Toy Design
Monday through Friday, July 15 – 19 @ 9 a.m. – noon
Cost: $125 ($100 for M members)
This is a 5-day workshop | Ages 8 – 12
Be prepared to play, create, and learn…like never before! Using a multidisciplinary approach, Leon Wang of Firebird Design Lab will challenge students to create a series of personal toy projects. The workshop will engage learners in a rigorous creative process requiring them to consider both the artistic and functional outcomes of their designs. The parameters and resources of their projects are intentionally limited to maximize creativity and problem-solving. Each student will transform the materials at hand to produce multiple toys that express their voice and vision. The workshop’s ultimate objective is to cultivate a sense of purposeful creativity and agency in each student.
Scholarships are available on request for half and full tuition on a first come, first served basis. Classes are free at the M for Native community members. Contact info@mmaa.org or call (651) 797-2571 for more information.
Teaching artist Leon Wang is a fierce advocate for purposeful creativity. Wang served as the Director of Design at a Saint Paul-based toy company. He has taught toy design at various levels, from elementary school to university courses. Wang’s multidisciplinary background includes psychology, art, design, education, and activism. Through Firebird Design Lab, Wang has developed an unique, problem-based educational framework for cultivating individual agency and transformative impact. Wang is also the founder of Love Hope Rise, an art-driven initiative for social justice. He is an adjunct instructor at the Augsburg University’s Art Department.
