YOUR AD HERE »

Art Scene

Christina Brusig
Staff Photo |

It Ain’t Braggin’ If You Can Do It

Dizzy Dean, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and legendary sports broadcaster, always got right to the point, and we are in complete agreement with ole Diz.

We just completed one terrific summer of art, pottery and theater camps by doing what we planned to do — deliver a fresh approach to each subject with reimagined teaching techniques, and the result was some very happy campers.



Next up, the Fall/Spring 2015-2016 lineup that begins Tuesday, Sept. 8. We’ve added new art, music, dance, pottery and drama classes to our highly successful curriculum that will be taught by the best artists, dancers, potters, musicians and actors in the valley. We deliver the largest and most well-rounded, multi-genre artistic programming on the Western Slope, so go online to glenwoodarts.org, check it out and register!

We are extremely proud of our 60+ in-house programs and the 700 students we serve, but I have to tell you, our success in spreading the word and making art available to everyone has resulted in the most effective outreach programming in the area. Take a look:



Fine Arts Friday

Two Rivers Community School was launched last year, and when they asked us to design a program for their early release Fridays, we stepped right up. Fine Arts Friday was the result and, like TRCS, was an immediate hit. We’re back, starting today with FAF plus Art Club every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Register your TRCS students now!

Enrichment Wednesday

Here’s another winner that we introduced last year at Glenwood Springs Middle School and Glenwood Springs and Sopris elementary schools. We continue this year with enhancements to the successful after-school arts model we developed, rounding out the school’s curriculum and assuring parents that their children are in a safe and creative environment.

5th Day Fridays

In 2013, RE-2 had to make difficult budget choices necessitating a four-day school week. They turned to us, and we created 5th Day, a full day of art, dance, pottery and music. Last year, we developed our World Culture model. All classes were structured through the esthetic of another country, each segment ending with a festival of food, dance and art. We were delighted with the results. Here’s what we have planned for this year:

South America — Sept. 9 – Oct. 23, seven weeks with Festival Days Oct. 21 and 23.

British Isles — Oct. 28 – Dec. 18, seven weeks with Festival Days Dec. 16 and 18.

Australia — Jan. 6 – Feb. 19, seven weeks with Festival Days Feb. 17 and 19.

India — Feb. 24 – April 8, seven weeks with Festival Days April 6 and 8.

New Zealand — April 13 – May 13, five weeks with Festival Days May 11 and 13.

Students interact with each other, building friendships and self-confidence while discovering and enhancing their unique talents and artistic expression. That moment when a student connects with the viewpoint of another culture is transformative. You don’t have to be an RE-2 student. All boys and girls from 6 to 12 years old are welcome. Register now.

Painting Pages

When the amazing Sue Schnitzer became the branch manager for the new Glenwood Springs library, the world of books, music and art took on a whole new meaning. We began a wonderful collaboration of art exhibits and children’s programming. Sue introduced Tuesday at Your Library and offered us the second Tuesday of the month. We thought it over for a nanosecond and said, “Painting Pages!” We invited our newest faculty member and superbly talented studio artist, potter and textile artist, Josefina Gordh, to deliver this program, and it was a triumph. Elementary school children listen to a story and then paint what they hear. Bring K – 5th grade children to this free, after-school program at the Glenwood Springs Library, Tuesday, Sept 8 from 4-5 p.m., meet Josefina, and enjoy one of our most popular outreach programs.

COMMITMENT

With every new season of classes and every new opportunity, we recommit to our mission. It means a staff that is dedicated to being ahead of the artistic curve, anticipating a community need and delivering the solution. It means stepping up with after-school art, music and dance classes for area elementary schools. It means continually expanding our class offerings. It means working with corporations to design enrichment programs as part of their employee benefits package. And it finally means keeping expectations high, community involvement absolute and ensuring that art is for everyone.

Christina Brusig is the executive director of the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts. She can be reached at christina@glenwoodarts.org.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.