The Siskiyou Arts Council Education Activities
Art collage photo by Debbie Blackwell from McCloud Summer Camps 2004.
The Siskiyou Arts Council works with groups and organizations countywide to provide arts education and activities for children.
Click here for a photo gallery of SAC education activities.
The Children's ArtsBus Project is the central program through which all youth and arts education activities are planned and carried out. Art education throughout Siskiyou County is the focus of this sponsored program of the Siskiyou Arts Council. A donated school bus is currently being renovated as a rolling art classroom, and art classes and activities are provided thorugh the bus and through traditionally classroom instruction to all county communities and schools.
Summertime Art Instruction: During the summer months, Siskiyou Arts Council partners with community groups, Recreation Departments, the Siskiyou Golden Fair, Siskiyou Disabled Youth Sports, and the Siskiyou Family Resource Network to provide art classes and hands-on art experiences at locations throughout the county. Art instructors, guest artists and materials are provided to enhance existing summer camp activities for children ages 2 through teens. These classes are geared to teach children the simple fundamentals of art: line, shape and color, which are employed by utilizing various media such as drawing, painting and sculpture. The California Arts Council's Youth Education in the Arts Program is an important source of funding to augment the budgets available locally.
The Mt. Shasta Recreation & Park District's Summer Adventure Camp provides an example of Siskiyou Arts Council's commitment to present quality arts instruction. SAC contracts with the camp organizers to provide art classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer, working with an average of 60 children each day. Classes for 2006 include:
6/27 and 6/29, 2006 Krazy Summer Kickoff
Ceramics with pottery wheel and clay masks activities
Guest Artist: Carla
7/11 and 7/13, 2006 Digger's Delight
Altered Books project
Guest Artist: Lauri Strudivant
7/18 and 7/20, 2006 Reactions in Action-Science Fun
Making Paper & Making Instruments - Marvelous Maracas & Cute Castanets
Guest Musician: "Kanzango"-Italian sodas, dancing and shake, shake, shake at The Stage Door Cabaret
7/25 and 7/27, 2006 Sports Camp-Let the Games Begin
Treasure Boxes Collage and Plaster of Paris Sculpture
Guest Artists: Dee Fryling and Jack Shaw
8/1 and 8/3, 2006 Outdoor Adventure
Textiles and Outdoor Sculpture w/found objects at Lake Siskiyou outing
Guest Artist: Jessica Joseph
8/8 and 8/10, 2006 Wet and Wild-Water Week
Acrylics Painting
Thurs-Watercolor/Monoprinting
Guest Artists: Pan Bryan Paine and Shanti
Our program for Arts Activities for Shasta Disabled Sports USA allows SAC Siskiyou Arts Bus instructors to offer hands-on art activities to young athletes during the summer 2006 activities. Classes for 2006 include:
June 11th, 2006 Lake Siskiyou ~Watercolor Painting
July 8th, 2006 Lake Siskiyou ~Acrylics on Board
August 8th, 2006 Fish Hatchery~Monoprints
August 24th, 2006 Dunsmuir Pool~Mural Painting
September 4th, 2006 Lake Siskiyou~Soft Pastels
September 9th, 10th, 2006 Kangaroo Lake~Sculpture
The Siskiyou Childrens' Art Exhibit: Art from children's programs and schools all over the county was presented to the public in two extraordinary gallery exhibits in 2005. The show was hung at Rare Images Gallery in Mt. Shasta during the month of September, and at the Yreka YMCA during October. Plans are to continue this as an annual exhibit traveling throughout the county.
Support for Arts Classes: SAC collaborates with schools, organizations and individuals to support the presentation of classes for youth. The Make A Movie Workshop in May 2006, sponsored by Golden Eagle Charter School is an example of such a collaboration. Open to the public, Billy Field, creator of the Make a Movie.net website, author of Make a Movie (Using a Home Camcorder and Other Stuff You Already Own), and Make a Movie About Lewis and Clark, conducted this exciting 2 day workshop covering digital camcorder movie making from script to screen for Siskiyou County kids!
Community Peace Mural: All school age children in the community have participated in collecting the vision for the Mt. Shasta Community Peace Mural and also completed drawings for the mural. Three youth were included in the design team and five HIgh School age youth have participated in the hands on clay work for the mural. There will be included in Parent magazine an article about the high school age students' involvement in the mural process.
Participatory Art at Weed's Wildflower Festival 2004: Weed Wildflower Festival opened the door for a community art collaboration with children who could stop by and learn how to make a pyramid of wild flowers from recycled materials. Art instructor and board member Brooke Knuckles facilitated the class during the 2004 festival.
Youth at Performance and Exhibits: Youth are always an integral part of SAC presentations and performances. The The Annual Siskiyou Talent Showcase is held each autumn at the COS Theater in Weed. This fun-packed evening of entertainment features some of the best talents in Siskiyou County, including many youth performers. During 2003 and 2004, SAC presented Music on the Mountain and Art on the Mountain in conjunction with "Mountain Classics" and in collaboration with Mt. Shasta Board and Ski Park. Dancers and musicians alike performed on stage at Mt. Shasta Board and Ski Park. Dance Troupe 7 performed a piece by Vavaldi. Joan Lucas a board member and professional dancer was the choreographer. A stellar performance was received from Kenneth Renshaw an 11-year-old violin prodigy. Art student Sarah Diaz, 17, was one out of 20 artist whose art was displayed at the exhibition.
Recycled Art Exhibit at Grenada Elementary: Siskiyou Arts Council co-sponsored an art show as a result of an Art in Education program with Grenada Elementary School and with a grant from The Norris Foundation to showcase children's art. The art show was hosted by the elementary school and we purchased the wood to have the pedestals made as a means to display the artwork. SAC also purchased the ribbons for the winners. Donna Bringenberg, President of the Board was there to judge the contest and hand out ribbons.
Participatory Art during Mt. Shasta's Third Friday ArtWalks: The Mount Shasta 3rd Friday Art Walk, which takes place each month through spring, summer and fall, offers children the opportunity to partake in a short art lesson. Each month we feature a theme set within the lesson. Some examples include Child Abuse Prevention Month- "Drop-in-and-Draw a Picture of Your Family", Prayer Flag-"Make a Prayer Flag with Fabric, Glitter and Glue." Taught by volunteer artist and instructors from the communty..
Arts in Community Parades: SAC takes part in community parades, including Mt. Shasta (the annual Fourth of July Parade), Weed (the Carnivale Parade), Dunsmuir (Railroad Days Parade) and McCloud (Lumberjack Fesival Parade). In the past, children of all ages decorated a float based upon "Unlocking your mind, Art is the Key," children built a large key around the platform using wood and then painted it. For another float titled "Art is the Garden Where Human Potential Grows," children made flower masks out of construction paper and while riding in the parade sung the song "Inch by Inch Watch the Garden Grow." The "Exhuberance Rhythm Ensemble" parade entry incorporates the participation of youth and adults alike. And the Siskiyou Arts Bus is becoming another parade entry raising public awareness of arts opportunities for youth.
Innerspark Awards: Since 2002, Siskiyou County School District has partnered with SAC to offer an art contest to art students countywide. Students of all ages applied. Innerspark, the California State Summer School for the Arts, co-sponsored the contest by awarding the art's council $500. In turn SAC hosts an annual award benefit dinner for the winner, their family and teachers, and acknowledges the artist with a scholarship. The Innerspark competition builds esteem in the future art student and encourage the family to see the potential within their child for the arts as a possible means of employment.
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Siskiyou Arts Council
PO Box 597 Mt. Shasta CA 96067
530-938-0130
arts@siskiyouartscouncil.org
Art float photo © Bob Swanson, Swanson Images.
Art collage photo by Debbie Blackwell from McCloud Summer Camps 2004.
All materials © Siskiyou Arts Council. All rights reserved.