RECRUIT: Beam Camp
C.O.R.A.L, Creatura, Swing Tones, Navigating Dreams, a giant waterslide, a 30-ft-tall kaleidoscope, welding, woodworking, circuitry, programming, gardening, quilting, ceramics, epic house parties, The Big Game, talent shows, two lakes, a mountain, friendship, learning, dozens of artist and designer collaborators, and a community of 125 people spanning ages 10 to 83-yrs-old. This is Beam Camp!
Beam Camp was founded in 2004 by Brian Cohen and Danny Kahn to provide children with exciting experiences in creative problem-solving through working with their hands and actively collaborating with others. In 2016 Beam Camp is refining its summer program to sharpen the focus on skill-building, collaborative challenge, mentorship and responsibility.
This presentation highlights past large-scale projects and weekly workshops in collaboration with NYU's ITP graduates along with other designers, engineers, and artists. Zena will talk about discovering Beam four years ago and her goal of helping Beam provide new opportunities for kids and adults to dream together.
Our Website
Past Large Scale Project Videos:
2016
2015
2014
2013
BIO:
Zena Verda Pesta (b.1983) is an artist/designer, life long learner, and facilitator in Brooklyn, NY. She currently collaborates with Beam Center and Beam Camp to bring fresh new perspective to the work of Artist and Designers sharing their practice with kids. Prior to her graduate studies in design at POD School of Visual Arts, she worked as a mad scientist of sorts utilizing the material of clay in her studio practice and her position as an instructor at The Pratt Institute. Due to her experiences and passion for education, creating, and learning, Zena focuses on physically making together to enrich and create value around community and process. She firmly believes in listening to youth and nurturing intergenerational environments and will continue to seek out opportunities which allow her to utilize flexibility, intuition, and collaboration. Her heros include but are not limited to; Jacque Tati, Barbarella, Charles J.B. Snyder, Mr Rogers, and her Mam-maw Verda. You can find Zena on a farm or doing ceramics covered in dirt, in the kitchen cookin' up some chicken n' dumplins, or roller dancing on any given night of the week.