Studio Saturdays @ Catamount Arts

Catamount Arts invites students in grades 3-6 to participate in this month’s Studio Saturday, June 13th, from 10am to noon. Students are welcome to enjoy a guided tour through the Catamount Arts galleries and then create projects inspired by what they see. Additional Studio Saturdays are scheduled for July 11th and August 15th.

Instructor Abby Maier Johnson will guide students as they explore the wealth of visual art—including paintings, photos, textiles, and sculptures—in the Catamount Arts Fried Family and Rankin Galleries. Johnson will help students to follow and nurture their own curiosity and artistic impulse as they play and create in response to what they see.

Students will have the opportunity to engage playfully with the work of practicing artists, learning what it feels like to be inspired—or confused, delighted, or surprised—by a piece of art. They will get to act immediately on their inspiration by creating their own work, experimenting with process and materials, and discovering that art is inclusive, messy, lively and mischievous by nature, not static, elusive, or only for adults!

This month, participants will enjoy a retrospective exhibition by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont, featuring handmade books and works inspired by books. Some of the works can even be handled! Children will be dazzled by the incredible, colorful, textured works in this exhibition, including traditional picture books, folded books, handstitched books, books made of tea bags, even a kimono made entirely of paper.

Also on display is Craig Harrison’s photography exhibition chronicling the creation of a thrilling outdoor installation in Danville. Created by the Fairbanks Museum’s Elizabeth C. Hadas Artist-in-the-Forest Thea Alvin, the Cathedral of Matsinger Forest is a series of sculptures using found materials and includes a series of woodpile walls with wagon wheel centers. Harrison’s photos of her work capture the transformative nature of these installations throughout changing seasons—and will inspire young artists to find new possibilities in household woodpiles!

The fee for Studio Saturdays is $20, and advance registration is required. Catamount Arts is committed to offering high quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay. To learn about financial assistance, please contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600, extension 109.

Instructor Abby Maier Johnson has over 20 years of experience working with children in libraries, schools, museums, and community centers. Her work as a teaching artist has often focused on using everyday materials to create sculptures, puppets, and masks. She currently works with students in PreK through 8th grade as the art teacher at Riverside School, in Lyndonville, and loves exploring all kinds of visual art with her students.

Learn more or register at www.catamountarts.org.