Ronica Shannon
BEREA — The time has come to register for the popular summer arts program hosted by the Berea Arts Council, and it always fills up quick, according to the council’s executive director, Gwen Childs. The camp has been offered since the late 1980s, she said.
“Oftentimes, we have a waiting list,” Childs said.
The theme to this year’s camp is “Into the Wind,” and will be conducted June 15-19 for 10-12 year olds and June 22-26 for 6-9 year olds.
“Into the Wind” will offer campers the opportunity to express themselves through the four art disciplines: visual arts, music, dance and drama, while exploring different cultures, learning fundamental art skills and vocabulary and creating works of art related to the theme.
“I think different kids respond to different things, which is why we try to offer a taste of all the different arts,” Childs said. “What’s been great about offering those things is that the teachers all work together.”
One of the camps, which is an afternoon camp, is going to be just visual arts and is for 8 to 12 year olds.
“We’re really looking at trying to offer more programming for children and students,” Childs said.
While art teachers in the public school system to a great job, students sometimes do not get to spend much time studying the arts, she said.
“This is really a great opportunity for them to have a concentrated period of time where they are doing things that are fun and creative,” she said. “It normally culminates in them doing some kind of performance or exhibit at the end of the week.”
The Berea College art department helps the children display their work in the form of an exhibit at the end of the week.
Tina Williams, who is an art teacher at Berea Community Elementary School, will serve as camp director this year.
Most of the work done during the camp will somehow tie into the theme, Childs said.
“We’ve talked about the possibility of a clay project making wind chimes,” she said. “Things that are wind related.”
The theme “Into the Wind” was inspired by a past project where school children were asked to make kites.
“We have over 300 pieces of art from Madison County students, so we thought we would expand on that,” she said.
The art camp will take place on the Berea College campus in Knapp Hall and is open to children throughout the community.
Registration information, fees and forms are available at www.bereaartscouncil.org or call the Arts Council at 985-9317. The forms can be printed out and mailed to: The Berea Arts Council, 116 Main St., Berea, KY 40403.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
