Centrum Youth Programs

Abe and Jay

[Dance in Building 204]

High School Summer Intensives Schedule

Week of June 22-27 at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Washington

Sunday, June 22

3:30 -5 p.m.: Check in at the Centrum office, 1123 Battery Way,

Fort Worden State Park

After checking in, proceed to Dormitory # 225 and get settled in your rooms.

5:45 p.m.: Dinner in the Commons

7:00 p.m.: Orientation: All workshop participants, faculty and Centrum staff meet in Building JFK. Following orientation, students meet with faculty in their studios for a class introduction.

9:00 p.m. Dorm meeting

Monday, June 23-Wednesday, June 26

7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast in the Commons

9:00-11:45 a.m. Morning classes

12 noon- 1 p.m. Lunch in the Commons

1:30-4:30 p.m. Afternoon classes

5:45-6:45 p.m. Dinner in the Commons

7 p.m.- Evening presentation by faculty in JFK

Thursday, June 26

7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast in the Commons

9:00-11:45 a.m. Morning classes

12 noon- 1 p.m. Lunch in the Commons

1:30-3:30 p.m. Afternoon classes

3:45-4:30 p.m. Practice in JFK for the evening presentation

5:45-6:45 p.m. Dinner in the Commons

7 p.m. Evening presentation by students for family and friends

Friday, June 27

7:30-8:30 a.m. Breakfast in the Commons. Begin to pack and clean up in the dorms

9:00-10:00 a.m. Final class 10:15-10:30 closing ceremony in JFK

10:30-11:00 a.m. check out of Dormitory 225- All students picked up, keys turned in.

High School Summer Intensive      

Schedule June 22-27, 2008

Sunday, June 22	Monday June 23	Tuesday, June 24	Wednesday, June 25	Thursday, June 26	Friday, June 27
	7:30- 8:30    Breakfast in the Commons	7:30- 8:30        Breakfast in the Commons	7:30- 8:30     Breakfast in the Commons	7:30- 8:30     Breakfast in the Commons	7:30- 8:30     Breakfast in the Commons
	9:00-11:45 Studio	9:00-11:45 Studio	9:00-11:45 Studio	9:00-11:45 Studio	9:00-10:00 Studio
11:00 – 2:00 Faculty meeting Centrum office	12:00 – 1:00 Lunch in the Commons	12:00 – 1:00 Lunch in the Commons	12:00 – 1:00 Lunch in the Commons	12:00 – 1:00 Lunch in the Commons	10:15-10:30 Closing ceremony in JFK
2:00 Dorm counselor meeting Centrum office	1:30-4:30 Studio	1:30-4:30 Studio	1:30-4:30 Studio	1:30-3:30 Studio	11:00 a.m. Check out Turn in Keys!Dorm #225
3:30 – 5:30  students check-in Centrum office; then go to dorm #225				3:45-4:30 Practice in JFK for evening presentation
5:45 Dinner	5:45  Dinner in the Commons	5:45  Dinner in the Commons	5:45  Dinner in the Commons	5:45  Dinner in the Commons
7:00 Orientation in JFK	7:00 Faculty presentation  in JFK	7:00 Faculty presentation  in JFK	7:00 Faculty presentation  in JFK	7:00 Student presentation for Friends and Family in JFK
9:00 Dorm meeting	9:00 In dorm, snacks	9:00 In dorm, snacks	9:00 In dorm, snacks

Dance/Video meets in JFK    Visual Arts meets in Building #205, Upstairs       Theater meets in the USO                  Creative Writing meets in building #306 

A Letter From Participant Karl Smith

In 2003, the Centrum Junior High Arts Camp changed my life. Coming from a small island in the San Juans, I was amazed to find kids – other kids, kids I hadn’t known all my life – that were as enthusiastic and creatively-minded as I was. Centrum opened my eyes and broadened my horizons, narrow as they had been tucked up in the woods on Shaw Island.

When I arrived at Fort Worden with my class, I had no idea what it would be like. We didn’t see much of the fort, because our ferry had been late and when we got there it was dark and the cafeteria was closed. We checked into our rooms in the barracks that Centrum was using and not much happened that night. We met our dorm counselors and the kids in our hall, got our keys and schedules, and went to sleep.

The next day is fuzzy in my mind, but I must have found my way down to the cafeteria, ate breakfast, been gratified that the drinks machine dispensed coca-cola, and presented myself at 401A in time for my first class. If my memory of that morning is muddled, my recollection of the art room is crystal clear. The room occupied most of the third floor and was bordered with windows on three sides, and the floor was old and much-stained wood. On the tables arranged in the center of the room were the most art supplies I had ever seen outside of an art supply catalog. There were also rolls and rolls of paper, and stacks of colored paper. There were familiar materials like watercolors and oil pastels and some materials that I hadn’t even seen before. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with all that stuff. As I was amazed to learn, the answer was “anything at all”. Our teacher, Mauricio Robalino, encouraged my creative ambitions while introducing me to new styles and mediums like charcoal, oil-paint sticks, and colored-paper sculpture. I loved every moment of it.

That week went by in a blur. I can’t remember much of any particular day, but I can remember doing lots of painting, learning the basics of story writing, running around the bunkers of Fort Warden and the beaches, and trying to move my two left feet in time with the Reggae music that our dance teacher played. I won’t try to describe each day, because I’m not here to give you a day-by-day description of my experiences at Centrum, I’m here to tell you why, in so many words, Centrum is a wonderful place to be.

Since that first week, I’ve returned to Centrum for various camps 5 times. I’ve taken classes in plaster and paper-casting, screenwriting, Hip Hop and rhythm, and metaphorical imagery, to name a few. I’ve also explored every bunker on the park, tried to make trumpets out of the kelp on the beach, and eaten fifty-year-old survival biscuits at the Coast Artillery Museum. Centrum has yet to become boring or repetitive for me, and I doubt that it ever will. Every year brings new classes and experiences, new artists to work with, new friends to make and new art to be created.

That’s why, whenever I have to leave a Centrum program, I’m looking forward to going back.

Julia Chamberlain on Squirrel Effigies and Fish Houses

Julia Chamberlain is a talented high-school artist who most recently worked with Amy Johnson and Ryan Horvath in our January visual arts master class for high-school students. Julia sent along a brief word about her experiences at Centrum. Thanks Julia!

"For the past three years, I've had Centrum in the spring to look forward to and the memories to look back on for a lifetime. I meet great new artists every year and have the opportunity to test-drive their styles while learning how to think in new ways.

My favorite memories of Centrum include a sunrise jog down the beach, burning a squirrel effigy, making a sparkling fish house, and learning how to dance like Melvin. Every year on the drive home my heart aches for the friends I leave behind and my stomach aches for some delicious vegan cafeteria food, but it will always be there when I come back."

Gault Middle School Student Journal

[Note: We were honored to have an exciting and energetic group of young artists from Gault Middle School in Tacoma, WA at this year's middle school "Explorations" workshop. One of the students from Gault, Jamarae Finnie, was kind enough to send us a journal of his time here. Thanks Jamarae!]

Jamarae Finnie, that’s me!  And this is a journal of my time at Centrum.

After a two hour drive spent singing car songs and listening to music, the Gault kids arrived at Centrum in Port Townsend, WA.  We immediately toured bunkers once used by the military… and had a blast during a rousing game of “bunker tag”.

At the kick off assembly, we reviewed the menu of courses available to students - theater, dance, creative writing, art, video, and more!  A catered lunch followed and then a trip to dormitories....

Jeffrey Shirbroun's Student Dance Film

Our second high school master class brought students together with choreographer Zoe Scofield, and visual artist Juniper Shuey. Each student made "films" based on still photos of their own choreography. Check out this film of high-school student Jeffrey Shirbroun.

Zoe and Juniper will be part of the faculty for our weeklong, Summer Arts Intensives at the end of June.

[Video: Jeffrey Shirbroun's student dance film]

Space Remaining in High School Summer Arts Camp!

June 22-27, 2008
High School Summer Arts Intensives:
Jeanine Gailey, Amber Wolfe, Amy Johnson, Juniper Shuey, Zoe Scofield

Spend a week pushing the boundaries of what you know in your chosen discipline, with the guidance and inspiration of our core faculty and a learning environment enriched by a community of peers.

In this June workshop, you’ll be able to pursue your passions in creative writing, dance/video, visual art, and drama in a week-long workshop immediately following the end of the school year. Sessions are designed for high-school artists at any level of expertise.

Jeannine Gailey will teach “Comic Book Heroes, Mythology, and You,” a week-long adventure in creative writing, in which you’ll be able to explore the mythological tie-ins between ancient heroes (from Greek and Roman to Norse and Japanese) and modern fictitious superheroes and how they relate to our culture and ourselves. You will look at mythology and popular culture in class and use them to help launch several creative writing exercises during the week, including writing poems in the voices of superheroes and villains, making up our own myths, and writing a character sketch for an original superhero(ine).

Amber Wolfe will lead "Exploring Shakespeare." She will show you how to tackle Shakespearean language and bring the texts to life while creating a performance that incorporates Shakespeare’s text with movement and stage combat. Wolfe’s expertise with stage combat includes both hand to hand and the use of swords. Deepen your stage skills in this unique, focused theater workshop!

Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey will be working with dancers to create a short video of their own choreography. You will work with Zoe to create your own unique movement and to think about how your various movements and shapes will look in the confines of a picture frame. Once this is accomplished, students work in pairs to film their work. You will use digital still images or a video camera to capture each other's compositions. Juniper is the video/photo expert. He will help you to take your still photos and video shorts and put them into iMovie, paired it with a musical selection and project the finished piece on a big screen.

Amy Johnson explores “The Art of Installation.” You will be creating images and objects to transform the studio space and completely alter your working environment. “Our process will include both two dimensional and three dimensional demonstrations: collage and printmaking on paper to support two dimensional work and for three dimensional work we will be making rubber molds to cast found objects out of plaster, paper and rubber. You will learn different ways to install, or display the work in a collaborative way,” says Johnson. Be prepared to take risks, get to know everyone in the group and learn different techniques in an experimental and playful way.  You will be challenged to think in ways that will stretch your idea of what art is, who needs to see it and where art can exist."

Tuition, room and board is $365. Scholarships are available.

Scholarship deadline is May 27, 2008.
Application deadline/payment due May 27, 2008.

TO REGISTER

• Register online, or...
• Download our registration form, or...   
• Call us at 360-385-3102, x114   

Photos from Explorations Session 2

Congratulations to all of the young artists who completed the second session of Centrum's Explorations workshop for middle school students. 

We've posted some photos on our Flickr page, from the session's final presentation.

If you attended the workshop, we'd love for you to share your favorite photos from the week. Here's what to do:

1. Go to www.flickr.com--if you haven't joined, you'll need to (it's free).
2. Upload your photos and tag them with "centrum explorations."

That's it. We'll create an album of those, and share them here on the Youth site.

Photos from Explorations Session 1

  2008Explorations1_KevenElliff (9) 
  Originally uploaded by ptcentrum.

We've just posted some photos on our Flickr page, from the final presentation at Centrum's Explorations workshop. Hope you enjoy them!

If you attended the workshop, we'd love for you to share your favorite photos from the week. Here's what to do:

1. Go to www.flickr.com--if you haven't joined, you'll need to (it's free).
2. Upload your photos and tag them with "centrum explorations."

That's it. We'll create an album of those, and share them here on the Youth site.

Space Remaining in Explorations: Session Two

A quick update to let you know that we are still accepting applications for the second of our two Explorations middle school weeks. Our first session sold out, so this second week (March 16-21) is your last chance in 2008 to connect your middle school students with this program. For more information, visit our Explorations page, or contact Martha Worthley, at 360.385.3102 x120.

2008 Blue Heron Middle School Program

March 24-28, 2008, Centrum welcomes the entire seventh grade of Port Townsend 's Blue Heron Middle School to Fort Worden to work with movement, visual art, writing, and theater artists.

Now in its 5th year, this innovative collaboration between the Centrum, the Port Townsend School District, the Washington State Arts Commission, and the Port Townsend Consortium for the Arts provides both students and teachers a model experience in arts immersion.

To learn more about this amazing week, please visit our Blue Heron page.

Image and Object

.

We've just wrapped up the first of our 2008 Young Artist Project workshops--Image and Object. Kudos to the fearless students who worked so hard, and to Amy Johnson and Ryan Horvath, who inspired and guided them.  Look on the right hand column (or follow this link) to see photos from the workshop.

Registration Open for Youth Programs

Wanted: young artists ready for challenge and inspiration.

We're pleased to announce that we are now taking registrations for our 2008 Young Artists Project workshops.

Living and working with the Core Artist Faculty, hand-selected from among the region’s most vital, contemporary artists, young artists can engage with their passions in a way not possible in the daily school routine.

First up in January is a Visual Arts Master Class with Jeffry Mitchell and Amy Johnson. Following that in February is a Dance and Video Master Class with Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey. Each of these high school sessions is limited to just 15 students.

...and that's just the beginning. We'll also host workshops and intensives for elementary, middle school, and high-school students through the end of June, 2008, when our intergenerational workshops begin.

We hope you can join us here at Centrum in 2008. If you know of young artists who are looking for an unmatched experience, please send them our way.

Updates on Youth Programs

As the summer draws to a close, we are just about ready to begin taking registrations for our 2008 workshops. A quick glance around the site will tell you that things are changing. Here's a recap:

1. We've deepened our commitment to young artists, and the faculty that serves them.
2. We've renamed this new focus "The Young Artists Project."
3. On the top right-hand side of the site, you'll find links to the key information about the Project.
4. We've renamed our middle school offering. It was called "Whatever." It's now called "Arts Exploration." We feel that's a more descriptive name for what actually happens here during those weeks.

Final details are being worked out for our 2008 workshops. Subscribe to this website; we'll post full details and begin registration by mid-September. Plus, we'll have frequently updated information on our Core Faculty as well as students!