Brooke Barker is a Pittsburgh-based author and illustrator. Her New York Times bestselling book Sad Animal Facts and its sequel Sad Animal Babies are full of tragic truths about adorable animals, and the books have been published in ten languages. She has created work for National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Her favorite animal is the red fox.

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Brooke’s Project – Make Your Own Sad Animal Fact

Includes instructional pdf and how-to video (below)

Anna Garner is an artist and educator who lives between Los Angeles and Mexico City. Her work examines landscape, architecture and social patterns.

In photographs and videos, she creates fictional spaces for the camera to document. She constructs landscapes, inspired by theatrical set-design, and physically interacts within her created environments.

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Anna’s Project – Camera Constructions

Create your own scenic installation and photograph yourself and friends in the world you create.  Includes an instructional pdf (below).

Materials needed:

• Digital camera or cellphone camera
• Cardboard (used is perfect)
• Scissors or box cutter and tape
• Paints (tempura, acrylic or latex) and paint brushes
• Water cup, paper towels, paper plate to mix paint on
• Household lamps for lighting (optional)

Ibiyinka Alao is an artist, ambassador, filmmaker, architect and author who uses  different mediums to create art about redemption, peace and love. His experiences as a little boy growing up in Nigeria, catching fireflies and looking up at the stars, have inspired the creation of a painting, book, film and more.

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Ibiyinka’s Project – Painting Light

Includes video tutorial (below)

Suwan Kim is a creative technologist and media artist who designs events, experiences and learning to create immersive environments. She blends various design and artistic platforms such as projection mapping and sensory robotics.

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Suwan’s Project – Pop-Up Shadow Puppet Theatre

Create your own little theatre to tell your stories!

Includes instructional pdf and video (below)

Jeff Repko combines traditional sculpting methods with modern fabrication techniques to create assemblages that explore potential and possibilities through interactions of color and forms. He’s interested in notions of industry and the objects, optimism and sense of community he heard about in stories growing up in Pittsburgh.

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Jeff’s Project – Marvelous Machines

Build and paint your own industrial-inspired machine sculpture.

Includes instructional pdf (below)

All of the artists’ projects are gathered in this Activity Guide for easy viewing and printing.