"To say our days were busy and full would be a staggering understatement; the entire week was a whirlwind of activity, learning and fun! Mornings were divided between art and science activities."
The Young Artists Project at Centrum has had a great spring. We welcomed middle school students from across the state of Washington to Fort Worden State Park in March for Explorations - a week of total immersion artmaking.
We were incredibly impressed by the young artists who attended. Energy, creativity, fearlessness - all were on display.
A hearty 'thank you' to each of the students who came. However, we would also like to thank the teachers, parents, chaperones, school districts, and community groups who quite literally make our Young Artist Project workshops possible.
We think that community investment of this sort affirms the critical roles that art, creativity, and problem-solving play in our daily lives. Bravo!
Explorations faculty member Darwin Nordin took some nice photos of the students who came through his workshops during the week. We've posted all of them over on our Flickr site.
To get a glimpse of what a Centrum program is like, take the time to view Al McCleese's photos on our Flickr site.
You will see images of students, teachers and artists all working together to master Combat Resolution, African Dance, Juggling, Taiko, Visual Art and Creative Writing.
The week was deemed "an awesome week of a creative arts workshop" by Blue Heron seventh grade student Francois Ballou in his letter published in the Port Townsend Leader on April 14, 2010.
Reading through the evaluations, one of the high points of the week echoed by students and teachers was learning all new things that they had never tried before. One seventh grader wrote, "I loved being introduced to different cultures and forms of art. In African dance I loved being able to just let go and move. I enjoyed the mechanics in Gizmos, [the visual art class], the excitement and uniqueness of combat, and the challenge of juggling."
Thanks to all who made this week possible for Port Townsend's Blue Heron 7th grade students and their teachers.
Blue Heron Tales, Texts, and Theater week continues at Centrum. Here are a few more photos from Al McCleese.
We're honored to have the entire 7th grade of Port Townsend at Centrum this week working with an amazing group of artists. Our friend Al McCleese is taking photos, and he has started to send some our way. We'll be posting a few of these over the next few days.
Mandy Greer's room-size installation, Dare alla Luce, first appeared in 2008 at the Bellevue Arts Museum. In December, 2009, Dare alla Luce was exhibited in Miami at Aqua Art Miami Wynwood. Aqua Art Miami is a contemporary art fair that takes place in Miami concurrent with Art Basel Miami Beach.
Based in Seattle, Aqua's organizers have made it their mission to promote innovative programming from the west coast as well as the greater USA and abroad, with a particular interest in young dealers and galleries with strong emerging artist programs.
Greer is a mixed-media installation artist with an MFA from the University of Washington. Her most recent projects blend community, installation and performance.
The term “Craftivism” was coined to define a new movement of DIY (Do it Yourself) craft, activism and community. It is described as a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper and your quest for justice more infinite.
Greer says, "I make large installations that transform spaces into enchanted environments, creating full body experiences, like trespassing on a theatrical set. My current projects are about making visceral transitory states of the human emotional experience tangible through the overabundance of crocheted, knitted and sewn fabric."
Students who come to Centrum in 2010 have the opportunity to bring attention their ideas using materials in a DIY aesthetic and sculpting using found objects and papier mâché, basic crocheting and knitting, and simple sewing techniques. Mandy Greer is teaching at Explorations, March 7-12, 2010; Blue Heron Tales, Texts & Theater, March 29-April 2, 2010; and High School Summer Arts Camp, August 8-14, 2010.
Pictured is Etienne Cakpo, dancing with students during Explorations, 2009.
In 2010 Centrum's Young Artists Project continues to offer dynamic creative experiences for elementary, middle and high school students. Professional artist faculty engage young artists in the world of arts and ideas, promote creative risk-taking; and teach best professional practices. These vital, contemporary artists guide and inspire young artists. The weeklong residential experience is one of intense immersion—practicing, listening, conversing, drawing, sculpting, painting, dancing, performing, writing, and reading.
EXPLORATIONS March 7-12, 2010 Multi-cultural fine and performing arts for middle-school students. Designed to mesh with seventh-grade social studies curricula. To include: visual art, Japanese taiko, theater, creative writing, African dance, and circus arts. BLUE HERON TALES, TEXTS & THEATER March 29-April 2, 2010 An extraordinary partnership between Centrum and Blue Heron Middle School (Port Townsend, WA) , in which the entire seventh grade at BHMS comes to Centrum for week of full immersion in the arts. WATER WORLD May 2-7, 2010 An integration of the arts with science for elementary students in grades 5-6. Water World has a curriculum that rotates through a two-year cycle and features a hands-on, in-depth program of visual art, dance and writing, integrated with marine science. WHALE CAMP July 11-17, 2010 Middle school students join artists and scientists for a week focused on whales in Puget Sound. With the arrival of a new orca skeleton at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center comes a brand new collaboration between Centrum and PTMSC. Hands-on science and art. HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER ARTS CAMP August 8-14, 2010 High school students choose a concentration from multiple genres. Focus for an entire week on filmmaking, visual art, music, creative writing, or theater, working with inspirational professional mentors. DANCE This August 8-14, 2010 For high schools students, Seattle Theatre Group partners with Centrum in presenting a residential week of dance. Experience ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, salsa and funk along with choreography classes taught by top professional dancers. DANCE This is for all levels of dancers.
