CCA’s Winter Spring Youth Arts Program in Full Swing

CAPE MAY – The Center for Community Arts (CCA) is happy to announce its children’s art education programs have begun for the winter spring term with exciting activities being planned.
Paige Cunningham, a West Cape May resident, is currently teaching the theme “Animals in Art” for the popular ‘Art at the Library’ Program. This favorite yearlong art class for children ages 6 – 9 is being held in four locations; Sea Isle City on Mondays, Wildwood Crest on Tuesdays, Lower Township on Wednesdays, and Cape May on Thursdays, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. The class reads a book, discusses the illustrations and creates art inspired by the story. Many mediums are explored; clay, pastels, paint, sculpture, charcoal.
As Cunningham says, “I try and provide a comfortable and fun atmosphere where the children will feel confident and safe to experiment with materials to express themselves through art. Picture books and art are two of my favorite things in the world, so it’s been a pleasure to lead this class for the last 7 years. I learn from the children I work with every day. We may all read the same book and use the same materials provided but every piece of art work is different and how each child approaches their art is different. It’s such a joy to be a part of this program.”
Join her for an engaging afternoon of hands-on and sometimes messy fun.
The YAP (Youth Arts Program) program is back on Saturday evenings from 5 – 8pm for children ages 10 – 14. Located in two locations; Cape May and Lower Township, this program is a great way to spend a night with peers creating art in a comfortable, fun atmosphere. It’s FREE and includes all art materials and dinner! This winter/spring, the children will be experimenting with the theme “Up-cycled Mixed Media Art.”
Amanda says, “I am extremely excited about this spring’s curriculum. The kids will be using everyday items that would normally be thrown away and creating beautiful pieces of art. I hope that the students will look at the world and the “trash” that is thrown away everyday differently. I have the students using different materials and mediums every week. One Saturday we may be painting and the next ironing plastic bags.”
This year’s trip will be to the Philadelphia Magic Gardens. Isaiah Zagar has created a beautiful one of a kind mosaic garden in south Philly using pieces of scrap materials; bicycle wheels, broken tea cups, wire pieces, tiles… turning trash into treasure. It’s an amazing place!
Meet the teachers for this program:
Amanda Tozer, 22, graduated from LCMR in 2008, attended Arcadia University in Glenside, P.A. and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History. As Tozer explains, “During my college career I started working for The Center for Community Arts and haven’t left since. I love the kids, the projects, and the knowledge that we all gain during our time together. I love this program because I think that it offers the youth of my hometown a safe place to have fun and learn about art. They can be messy and let their creativity flow. I encourage the students to think outside the box, which will benefit all aspects of their lives. Being able to see what a blank canvas can become will allow the kids to understand that they can take something ordinary and make it extraordinary.”
Michael Longstreth, a certified New Jersey Teacher has a Bachelor of Art in Philosophy and Education, and is currently working on his Masters in Education. He had the pleasure of doing a 2 year apprenticeship with well known Cape May artist Cheryl Crews. As Longstreth says” there is something unique about our winter and spring Youth Arts Program at Lyle Hall Methodist Church. Kids are in charge of their learning and their creativity truly shines with our lessons. Our focus is to find creative art projects that are attune with students’ interests. Being the teacher, I am always interested in what the students bring to the class. I want to know their goals in art and I create lessons that will help them reach their artistic potential.”
“I love to teach the program because I can be creative and design the lesson to fit the students’ needs. Kids are creative but sometimes they don’t always have an outlet that allows them to have fun or be creative. Saturday-Night YAP is kid friendly, the learning is fun and it’s FREE!!! It’s all about using materials with your hands to make original works of art: creating self-portraits out of bottle caps, melting down crayons to create abstract pictures or using duck tape to create one of a kind usable art works. So, if you don’t mind thinking out of the box or getting messy, please join us!”
For more information about CCA and it Youth Arts Programs, you may call 609-884-7525 or on the web at www.centerforcommunityarts.org.