The old saying goes…” Art is in the eye of the beholder”. Not sure who quoted that famous line, but I do know that everyone looks at art differently than the person standing next to them. Some people see the piece as a whole whereas others may find the small hidden details. Each piece of art is unique and special.
A Brand New Arts and Crafts Building is in the Works!
This summer at Camp Alleghany, Garret O’Dell, and his team have created a truly magnificent piece of art in our new Arts and Crafts lodge. It’s in the same space as the one before but it does look a little different. Just a little…..
Updated Programming and Room to Grow!
Over the summers, Arts & Crafts has been an ever-growing department and to say that we were outgrowing our current space was an understatement. Elizabeth and the Admin Team know that it was time to create a more functional space for all the many projects that campers could think of, while still being able to produce projects that are traditional and have been around for years.
In the new lodge, there will be a designated space for painting and drawing, pottery, sewing, photography, candle making, jewelry making, woodworking, and more! Blake Hudson Aldridge, who is the Department Head for the summer, a long-time camper, counselor, support staff member, and camper mom is excited to be the first to lead the charge in the new space. Some of Blake’s ideas were directly built in this new space. For example, there are outside sinks for tie-dying, which I know she is really good at creating!
Blake and I have been working during the off-season, to create a new curriculum for the Arts & Crafts department. We are excited for the campers to come this summer and to experience what we “seasoned” Ghany girls remember about Arts & Crafts. Campers that chose to take A&C as one of their activities, will pick a long-term project that is meant to take a few weeks to create, alongside smaller that projects that should be completed in a day or two. Campers should go home at the end of the term with projects that they can be proud of the time they put into and the outcome of their projects.
I’m also excited to have Kelli Martin and Kelsie Tyson, our sewer and potter respectively this summer as well. Kelli has been with us for several summers. She is excited to be back this summer with new sewing projects to create with the campers. Kelli will be during our Term camps at the beginning of each term. Kelsie has a local pottery studio in White Sulphur Springs and comes to me highly recommended. I’m super excited to have her join our staff. She will also be during our Term Camps and will be for a couple of days to work with campers on pottery projects. It gives me great joy to know that the kiln that camp has had for decades will be back in use this summer.
Looking Forward to a Summer of Fun in Arts and Crafts!
The Arts & Crafts lodge will be all the rage this summer not only for class time but also for the multi-functional uses that we will be able to do with it. The porches will be great for rainy day activities and evening activity gathers and even Sunday afternoon events.
Elizabeth, Cami, and I spent a few days in late May setting it up and helping Garrett with some finishing touches. I can’t wait for you to all see it when you arrive. It truly will be a great addition to our Programming department and our overall camp structure.
I can’t wait to see all the unique and special pieces of Art that we create this summer!
