Something fun is coming to town… Tube Town
Photo courtesy of Carly Ciarocchi
Local knowledge, Immersive creation, and imaginary play go hand-in-hand at Tube Town — a two-day workshop hosted at Greenport’s North Fork Arts Center and facilitated by kids’ media pros Carly Ciarocchi, kids’ TV host, writer, and producer, and Spencer Lott of Simple Mischief Studio, a kids’ media production company.
“They'll work with the kids to build a colorful cast of puppets made using household items, create characters, write a script, and then film a commercial starring their creations that celebrates our North Fork community,” Marc Cantone, co-chair of the Advisory Board of the North Fork Arts Center, told us in a recent interview. “Carly and Spencer have been using their art to make kids smile and laugh for years, so I know the kids will have a blast. But more than that, I hope they'll be inspired and excited by the process of creating the video.”
Although Carly has years of experience both on and behind the camera don’t expect to see her star in the final video. “I'll be passing off the on-camera and behind-the-scenes jobs to the kids, but I'll be guiding and supporting along the way,” she told us.
The process will be collaborative with each kid creator playing their part. “We'll be working together to build a dreamed-up version of the town of Greenport using tons of craft supplies, but most importantly cardboard tubes. Then, we'll shoot a commercial for what we've built,” Carly shared. “Spencer and I will be pulling from our backgrounds in television and film to create something personal and artful with the kids. Depending on what the interests and skill sets are in the group, there are a lot of possibilities for how this will turn out. We want everyone to feel connected to what we create.”
And create they will. Although technology will be used to film and edit the commercial, kids will be hands-on throughout the process of creation bringing paper tubes to life.
“It's so important that we give young people a place where they can make things with their hands,” Spencer told us. “The process of dreaming up an idea and then turning it into a reality is such a valuable experience and is especially rare in our digital world.”
The workshop will also inspire kids to consider their local community and think about their impact on it.
“I think this project works on multiple levels because we are asking the kids to reflect on their community and dream up some things that would make it better. Some will most certainly be silly, but some will also be poignant and probably touch on deeper themes that are just as relevant to kids as they are to adults,” Spencer added.
And don’t worry If your family can’t make it to this workshop, there are more kid-centric things to come at North Fork Arts Center.
“In July and August alone, there will be three immersive workshops for kids,” said Marc. “It starts with Tube Town, then a five-day workshop teaching kids the dazzling technique of light painting, and then a comic book class from acclaimed comic book artist Dean Haspiel.”
The Tube Town North Fork workshop, best suited for children ages 7+, is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16, and Wednesday, July 17 from 9 a.m. until noon, and costs $100 per child with scholarships available for students in need. Visit here for more info and to register for this and or NFAC’s upcoming workshops.