Art is busting out all over here!

Watching kids unleash their creative energy has been an extra perk of installing work at the University of Wyoming Art Museum. Day after day, kids of all ages stampede through the door for art camps and classes.

It’s pure joy to encounter their curiosity and exuberance! Most of them haven’t yet learned to say, “I can’t,” so the sky’s the limit when it comes to art making.

Under the skilled tutelage of master teacher Heather Bender, they begin at an early age to experiment with a variety materials.  It’s not just play!

Today, I watched the kids eagerly listen (and quickly answer) questions about color, texture, line, form, rhythm, contrast.  Amazingly, these budding artists grasped the same concepts that inform art curricula for high school and college students.  Staff provide hands-on learning throughout the year. Summer camps are extra special.

Outreach is a huge part of mission here.  So huge, in fact, I want to talk more about the museum’s amazing diversity of programming in a future post.  The numbers tell the story, over 9,000 contact hours last year!

That number is expected to triple during the coming year. Stay tuned for more about this model of arts education.  In the meanwhile, take a look at this captivated audience …