For the first time, the Columbia Art League and MU’s MSA/GPC Craft Studio will team up to offer a summer arts program for budding student artists ages 6 to 14.
The craft studio and the art league had planned to hold separate programs for the summer but decided to combine resources to better serve the students. “We are partnering instead of competing,” said Kelsey Hammond, craft studio coordinator.
The art league is now accepting registration for the Young Artists’ Summer Art Camp that begins June 11. The eight-week day camp is directed by two MU art education students, Kathryn Walker and Tracy McKeever, with instruction provided by Columbia-area artists and craft studio employees.
Subjects range from the art of theater, which helps children produce a play including set design and costume construction, to “Mud Flingers,” geared toward creating ceramic pottery.
The MSA/GPC Craft Studio is “really here to provide facilities, supplies and space,” Hammond said.
Each week will feature a different class and alternate age groups, teaching students ages 6-9 one week and ages 10-14 the next. The cap is 12 students per class.
Each week costs $175, which includes supplies and a morning snack. Two scholarships are available for students from Lee Elementary School and two for children in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.
“We are about half-full already and are expecting several of the classes to fill up in the near future,” said Diana Moxon, executive director of the Columbia Art League. “We have had people calling since January.”