The Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts will offer free youth art programs at the 6th Street Pavilion, located by the pool at Colley Homes on Thursdays in June and July. The projects will be led by Hardin Center artist Katie Dayle and will be offered at three different times; from 10 to 11 a.m., from 1 to 2 p.m., and from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Art lessons may vary, but the planned schedule is:
June 4 – make pinchpot Monsters
June 11 – paint pinchpot Monsters
June 18 – Firework painting
June 25 – Ice cream
July 2 – Dinosaur craft
July 9 – Dream catcher
July 16 – Father’s Day craft
July 23 – Sharpie tye die
“It is our hope that all who participate will have a great time and learn that there is an artist inside each person,” said Bobby Welch, Director of the Hardin Center, “but we hope we will also identify some students who might be interested in having more instruction in the fall. Then we can make them aware of the many classes that are offered at the Hardin Center.”
Why do arts matter? Simply put, the arts are essential to the proper functioning of our society. The arts continue to demonstrate their ability to provide categorical evidence of their impact on social issues that concern virtually every facet of American society. The arts are especially important for our children. Students with an arts rich education typically have better grade point averages, score better on standardized tests in reading and math and have lower dropout rates.
Many arts organizations have had to make drastic reductions in hours and offer fewer productions each season. The work of the Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation helps reverse these trends on a local level. We offer students many ways to expand arts into their lives.
These free programs are made possible by a grant from Alabama Power Company, the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and the City of Gadsden.
