With guidance from Comic Nurse and educator MK Czerwiec, families will explore the intersection of science and art as they create their own exciting, handmade zines. Drawing inspiration from the Smart’s current exhibitions, Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas and Beyond Boundaries: Three Decades of Contemporary Chinese Art at the Smart, families will consider how these artworks mirror the world as we observe it through microscopes, binoculars, and telescopes – further exploring how such images shape our understanding of the past, present, and future. These ideas will be transformed into original comics and zines, using a combination of writing and drawing to tell creative, personal stories.

FREE, drop-in, but RSVP is encouraged to help the Smart team best prepare for the day. Register here. Art-making supplies and other materials are provided. Family programs are best for kids 4–12, but all ages are welcomed! Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

MK Czerwiec is a nurse, cartoonist, educator, and co-founder of the field of Graphic Medicine. Her work uses the medium of comics to help make challenging health situations somewhat easier for us to navigate. She holds a Masters degree in Medical Humanities and Bioethics from Northwestern Feinberg Medical School and co-teaches graphic medicine courses at UChicago. MK is the creator of Taking Turns: Stories from HIV/AIDS Care Unit 371, a co-author of Graphic Medicine Manifesto and editor of the two-time Eisner Award winning Menopause: A Comic Treatment.

"Zooming in & Zine-ing Out" is generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.