar ovens, miniature green-powered models, bio-fueled generator, as well as create kinetic and organic sculptures! $75

     Kid Power Week! - Ages 8-12. 9am-12 pm. Monday-Friday July 26th -30th
      Have you ever wondered how much energy you have? What you could do with that                 
      energy? How much energy you spend on your daily activities? The Kid Power series 
      will answer all of these questions and more. Workshops will be informative and fun 
      and include hands-on demonstrations, games, and opportunities for kids to design 
      their own energy-harvesting devices such as film can generators and windmill light 
      houses. For more information contact the instructor, Deren Guler, Manager of 
      ReplayMyPlay, s.deren.g@gmail.com or visit 
      www.replaymyplay.com/   workshops.html  $125 (all supplies included!)


        Volunteers Welcome!!! 

      For more information go to
           www.irmafreeeman.com   and click on “education” and/or  “scholarship”
       The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination
       5006 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224
       For pre-registration & All other inquiries call the IF Center 412-924-0634 or 
       email Sheila Ali <sheiladali@yahoo.com>. Leave your name, your child’s name           
       and age, your number and what class you are interested in. 
       We will get back to you ASAP!
 
Biographies of  Staff

Sheila Ali is the Director of the IF Center and an Art and Green Energy instructor.  She holds a PA Teaching Certificate for Visual Art k – 12, a B.A. from Brandeis University, and an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College.  She has taught hundreds of classes for over twenty years, including classes, camps & workshops at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh FiImmakers, the Silver Eye Center for Photography, Mt. Ararat Community Center, Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas, Chatham College, MRGF. Sheila has received a number of grants, including one from the Three Rivers Arts Festival and First Friday where 1000 people participated to make a miniature Pittsburgh out of collected recyclables. Her work has been shown at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Las Vegas Museum of Modern Art, Vermont College, and over 40 other venues. Her movies have played at the Three Rivers Film Festival., the Olympia 
Film Festival and Pittsburgh’s Film Kitchen 2009 & 2010.

Brett Boye is the Director of Operations and the President of the Board for the IF Art Center.  He is a Trustee with the Boye Foundation (which helps to allocate funds for Solar Electric Light Fund projects in Africa. Brett has worked on Wall Street, co-owned a record label and is currently a self-employed musician/ artist.  Brett moved to Pittsburgh from New Jersey where he had a house powered by a solar photovoltaic (PV) grid-tied system.  Brett has participated in the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).  Brett has completed a hands-on workshop leaning how to build Monolithic Domes.   Brett also has a foundation that helps fund renewable energy projects.

Nina Marie Barbuto completed the Mediascapes Master of Architecture Program at Southern California and has a Bachelors of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. In her professional career, she has participated in research projects for Los Angeles Unified School District system, where the design was integrated in the students learning process. She also had the opportunity to teach a class about architecture and sustainability in a South Central Middle School in Los Angeles. She has also worked with the Architecture Explorations Program at CMU. She is very interested in ways children learn and create with low-tech and high-tech and keeps a blog on her research.    
http://yourfutureyourschool.blogspot.com/

Yamoussa Camara currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA where he teaches dance at Carnegie Mellon University, is on the Culturally Responsive Arts Education (CRAE) Teaching Artist Roster for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, teaches drum and dance workshops for children and adults, and performs with various ensembles in addition to his own ensemble Camara Drum and Dance.
Born in the village of Boke, Guinea, West Africa in 1966, Yamoussa Camara took to his drum at an early age. During his sixteen year association as first student then protege of Mohamed Kemoko Sano, choreographer and artistic director of both national companies, Djoliba and Les Ballets Africains, plus founder and director of Les Merveilles d'Afrique, Yamoussa had the distinction of being the youngest lead drummer in Les Ballets Africains. While with the national companies he has toured Europe, Africa and the United States. His drum is featured on the CD's Master's of the Forest, Diya, Eh Allah & both CD and video of Les Ballets Africain's performance in England
In 1995, Yamoussa immigrated to the United States. Since that time he has performed with numerous companies, including Wosa of Washington D.C. on their Taiwan Tour, an eclectic group of artists at S.O.B.™s in New York City, and a jazz ensemble in New Haven, CT. He taught drum and dance at Yale University for 10 years and has traveled the U.S. teaching, performing, choreographing and polishing presentations for various dance ensembles. For more information see <camaradrumanddance.com>  
Sibel Deren Guler. Deren has a B.S. degree in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University. She has a strong interest in sustainable initiatives and interactive structures. Deren hopes to combine the principals she learned from physics with her passion for sustainability, kinetic art, and fun. She is currently working on a project, ReplayMyPlay, to make energy harvesting playground equipment through a Microspark seed award. She also enjoys spreading knowledge of science and technology, especially to children, as she believes that youth is a crucial time to start to explore the wonders of the world. www.replaymyplay.com.

Urusula Lesic
Seeking balance in her life, Ursula sought meaning through yoga and Pilates. She soon realized the tremendous emotional and physical benefits of these disciplines and wanted to share the gifts of both with others.  She immediately immersed herself in self-study, private instruction, workshops, and training (Yoga Fit Level 1, Level 2, Seniors, and Prenatal; 200 RYT training; Pilates Mat).  Her yogic and Pilates training continues today to include Kundalini yoga, Yoga Therapy, and PIYO. You will find that Ursula's classes are lead from her heart with true joy and bliss

Laura Jean McLaughlin received an MFA in ceramics from West Virginia University. Laura Jean’s work has been exhibited in over one hundred galleries and museums, including the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Delf Norona Museum, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Art, the Baltimore Institute of Art and The State Museum of Pennsylvania.  She is a recipient of the Maggie Milono Memorial Award from the Carnegie Museum of Art and three prestigious residencies from Kohler Company in Wisconsin. She received a Mid-Atlantic grant for a large mosaic installation in Baltimore as well as a Mid-Atlantic Fellowship at WVU.  Her work is in the collection of the City of Pittsburgh, The Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Whole Foods Market, the Porter~Price Collection, Kohler Art Center, Kohler Company and HBO in New York.

Heather Kirk Shannon has many years experience working with children of all ages in a variety of settings. She received her yoga teacher training through the Himalayan Institute in 2006.





Ed._Application.htmlIF_Scholarships.htmlhttp://camaradrumanddance.com/Classes_%26_Workshops.htmlhttp://camaradrumanddance.com/Classes_%26_Workshops.htmlmailto:s.deren.g@gmail.comhttp://www.replaymyplay.com/workshops.htmlhttp://www.irmafreeeman.commailto:sheiladali@yahoo.comhttp://yourfutureyourschool.blogspot.com/http://www.cmu.edu/index.shtmlhttp://www.pps.k12.pa.us/1431103483141790/site/default.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Kemoko_Sanohttp://www.lesballetsafricains.com/http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/les_merveilles_d_afrique_18830/en_UShttp://www.replaymyplay.com/Ed._Application.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9shapeimage_1_link_10shapeimage_1_link_11shapeimage_1_link_12shapeimage_1_link_13shapeimage_1_link_14