Naturally, we always love to celebrate the artwork of our young students at the Portside, but this month especially, because it’s National Youth Art Month! For the occasion, Portside students were able to experience the thrill of having their artwork displayed in Portside’s Gallery at Cherry Street Pier, and got to visit the opening on First Friday to proudly show off their beautiful creations.
The children’s epoxy, colored mica and acrylic pour paintings are displayed alongside the artwork of Kim Creighton. Kim is the Founding Director of the Portside Arts Center, as well as the March and half of April’s Artist in Residence at Portside’s Cherry Street Pier studio gallery #12. Kim is a multimedia artist specializing in welding, sculpture, mosaic, painting, and collage, and her latest work includes exquisite acrylic and epoxy pour paintings. She wanted to share her technique with the children who attend Portside Creative Classroom, a daily in-person full day program at the Portside in which local elementary school children partake in their virtual schooling. The children were inspired and mesmerized by the process of pour painting, and created epoxy pour paintings on old vinyl records, which were then placed in a spin art machine to create unique effects! Kim is the first of Portside’s Artists in Residence to create artwork with the children. Artists in Residence are selected artists in the Portside community who have the opportunity to create new work at Portside’s studio space at Cherry Street Pier, and to showcase their artwork to the public during this time. Moving forward, each Artist in Residence will teach Portside students about their artistic practices and techniques, and will facilitate a project with the children inspired by their own body of work made during their residencies. This new partnership comes at a vital time in the lives of the children and the artists, as all of our lives have shifted dramatically over the past year. Children have struggled with the concept and technical aspects of virtual schooling. We strive to relieve their stress with daily art practice as a way to relax them and ignite their creative minds. Working with and being inspired by professional artists as well as hanging their work for their friends and families to see in a public space is an exhilarating, confidence building and a powerful experience for the children. Children learn problem solving and critical thinking skills when creating or observing art, which can carry over to other parts of their lives including coping with stress. We look forward to continuing to inspire their young minds each and every day! You can help to make them proud by visiting their artwork at Studio #12 at Cherry Street Pier.
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