The Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County’s Asbury Park Unit has a sophisticated art program that exposes club members to a variety of artistic techniques while allowing them to express their talent and creativity. Caroline Fix, Asbury Park Unit Art Instructor, plans unique projects for BGCM kids while teaching them how to work with a variety of art supplies beyond the traditional makers, crayons, and paint.
The Asbury Park Unit’s Art Program introduces kids to advanced and unconventional supplies and techniques, encouraging them to think outside of the box and tap into their creative sides. In the Art Program, kids have the opportunity to create scenic landscapes using watercolors, sculpt figures with clay, create textured images using tissue paper, and even make their own structures using gumdrops and toothpicks.
Most recently, the kids completed a portrait shading project that coincided with Black History Month. Famous African Americans from New Jersey were drawn and shaded in manageable stages, teaching kids about portrait-drawing, finger-blending, and shading techniques as well as notable local figures.
The project was a huge hit with the kids and many continue to work on their own shaded portraits. The Black History Month project inspired one artistic club member, Tymir, 9, to fill his portfolio with shaded portraits he created himself. Since the project, Tymir has created three more portraits using images of his favorite athletes in sports magazines. “It’s nice to see that the techniques I taught them in the classroom are being used outside of the classroom for fun,” Fix said. “I love that.”
The Art Program also allows older Club members to express themselves and put their work on display. Members who participate in the E.L.I.T.E program are currently working on music related paintings and drawings that will be used to decorate the walls of the Asbury Park Unit’s performing arts room.
The photography component of the Art Program is a favorite among the kids. The photography club, Image Makers, made up of members ages 8-10, takes photography trips every Thursday. Last Thursday, March 1, 2012, the Image Makers traveled to the Asbury Beach and Boardwalk to test out their photography skills. In conjunction with their trips, the Image Makers learn complex photo technique skills that help build their portfolio and sharpen their photography skills. The Image Makers are currently learning how to capture emotion by taking photos of their peers while they express different feelings.
For more information about the Art Program, contact the main office at 732-775-7862.
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