The ripples of pop art's influence have been felt all over the world, but there's no one place that has embraced the movement quite so distinctly as Japan, where manga and anime's influence have merged into the fine art world. Our all-new Kawaii Pop camp explores those connections with characters immediately familiar to kids - like Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and Naruto - as well as looking back at the history of pop art in Japan. We'll learn about the avant-garde artists like Harue Kogo and Tadanori Yokoo, who, early on, adopted the hallmarks of pop art - bright colors, bold lines, and cultural reference points - while the dotted pumpkins of Yayoi Kusama made the iconic artist and overnight sensation (and drew praise from Andy Warhol). We'll see how Takashi Murakami achieved huge commercial success with his "Superflat" style by combining traditional Japanese woodblock carving and cartoony patterns. And we'll look at how cute, child-like characters still appear in Japanese contemporary art, from Yoshimoto Nara and Tomoko Nagao to the modern MicroPop movement. Students will love creating unique projects in this captivating style, while also discovering how art can build bridges between cultures.