Children explore the wonders of creating art at Atlanta Public Library summer camp

 

[July 14, 2018]   Atlanta Public Library held its annual Art Discovery Camp at Union Hall the week of July 9-13.

There were two sessions each day, one for third through fifth graders from 9:00-11:30 and one for kindergarteners through second graders from 1:30 to 3:00. The morning group had fourteen participants and the younger group had thirteen.

Retired schoolteacher Mary Sunday taught the sessions as she has done for the past four years and was assisted by several people, including former campers. Sunday enjoys teaching the children about art.

Library Director Cathy Maciariello said the children studied Picasso, created artwork in Picasso’s style, and learned about symmetry and using color wheels.

They also had an opportunity to experiment with different media such as oil pastels, chalk pastels, watercolors, acrylics, and markers.

Maciariello said they also used liquid watercolors made by placing old markers in a bottle of water.

During the week, children did a variety of projects with both groups learning different techniques using various media. The work done by the older group was just a bit more complex and sophisticated.

For instance, the older children made the Picasso’s Cubist style face masks using recycled materials like cardboard and cartons, while the younger children did self-portraits in Picasso’s Cubist style.

Another project included tracing butterflies on old magazine pages and painting the background using various colors in the color wheel. The butterflies were then decorated with sequins.

The children did paintings with the letters of their names in various styles.

They also painted owls, then drew any kind of designs they chose on them. They used owl paintings Sunday had done as a guide. Sunday has made several cards with owls on them intending to send them to people, but she said she has trouble parting with her owls.

The owl paintings were a favorite activity for some, though they enjoyed creating the Picasso style portraits too.

Paintings children did using colors in a sunset allowed them to mingle colors. They then painted a tree and put buttons on it to finish the piece. Sunday said some found it challenging to paint and mingle the colors.

Their final project was a collage in the style of Picasso’s three masked musicians, using sheet music as the background.

Throughout the week, the artwork was displayed in Union Hall.

The art camp gives children a chance to explore and create art, expressing themselves through painting and showcasing their talents.

[Angela Reiners]