RCCAC Announces Summer Camps and Classes for Elementary and Middle School Students

Caption:  Young artist Caleb Band proudly displays the mask he created during the 2007 summer camps at the Randolph  County  Community Arts Center in Elkins

The Randolph County Community Arts Center announces a variety of camps and classes for elementary and middle school students this summer.  Local artists and teachers are teaming up to offer a variety arts education opportunities, including cross curriculum classes integrating both science and language with art.   Camps and classes begin June 9th and run in a variety of formats through August 15th.

Earth, Wind, and Water Nature Camp, a camp for third through fifth grade students will run June 9^th through the 13^th from 12:30 until 4:30 each day. Nanci Bross-Fregonara will lead campers as they explore the natural world with cool art projects. From a worm’s eye view of our planet to the galaxy as seen through the Hubble satellite, students will use art to reflect on what they will see with as they explore science.  Students will closely investigate soil, air, and water and then do hands on projects such as rubbings, windsocks, water paintings and more. The week will conclude with a Christo inspired installation project. Bross-Fregonara has worked with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources as designer writer, and assistant editor of their West Virginia Wildlife magazine. In that capacity she created many of the Kids Exploration pages and has lead activities in the public schools related to natural science.  She serves as a substitute teacher at the Elkins Montessori Center and is avid promoter of the “Leave No Child Inside” philosophy-- making sure our children learn more about the world around them.

Magical Potions, a camp for first through fifth grade students, will run June 16^th through 20^th from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM daily.  Jane Birdsong will lead campers in an exploration of the healing powers of our local plants. Students will hike local trails as they learn to identify and collect common medicinal plants. Campers will learn to make salves, footbaths, infusions, natural decoctions, root beer, and cheese, all the old-fashioned way. Songs, dances and games will be incorporated into this investigative process. Birdsong had spent most of her working career as a French teacher and radio copywriter & producer.  She has acted and directed at the Old Brick Playhouse and was a founding member of the all-women band, “The Elktones,” (2001 cd Got What It Takes).  Her BA degree is in speech, theatre, communications and French from Indiana University.

Elkins!  Our Historic Hometown, a four-day camp for third through fifth grade students, will run June 30th through July 3rd from 10:00 AM until noon daily.         Elkins printmaker and artist Kadra Kramer will lead students on a survey of the local architecture in our own historic hometown. Students will explore a variety of printmaking processes while investigating the architecture in the nearby Historic Districts using the unique structures as subjects for their works. Kramer, a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, has been teaching art classes for over three years and holds a BA in Studio Art.  She is owner of The Blue Door Studio in Elkins.  Kramer specializes in monotype printmaking and currently has work on display at Artists at Work in downtown Elkins. 

My Growing Garden, a camp for kindergarten through fifth grade students, will run July 7th through July 11th from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM daily. Heidi Thompson and Virginia Hicks, both practicing artists and art teachers, will lead students on a multi media exploration of a growing garden.  Students will use a variety of media including pottery, printmaking, collage, and more to create wonderful works of art about insects, flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables.  Children's literature and art history will also be incorporated into the camp's theme as students explore books about garden life and artists who use nature and the garden as subject matter in art.  Thompson is an accomplished artist and teacher with a working studio in Buckhannon.  She is a regular RCCAC teacher as well as an ArtsBank artist in the Randolph County Schools.  Thompson is a certified teacher with a degree in art education from WVU. Hicks is a full-time art teacher with Upshur County Schools. She was also an instructor with the ArtsBank program for seven years, taught art at WVWC for six years and has been an instructor of children's workshops, teacher workshops and summer camps at RCCAC for the past several years.

Earth, Wind, and Water Science Camp, a camp for students in middle school grades, will run July 14th through 18th from 12:30 PM until 4:30 PM daily. Nanci Bross-Fregonara will lead middle school students in a hands on investigation of our world using interactive activities and workshops led by area naturalists and biologists focusing on wetlands, orienteering, archeology, and aquatic life. From air quality to astronomy, students will spend each afternoon learning how to look at our planet Earth. 

Una Celebración Española, a Spanish themed camp for kindergarten through fifth grade students, will run from August 11^th through 15^th from 12:30 PM until 4:30 PM daily. Elkins High School language teacher Brad Martin and RCCAC art teacher and Executive Director Beth King will lead students on a journey around the world to the festivals and holidays of Spanish speaking countries.  Students will discover the language, customs, and cultures of Spanish speaking countries worldwide with Martin through a language immersion approach.  Students will meet artists such Picasso, Goya, Miro, and Dali while using a variety of media and processes to create wonderful works of art with a Spanish flair with King.  Spanish music and tasty treats will round out the experience. Martin has taught Spanish for 29 years at Elkins High School and also German for the past 14 years after having lived and studied in Venezuela, Mexico, and Spain as a student.  His teaching experience ranges from pre-school to college and also includes being a counselor at high school Spanish camps.  He has led 23 tours and exchanges to various countries over the years.  He prefers a high-energy, active immersion style of teaching. King holds degrees in Journalism, Photography and Art Education from the University of Georgia; has been an adjunct lecturer in art education at D&E College and is the Executive Director of RCCAC.  She has 18 years of teaching experience in elementary and secondary schools. 

Garden Party Pottery, a six-week class for 4th through 8th grade students, will begin on July 8^th and meet on Tuesdays from 4:00 PM until - 5:30 PM.  Local artist and potter Joan Kefover will teach students basic hand building and wheel skills as they create artistic pieces for their summer table and garden.  Students will create functional pieces including a ceramic birdhouse, a birdbath bowl, table candle lantern, bowl for summer treats, wind chimes, and more whimsical items. Kefover is an accomplished potter and sculptor with more than thirty years of experience as a practicing artist and teacher.  She holds a BFA from the Maryland institute of Art as well as advanced studies at San Diego College.

Gargoyles, Griffins and a Sphinx, Oh My, a six week pottery class for students in kindergarten through fifth grades will begin on July 9th and meet each        Wednesday from 4:00 PM until 5:00 PM. Art teacher Alison Siewny will lead students as they explore ancient architecture and the purpose these creepy creatures had in the magnificent constructions of ancient times.  Students will create clay sculptures of these creatures using hand-building techniques such as coil, slab, score, and slip.  Students will complete their creations with glaze and acrylic paints. Siewny holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art Education from Ohio University.  She has been teaching art to children in preschool through middle school in private, public and art center settings for over 10 years.  She has had students contests under her direction have been finalists and received honorable mentions in national art competitions.

Pre registration is required for all classes.  For additional information on classes for all age groups call 637-2355, email info@randolpharts.org, or visit the RCCAC website at www.randolpharts.org. The Randolph County Community Arts Center, a non-profit organization promoting and supporting the arts in Randolph County and the surrounding areas, is located at the corner of Randolph Avenue and Park Street in Elkins.  Local contributors support RCCAC’s arts education program with additional financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.