With summer officially underway, children seeking an outlet for their artistic abilities and curiosities can find it at Picasso’s Playhouse, located at 5176 Newton Drive.
This week, the art studio held a clay camp that taught campers the joys of clay sculpturing. The completed projects will be headed to the kiln this weekend and then painted on Monday. The finished pieces will be showcased for the campers’ parents at a luncheon Tuesday.
Beverly Smith believes the classes offered will help young children with more than their art. The website for Picasso’s Playhouse cites several research studies that have shown exceptional advancements in motor and social skills in children who participate in the arts. According to studies, they are also more likely to excel in all forms of academics achievements, including math, science and writing.
“With clay sculpturing as an example,” Smith explains, “working with their hands helps develop motor skills because to form shapes and objects, smoothing the clay and designing solely from their imagination, one needs strong hand-eye coordination. These classes help them develop those skills.”
“The campers, they love and enjoy the classes, as they are given an outlet for their imaginations, where everything is not so structured and they’re given free range — which is rare these days,” Smith said. “And it activates all of their creative centers.”
Recently renamed — it was formerly known as Wabi-Sabi — and relocated into their own facility, Smith and fellow co-founders Sharon Chandler and Jan Jentzen are award-winning artists who began Picasso’s Playhouse hoping to spread their passion for art to children and adults alike.
Classes are divided into four age groups: 3-4, 5-11, 12-18 and adults. The studio covers a broad variety of visual arts that includes painting, drawing, clay sculpturing and creating collages. A ladies’ night class is offered once a month, where women of all ages explore different painting styles. No artistic experience is required for these classes.
“Our main goal is to establish weekly art classes,” Smith said. “This way we’ll do what’s important to us — teaching kids the arts.”
Picasso’s Playhouse will also be scheduling one more summer camp called Jungle Boogie, a five day art camp that begins on July 12. The camp will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Campers will be crafting art projects out of recycled materials throughout the week before showing them off to their parents at the luncheon on the final day of camp.
For more information and appointments, contact Beverly Smith at (770) 378-3755, or visit www.picassosplayhousega.com
