Girdwood Fine Arts Camp a big success

By Thalia Wilkinson
Special to the Turnagain Times

This summer’s Girdwood Fine Arts Camp was a huge success. The guest artists and staff created an eventful two-week program of fine arts projects that culminated in a theatrical performance and multi media art show on July 30th.

The two groups of primary campers, aged 5-8, performed two colorful and humorous short pieces, which were narrated by Katie Cronk. The stories performed by the young actors/actresses were: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, written and illustrated by Eric Carle and Dirty Joe, The Pirate: A True Story, written by Bill Harley and illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Inspired by these favorite pieces of children’s literature, the young artists created their own costumes, props, and stage sets with the help and support of Ruth Kircher, Jen Liu, Katie and Sarah Cronk.

Arts Camp included lessons in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, printmaking, fleece monsters, stained glass, silk screening, tie-dyed T-shirts, hand painted silk scarves, Turnagain Arm silt-ceramic tiles, digital photography, bookbinding, and environmental installations. Staff members include Sarah Haynes-Cronk, Ruth Kircher, Jimmy Riordan, Katie Cronk and Thalia Wilkinson. Guest artists this year were Ed Mighell (Alaska Native ceramic artist), Keren Lowell (UAA Fiber artist/educator), jsun parizo (installation artist), Tamah Haynes (glass artist) and Chris Cupp (photographer), and of course, the infamous James D Kaiser taught a stained glass studio for his 24th straight year. Ed used silt from the Turnagain Arm to create ceramic tiles impressed with relief prints the students created. Keren made capes with the primary students and sewed fleece monsters with the intermediate group (ages 8-15). Jsun made islands and treasure maps with the primary students and environmental installations with the intermediate group using trees in the Forest Fair park. Chris worked three afternoons with teenagers in a digital photography intensive, which has been requested for next year’s offerings. It was all very rewarding for students and adults alike.

Arts Camp would not be possible without the hard work of the staff, and the volunteerism of community members Betsy Connell, Alyssa Connell, Tabi Silver, Tommy Salami, and visiting New York artist, Jen Liu. Chair5, the Mercantile, Silvertip, The Bake Shop, Casa del Sol, and Coast Pizza made food donations.

Financial grants were received from Girdwood Forest Fair Committee, and both the Girdwood and Anchorage Parks & Rec. Four scholarships were provided by the Girdwood Center for Visual Arts and Girdwood Rotary. Thank you! A big thank you goes out to the parents in our community for sending their kids to Arts Camp. It’s a rich experience for children of all ages, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide a quality arts program for them. Next year will be our 25th anniversary, so stay tuned for the silverlicious programs we have planned for next summer. Until then, have a great fall and winter season.