Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — From emulating a world-famous artist to marching in a parade in a citywide festival, Routt County youths will have ample opportunity to take their creativity to new levels at this summer’s annual Steamboat Springs Arts Council art camps.

Young at Art, formerly known as Kaleidoscope, kicks off during the last week of June with dance and bookmaking camps.

Bookmaking is one of two new camps in this year’s expanded program. Young at Art also offers a rocketry class in which students ages 9 to 12 will be able to make, decorate and launch their own rockets.

“We expanded it because the Arts Council staff got together and there was good support in these areas, so why not offer more if we can?” Arts Council Program Director Susan Whittlesey said. “We think it’s very important to offer engaging and enriching programs that help young people in the Yampa Valley have an opportunity to explore the arts.”

The camps cost $130 per session or $105 per session for Steamboat Springs Arts Council members.

There are discounts for multiple children from one family, and there are scholarship opportunities for those in need.

The Arts Council sponsors the camps — along with tuition and funding from the late Gloria Gossard — but the camps are not a fundraiser for the Arts Council.

“If they all fill up, they will hopefully pay for themselves,” Whittlesey said. “It’s pretty much what comes in goes out.”

Still, moving to online registration helped streamline the organizational efforts and allowed the Arts Council to expand the program.

The drama camp, led by Stuart Handloff and the Great American Laughing Stock Co., again will bring in professional actors from New Zealand while the actors are in town for the Piknik Theatre Festival and will help children write, act in and direct their own productions.

In the visual arts camps, which are taught by Dona Steele, the older children will be studying international installation artist Christo and, in collaboration with the city of Steamboat Springs, will create their own outdoor artwork that interacts with the natural environment.

“The children are going to be creating a mural, and they will be able to hang it from the pedestrian bridge during the All Arts Festival,” Whittlesey said.

In bookmaking, taught by Sari Davidson, children will have the chance to make accordion books and homemade paper.

Most of the camps will allow students to perform or publish their work in some way for the community to see. Some camps coincide with Art in the Park while the younger visual arts students will be making decorations to carry in a parade during the All Arts Festival in August. The camps also allow students of different ages and grade levels to work together to create works of art.

“We really believe in an opportunity for students to learn from one another,” Whittlesey said.

To reach Nicole Inglis, call 970-871-4204 or email ninglis@ExploreSteamboat.com