Summer Art Camp 2: Tell Your Story!

The Emerson’s second week of artcamp served up more stories than a library. Young artists created papier mache busts, clay-headed puppets, ceramic vessels, prints and drawings. By week’s end,they had all created a host of characters – some villains, some heroes, and even an Elvis impersonator.  They created a fantastical puppetshow to weave together the tales of these creations, and presented their work to parents, siblings and their teachers.

The halls are alive with the sound of summer camps

Summer is always a lively time at the Emerson. The halls are alive with young artists of all persuasions: ballerinas in pink leotards at the Dance Center, Picassos with colors up to their elbows at ArtSplot and the Emerson’s summer ArtCamps, and the entrancing beats of drummers practicing with Rhythm Drums. There are the graceful movements of the young ladies dancing on the lawn with Jinny Watts’ West African Dance classes, the fingerfalls of earnest pianists studying with Lucille TeSelle, the guitarists rehearsing chords with Mark Logan, and violinists, cellists, and viola players who climb the stairs to take lessons at Bridger String Conservatory.

There are classes at the Emerson’s Frances Senska Pottery Studio, yoga classes at Down To Earth Yoga and Yoga Motion, and an embroidery class at tart. All this creative energy, all together under one roof.

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Flour power!

Two young ladies appeared at the Emerson Main Office yesterday with an unusual request.

“Do you have any flour?,” one of the young ladies asked.

“It’s kind of important,” added the other.

The two girls are part of the Emerson’s Summer Art Camp “Tell Your Story,” taught by artist educators Adair Peck, Katrina Heisterman and Emerson Resident Potter Ryan Mitchell. And they were on a mission.

Now, flour is not something we normally keep on hand in the office.  And what did they need flour for, anyway?

“We’re mixing the paste for our heads and it’s too runny,” one of the girls explained.  Their own heads looked just fine, so I deduced the flour was for the papier mache heads they were making at art camp.

One of the great things about the Emerson building is that we have a lot of resources…and a bunch of community-minded people who are willing to help each other out. Lucky for this art project, Robin Chopus, owner of the Emerson Grill restaurant, was in her office.  The girls and I went and asked if she had any flour to spare.

Robin took us into the restaurant, scooped out several cups of flour into a ziplock bag, and handed it to the girls, who returned to their art class. Mission accomplished.

Look what a kid made!

Young artist’s tile from the Emerson’s Early Release Day with Resident Potter Ryan Mitchell on Jan. 15.