Albert Einstein once said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” On Saturday (February 27), three local artists had the pleasure of sharing their love for art and creativity with a handful of local children.
Beverley Hawksley, Sandy McLennan and Elise Muller created the Fine Art Boot Camp (FABcamp) with the help of a Township of Lake of Bays youth programming grant. “We’ve offered this as a weekly camp in the past, but decided to offer a daylong option because it’s easier for families to plan around,” explained Muller. “The grant allows us to offer it at a reasonable cost.” The full day program, including materials and lunch, cost just $25 per child.
Hawksley, McLennan and Muller provided instruction in three art forms – mixed media painting, pinhole photography, and soapstone carving.
“(The kids) were really positive about all of them,” said Muller. “Going into the portable dark room and seeing the pictures emerge was really exciting for them because it’s so different.”
Hawksley is happy to have the opportunity to collaborate with other artists while working with kids. “Kids have no fear and they feel capable, which I think is a good thing,” she said, adding that it serves them well beyond these creative workshops.
I like to think that we have finally figured out that when we do creative things it spills over into the rest of our world. When we know what it’s like to have a great idea, we want to have more of them.
Beverley Hawksley
The trio has also had interest in an adult boot camp and may offer one in the future, or perhaps offer it as a family workshop.
In the meantime, kids can participate in the next two camps on March 5 at the Baysville Library and April 2 at the Dorset Recreation Centre – spaces are still available for both sessions.
Muller and McLennan also have classes running during March break – a stone carving workshop at Signal North Gallery on March 18 which is part of the Huntsville Art Society’s March break Art Sampler, and a family pinhole photography workshop at the Canada Summit Centre on March 12 (click here and search code 16036 for details). Read more about McLennan’s pinhole photography on Doppler here.
Find the FABcamp on Facebook here. For registration information, see the poster below.
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