FacebookInstead of sleeping in on Saturday morning, local children have been rising and shining to have hands-on experiences with art.
The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art hosted Saturday art club this past Saturday as part of their promises of freedom exhibit. Children ages K-12 toured the museum’s gallery and then made their own clay sculptures.
Andrew Henley, education curator for the museum, said the Saturday art club program has been going on since he began working at the museum in 2007.
“Today we looked at promises of freedom, which is our exhibition that is open right now,” Henley said. “Then we had the kids think about what freedom means and what sort of symbols they would use to express freedom.”
Henley said having the children view the museum’s artwork gives them an educational experience they may not get otherwise in the classroom.
“We try to bring in interesting things, artworks and ideas that engage the children and encourage dialogue,” Henley said. “After viewing what artworks are on display, we usually bring them in to the main gallery where they can do a hands-on project that relates t o the exhibit.”
The program began as an initiative to bring an educational resource to the community, Henley said. The club meets every few weeks during the school year and more during the summer months.
“I hope to expand the program not only with the content, but with the number of visitors,” Henley said.
In past sessions, children have worked with jewelry making, glass, sculpture and computer casting.
“Part of the mission of the museum is to foster the transformative experience of art,” Henley said. “There’s a big push for us to have community outreach and I’m passionate about the idea that kids need this.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of the program, Henley said, is seeing children return each Saturday and apply what they’ve learned.
“When I first came here, there were a couple of days where we would only have one or two students,” Henley said. “But now, seeing the program change and grow and seeing students come back with more knowledge and understanding, it’s really a wonderful thing.”
The next Saturday art club will meet Feb. 4 at 10 am. Children will look at floral prints of John James Audubon and then make some flowers of our own. For more information about the program, call (334) 844-3486.
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