Popopstudios Offers Creative Summer Camp Opportunity

By lisa in News on May 23, 2012

With another school year coming to a close, many parents are turning their attention to fun yet dynamic summer activities to keep their kids on their toes. From sailing to music to sport camps, there is something for everyone these days – and in the midst of options, Popopstudios International Center for the Visual Arts offers a four-week art camp that is sure to stimulate creativity.

The Summer Camp for Kids, open to 8-16 year olds, will divide the participants into groups by age and skill level in order to appropriately challenge and encourage each participant to tap into their creativity.

Each week they will tackle a different topic or theme.

Running between July 9 to August 4, parents have the option to enroll their children for any number of weeks – from one to four – that suit their needs, since the participants will engage in a variety of activities that help them complete a final project every week within their weekly topic or theme. In addition, every student will contribute to a final group project that will remains on the grounds.

Allowing budding artists to spend their summer in an environment like Popopstudios ICVA will provide a significant learning experience, says Education Officer Katrina Cartwright.

“I think this summer camp is a great way to give your child time to explore their options and talents,” she said. “This isn’t like being in school – it’s a more intimate environment where these creative talents that usually aren’t nurtured can be expressed, and lots of our resident artists can inspire that.”

Indeed with its regular classes, exhibitions and community made up of local and visiting artists- in-residence, Popopstudios ICVA provides an active and dynamic space perfect for aspiring artists. These resident artists will introduce a variety of art-centered activities for the groups every week, and participants will also take weekly trips to other gallery spaces and nature preserves that tie into their weekly topics.

The summer camp classes for children come as a break from two semesters of adult art classes offered in the space that has seen great success not only in developing artistic skills in its participants, but also in growing the Popopstudios presence in the community.

“All of our classes are not only a way to give people the opportunity to pursue a hobby or hone their skills or take independent classes to prepare them for college at a later date – but the other side was to get people here to see what Popop is about,” said Cartwright.

“It’s such a wonderful center for the arts. The space is alive and constantly growing. So being able to have that kind of feedback and having a community interact with Popop on not just an education level but as a gallery space and community of artists, I think that is phenomenal.”

The art camp for children is only one part of summer programming at the space, says artist-in-residence and curatorial coordinator Heino Schmid. They plan to also host an open studios event where visitors can take a peek into the various artist studio spaces on the grounds, as well as some playful thematic exhibitions – including an exhibition of work by the summer camp students at the end of the four-week experience.

Indeed, along with this program, the new educational opportunities, including the summer art camps, tie in to the commitment by Popopstudios ICVA to develop and strengthen art in The Bahamas.

“What I find is the space for classes and the space of artist studios and the gallery have a symbiotic relationship under the Popop banner,” says Schmid. “They feed off each other and I’m excited to see how this develops in the coming months—having the students join our community, come to exhibition openings, and maybe exhibit their own work or work-in-progress from their classes.”

“There is a different feeling between the educational structure and our gallery structure, but that overlap informs the Popop statement to push art forward,” he continues. “I think the grounds lend themselves to that creative endeavor—a friendly, internal, open space that can provide a dynamic situation for children this summer.”

The Summer Camp for Kids will run on the grounds of Popopstudios International Center for the Visual Arts between July 9th-August 4th, Mondays to Fridays, with workdays starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m.

Cost is $240 a week which includes the 5 day camp, equipment, facilities and materials, field trips (including bus services), and an exhibition showcasing the student work. An optional lunch package of $5 per day is also available.

Parents can pay an initial installment of half the fee in advance and the balance at a later date. Deadline for registration and partial payment is May 26th (balance must be paid in full by June 30th). All fees are non-refundable.