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Awesome,” and a whiteboard wall where
instructors and children can draw. The
handicapped-accessible bathroom includes
a wallpaper with birds and flowers
and, with a press of a button, music.
Playday also has a gallery wall, where artists’
works are displayed and can be purchased.
Okshteyn said it does not matter to him if he
sells the $1,200 piece of art recently on display
there; instead, he wants children to know
there are many careers in the arts.
“There is nobody telling them there is
value in creativity,” he said, and he wants to
change that.
A number of his “Playday friends” —
friends and colleagues from the art community
— will use FaceTime for 5-minute
“bragging sessions,” giving them an opportunity
to speak remotely with children
about their work. Playday also has 1,000
square feet of outdoor space, where Okshteyn
hopes to have classes involving
everything from bubbles and sand to
archery and ping-pong. There is a multicultural
component as well; for example,
students taking textile classes watch
a brief video about techniques used
around the world.
Zoe Yates, who teaches finger knitting
and embroidery, said she tries to get her
students to consider which materials regularly
come in contact with their bodies.
“I try to get them to think about what
fabrics they are wearing,” she said. “It’s fun
because it’s not like we’re in school; we’re
just making art.”
Instructors helped create the class
offerings, and a six-member advisory
board that includes a child psychiatrist
approved the curriculum. Okshteyn said
there is no limit to the topics Playday can
offer: the art space already has a “clouds”
class, where children make clouds using
cotton balls and paint; an “epic Star Wars
scene” stencils class; a “monster masks”
class; a “little architect” class; jewelry design;
and manga Japanese drawing, to
name a few. When it comes to children
and the arts, the opportunities are endless.
Photos courtesy of Playday
Playday
PLAYDAYNYC.COM
5-37 51ST AVE., LIC
844-PLAYDAY
HELLOPLAYDAY@GMAIL.COM
