A Day of ARTS Programs
Hello ARTS Friends,
This is Olimpia, ARTS Program Coordinator! Today I’d like to walk you through a typical day of the Community ARTS Programs at the ARTS Center.
After setting up classrooms and materials, our Programs Assistants, along with our Community of Care stand by the main entrance to conduct a COVID-19 symptom check-in with each student as they arrive.
As I walk into the atrium, I notice that “Look, it’s my Sketchbook” is getting started in the ARTS Gallery. It’s exciting to see a class of 4-7 year olds taking place inside the gallery, while the walls are covered in artwork created by older students. This class is guided by the Teaching Artist Leo Francisco, a group of 10 students ages 4-7, explore different art-making activities like drawing and painting as well as some “accidental” poetry exercises.
Today, students are using colors to identify their emotions. Some are feeling green, others are feeling blue. Leo uses a color chart to talk about the range of emotions that humans can feel.
I walk past the “Giving Tree” to stop by the Visual Arts room where “De Colores: Drawing Inspiration from Latin American Art” is taking place. A group of 12 students ages 8-11 are sitting in a circle to do their weekly check-in. Teaching Artist, Yvette Roman, is sitting in between two students explaining the question of the day. “Show us your artwork and tell us how it makes you feel”.
Participation in “Circle Time” is optional and it serves as an opportunity for youth to connect with each other. One of the kids said her art was “weird” and that’s why she liked it. Another student mentioned how their art was different every day because her feelings also vary by day. Once “Circle Time” is over, students move to their seats to start working on a collective map of Latin America.
At 5:30 pm, we have an intermission while the younger students are picked up by their families ant the middle and high school students arrive for the evening classes.
A group of students, ages 12-15 years old, gather in the Makers Workshop next to Teaching Artist, Chris Schaie, to learn how to use the laser cutting machine. Students are asked to draw an item that represents a key part of their identity that will be printed as a physical object. One student drew a heart-shaped pizza, another combined their initials into a single symbol, and another student drew an intricate butterfly.
“Imagine, Explore, Build” encourages youth agency by allowing them to experiment with the Makers Workshop equipment while also reflecting on their interests and needs.
At 7:00 pm, the second group of students leave the ARTS Center. Some students walk together to the bus stop, others wait for their parents at the front entrance. Another busy day of Community ARTS at the ARTS Center!
Thank you for checking out the ARTS Center with me, I hope you enjoyed the walk through!
