Blue Skies summer Art Camp coming up

The Blue Skies Summer Art Camp has been providing a fun and enriching experience for local youth between 7 and 13 years old for 10 years now, and this year a few spots in the camp have been left open for last minute entries.

The camp provides a safe, friendly atmosphere for 50 children. It is held at the site of the Blue Skies Music Festival on the Clarendon Road (10 km north of Hwy.7 on Road 509) but campers are picked up by bus each day at the Sharbot Lake Beach or the Sharbot Lake Provincial Park entrance.

The unique feature of the camp is that local and regional artists and musicians conduct workshops with the campers.

Each camper participates in three of five activities.

Among this year’s activities is a ukelele workshop by Deb Chatreau. Deb is a guitarist and fiddler and by day she is an elementary school music teacher. She is certified in the James Hill Ukulele Method of ukelele instruction and also bring her own brand of wacky enthusiasm to every class.

Erin Way is an Ottawa-based teacher, who has a particular interest in drama. She will be conducting a playback theatre workshop. Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot.

Rebecca Leonard is an international circus artist and instructor. She is currently working on a collaborative project with the Cirque de Soleil and the Kativik regional government in Nunavut with at risk youth. She brings the movement and joy of circus to everything she touches. She will conduct the circus workshop again this year.

Carol Lee Riley is also returning this year. Everyday objects, recycled and unusual materials, are the foundation of Carol Lee’s distinctive assemblages, collages and constructions. With her, campers will make use of a host of everyday objects to make wearable art.

The music workshop this year will be conducted by Joey Wright. With Joey, campers will learn how to combine guitar, bass, drums, rhythm instruments and vocals to make arrangements of popular songs.

The camp runs from July 23 to 27. It costs $225, and there are discounts for multiple children in families and there is limited bursary money available as well.

Blue Skies In The Community is the outreach arm of the Blue Skies Music Festival, promoting music and arts in the region on a year round basis.

Further information and registration forms are available at blueskies-in-the-community.ca, or email info@blue-skies-in-the-community.ca