Adults and kids both seem keen to make their mark using different mediums, and kids in particular tend to turn to visual arts to express themselves.
"In the young kids there is an instinct to communicate in a visual manner," says Daylen Luchsinger, adding it's part of the process of learning how to communicate and how to express oneself. Luchsinger is the program facilitator at Artists For Kids, and says younger kids in particular don't seem to fall prey to the self-doubt that can create barriers to creation for older children and adults. "We haven't really made them conform yet so they're still very open and free with their art abilities," he says of younger kids.
This year, Artists For Kids, which is known for its after-school art classes, will be offering new March Break programs.
A program during the first week of the school break for kids in grades 1 and 2, will offer activities in the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art, as well as a variety of drawing, painting, printmaking and sculptural techniques in a studio. There will also be a similar program for kids in grades 2, 3 and 4. Each class has room for 16 students and will feature an instructor and an assistant. The programs are open to kids of all art abilities, and Luchsinger says their programs tend to appeal to kids who already have a curiosity about or interest in art.
"The kids that tend to really exceed, they love art, they love putting pen, pencil crayon, some sort of coloured medium to paper, just being able to express themselves in a visual manner," he says. When asked what type of kid is suited to the art camps, Luchsinger says they have previously had a wide range of kids in their programs, but adds jokingly: "If you have a child that has coloured on all your walls at home, send them our way."
