Every first day at camp starts roughly the same: the kids enter the classroom and there is a brief introduction where the students state their name, school, and a couple of things about themselves. Each time, there are more than a handful of students that say, “I love art.” You’d think it might become redundant, but honestly, it is just the opposite. With every shy, “I love art,” you can feel the passion in the room increase that much more. I am surrounded everyday by aspiring artists who not only remind me of my younger self, but also prove that creativity is abundant in the next generation.
Many of the camps look at The Guitarist by Picasso because it correlates to many different lessons. I remember one specific time when the teacher had the students do a quick sketch of the painting. I was sitting on the floor, peering at all the obscure images of what these kids perceived. It didn’t matter what their final product looked like or how accurate it was to the original–what was special about each sketch was that it was a product of an eager little brain at work.
I’ve had amazing weeks at work, even though I can hardly call it work, and the worst part is on that last day of camp when I have to say, “Goodbye.”
Julia Dankberg
Summer Programs Intern