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Teen Art Intensives
This summer, Lights Out as part of our new arts education initiative, Ignite, is launching its first Arts Intensive Series for high schoolers ages 14-18 — three hands-on courses designed for teenagers who are serious about their creative practice and ready to work alongside working artists and writers. Made possible by a youth arts education bloc grant from the State of Maine, the 2026 intensives bring together three distinct disciplines: a writing conference, sketchbook exploration, and a photography intensive. All three courses are offered on a sliding scale, with full scholarships available thanks to support from the Onion Foundation, Arts in Maine, Maine Health, New Balance, and Norway Paris Soft Serve, and the Equal Housing Opportunity.
Creative Writing Conference
with The Telling Room, instructed by Jude Marx
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June 22- 24
9:30AM – 1:30PM
Love to write and want to take your craft to the next level? Join the Telling Room for a three-day creative writing conference. Meet other writers, generate new stories, play writing games, and dig into revision. We'll spend time on character development, setting, and creating new stories, then engage in revision strategies to hone language, description, and dialogue. You'll leave with a complete piece of writing and strategies you can use to generate and revise in the future. Poets and novelists are welcome, but this workshop is also for anyone who has been curious about writing.
Day 1 | June 22nd, 9:30AM - 1:30PM
We’ll kick things off with introductions and fun icebreaker writing games to get ideas flowing. Students will explore the basics of creative writing through short prompts and group activities, then share work in a supportive, low-pressure environment. The instructor will share examples of their own writing and guide a session on building strong characters and finding your unique voice.
Day 2 | June 23rd, 9:30AM - 1:30PM
We’ll start with a group workshop, giving and receiving constructive feedback on each other’s writing. The focus will then shift to setting and imagery—how to make your writing feel vivid and real using sensory detail. Students will try new prompts to expand their drafts, followed by an introduction to revision techniques (how to make your writing stronger, clearer, and more engaging).
Day 3 | June 24th, 9:30AM - 1:30PM
Students will share revised work and reflect on how their writing has changed. We’ll focus on polishing—tightening language, strengthening endings, and preparing work to share. The group will also talk about ways to keep writing after the workshop, including prompts, habits, and creative challenges.
Jude Marx (they/them)
Lead teacher at the Telling Room
Jude Marx (they/them), grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and relocated to Maine to study English and Education at Bowdoin College. Jude pursued their passion for teaching multilingual learners through a teaching Fulbright in Puebla, Mexico and four years teaching ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) in Maine public schools. Jude holds a MSEd. in Teaching English to
Speakers of other Languages and is deeply committed to partnering with
young people to transform our educational systems. A poet and artist themself, Jude believes in the power of creative storytelling as a tool for
community building and empowerment.
Photo Workshop: What’s your story?
instructed by June Kim
July 22- 24
9:30AM – 12:30PM
In this workshop June Kim will share her techniques and methods for photographing both people and places, as well as discuss her sources and influences. The course will cover the experiences, strategies, and influences that form and shape a body of work. She will review portfolios and teach participants how to think about editing and sequencing a group of
photographs. Each student will receive personalized feedback and tasks for improvement, and touch on the elusive questions all photographers ask themselves: Where does my work come from? What does it say? What does it mean—and how important is that? How can I express myself more effectively?
*bring examples of work, digital cameras (iPhones ok), and laptop if you have one
Day 1 | July 22nd, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
Participant introductions, brief intro to photography, look at each other’s current images (bring 10-15 of your best images), Instructor presentation of her work, and demonstration of portrait photography. Field trip.
Day 2 | July 23rd, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
Review/critique assignment and images from field trip on day one, then learn editing basics in Photoshop, print images to alter, photographer references, and field trip. [12:30 - 1:30] Lunch. [1:30 - 3:00] Individual meetings. Assignment: Edit photos from field trip, and alter your images either digitally or by hand.
Day 3 | July 24th, 9:30AM - 2:30PM
Review/critique of assignment, print images, edit and sequence your photos to tell a story. [12:30 - 1:30] Lunch. [1:30 - 2:30] Present/ hang body of work.
June Kim
Professor at College of the Atlantic
June Kim works in monochrome photography, painting, and installation to explore the threads binding all living things — the thin veil between life, death, and alternate realities. By intervening on photographic surfaces with paint, she transforms detached observation into a tactile search for the unseen. Kim holds an MFA from Pratt Institute, exhibits internationally, and is a faculty member at the College of the Atlantic.
Sketchbook Exploration
instructed by Abbeth Russell
July 22- 24
9:30AM – 12:30PM
A sketchbook is a place to record, process, and transform our internal and external worlds. It is a companion to rant to, rave to, and hide between the pages of. It can help us connect with and learn about others. A sketchbook allows you to practice your craft, and plant seeds of thoughts and ideas without the pressure of a finished product. It can be a work of art in its own right. We will explore and be inspired by the outer reaches of the ways artists have used their sketchbooks throughout history and discover, through a variety of prompts and activities, what yours can be for you.
Day 1 | July 22nd, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
What can a sketchbook be? Materials/ Types of sketchbooks, How to fill a page (one image, many, comic book style, etc), Words and images, Black and white vs. color, Line quality, Fast and Slow. Look at books of artists’ sketchbooks. Assignment: Write down your dreams or any random internal thoughts/images.
Optional: Life Drawing 5-8pm - parental permission required.
Day 2 | July 23rd, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
What is your internal world? Look at surrealist sketchbooks. As a group, list our dreams or any random internal thoughts/images all on a big sheet Assignment: Eavesdrop on the world around you
Day 3 | July 24th, 9:30AM - 12:30PM
What is your external world? Look at sketchbooks of artists who worked from life. As a group, list our overheard sentences and images all on a big sheet. Homework (optional): Make that large piece
Abbeth Russell
Portland-based artist + teacher
Abbeth Russell is a painter, performer, songwriter, and teacher. Her
mission in life is to connect with all living things and other realms
through creation. At home and while traveling, she makes and shares her
art, hosts community events, juggles, and performs both solo and with
The Bumbling Woohas. Abbeth makes magical surreal paintings that
have souls.
If you have any questions, reach out to elsanb29@colby.edu