Rami Chahine
Bio
Rami Chahine is a Lebanese multidisciplinary artist, social practitioner and educator with a B.A in Industrial Design. He has facilitated workshops, STEAM programs, exhibited process art, painted murals, made assemblages with found materials, built participatory installations, staged public interventions by reappropriating neglected spaces and organized community art making events.
His generative approach balances structure with organic development.
Rami’s work in education started in 2018, by teaching Visual Arts at the International College to classes ranging from Upper Elementary to Middle School. He used his observations to develop a creative learning method that was hands-on, engaging, community-oriented and that prioritized student agency and collaboration supported by two cultural funds Mophradat and the Arab Funds for Arts & Culture.
In parallel he co-founded a socially engaged art collective by the name of Zayraqoun in 2019 which staged street performances, parades and workshops across Lebanon. Their eclectic work, which combined music, dance, circus arts, games, visuals arts, performance arts, storytelling and youth education informed the development of his own immersive art learning methods the Collective Creation Games and the Pedagogy of Games.
From 2021 to 2023, he led an experiment in alternative education that involved working with 3 groups of youth to co-develop a methodology for designing and sharing art games using found and upcycled materials.
This method has been successfully applied in workshops, street performances and community murals in collaboration with various NGOs, schools and universities in Lebanon.
Since he moved to Santa Cruz in 2024 he has been actively integrating the community. He organized community art events, the results of which were exhibited at Indexical, a venue dedicated for experimental art located at the Tannery. He also lead a STEAM teacher training workshop with the Monterrey Office of Education, a workshop for youth for the Art for All program of the Institute of Arts and Science, and was Camp Lead Teacher with the Resource Area for Teachers’ STEAM Dream Camp.
He is always eager to collaborate with institutions and meet the communities they serve.
Classes
Pedagogy of Games
In “A Pedagogy of Games” students will collectively create and design art games and participatory immersive experiences and learn about socially engaged art and its relevance in garnering collective creativity to make sense out of real world challenges.
The program will generate its themes from the students’ everyday experience, stories and needs, in addition to using the social dynamics which come up in class as fuel for their discussions.
Students will be using principles from visual arts, theater arts, storytelling, mindfulness practices and game design, as they engage in hands-on making and prototyping with 2D and 3D artforms. They will be using upcycled materials, their bodies and the props available on location. At times they will refer to game mechanics from video games they know in order to translate them into physical format, at others they will use their prototypes and the themes worked on to create their experiences.
All making and playing is followed by a shared critical reflection on the experience that helps students articulate emotions, sensations and share constructive feedback with each other.
By combining art’s expressive power, games’ dynamic interactivity, and design thinking’s problem-solving structure, this workshop provides students with a unique container to play and grow creatively, emotionally, and socially in a safe and supportive space.
Details
Grade(s): G3-12
Hourly rate: $50
Requires (classroom type, rehearsal time, etc.): 6 to 10 sessions in a multi-purpose room or a theater stage or dance room or an art classroom with easily movable furniture.
California Standards addressed:
- 8.TH: Cr1-a. Imagine and explore multiple perspectives and solutions to staging problems in a drama/ theatre work
- 8.TH: Cr2-b. Share leadership and responsibilities to develop collaborative goals when preparing or devising drama/theatre work
- 8.TH: Cr3 a. Practice collaboration, analysis, and reflection to refine a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- 7.VA:Cr1.1 Apply methods to overcome creative blocks.
- 8.VA:Cr1.2 Collaboratively shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art and design
- 8.VA:Cr2.1 Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of artmaking or designing.
- 8.VA:Cr1.1 Document early stages of the creative process visually and/or verbally in traditional or contemporary media.
- 8.VA: Cn10 Make art collaboratively to reflect on and reinforce positive aspects of group identity.
Tailor made STEAM program
Integrate my methodology of art, games and design with STEM disciplines to develop a personalized STEAM Curriculum that meets your specific learning objectives. You provide the theme for which I will develop and propose an adequate workshop. We can cooperate on refining the proposal based on your needs and knowledge of your students.
STEAM programs provide opportunities for creative problem-solving and interdisciplinary hands-on learning by combining multiple disciplines in a single project or lesson. They nurture critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation skills essential for 21st-century learners.
Details
Grade(s): G1-12
Hourly rate: $50
Requires (classroom type, rehearsal time, etc.): Multi-purpose room or a theater stage or a dance room or an art classroom with easily movable furniture.
Community Mural
A beautiful mural transforms a wall into a portal to another world.
I facilitate community mural paintings through inclusive collective games which elevate all participants to the level of co creators. Such games generally have 3 distinct phases with each phase having a different level of required skill. Thus this approach can include a wide age range and accommodate a very high number of participants from your community, school or organization if you wish to have a big community project that everybody can participate in.
Details
Grade(s): G1-12
Hourly rate: $50
Requires (classroom type, rehearsal time, etc.): Public or available wall
Puppet Theatre
Puppet making has an incredible ability to trigger playfulness, imagination and collaboration. In my experience students cannot get enough of working on their puppets.
This program will guide students through the process of making different types of puppets:
stick puppets, finger puppets, sock puppets, hand puppets and shadow puppets. In addition to making the stages for the worlds in which these puppets exist and thrive.
There will be an emphasis on the practice of performing and storytelling in groups. We will be using embodied theatrical activities to teach the students how to use the voice, the energy, the dynamic of their interaction and the surrounding environment. They will learn how to include their audience and make their intentions clear in their public speaking and their puppet shows.
California Standards addressed:
- 8.TH: Cr1-a. Imagine and explore multiple perspectives and solutions to staging problems in a drama/ theatre work
- 8.TH: Cr2-b. Share leadership and responsibilities to develop collaborative goals when preparing or devising drama/theatre work
- 8.TH: Cr3 a. Practice collaboration, analysis, and reflection to refine a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
- 7.VA:Cr1.1 Apply methods to overcome creative blocks.
- 8.VA:Cr1.2 Collaboratively shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art and design
- 8.VA:Cr2.1 Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of artmaking or designing.
- 8.VA:Cr1.1 Document early stages of the creative process visually and/or verbally in traditional or contemporary media.
- 8.VA: Cn10 Make art collaboratively to reflect on and reinforce positive aspects of group identity.
Details
Grade(s): G1-12
Hourly rate: $50
Requires (classroom type, rehearsal time, etc.): n/a