Photo courtesy of St. Augustine Art Association Te St. Augustine Art Association
artwork.” Christina has found that having her children involved in the art museums and events in the area has helped them in school and beyond. “When they are doing school projects, the fact that they have seen so many different types of art and have had classes in art…[helps them create] really spectacular visual aides for their projects and I think it makes them think in different ways.”
(STAAA) is a cultural gem offering a number of opportunities for children and families to experience art in the St. Augustine community. Every month, a new exhibit is installed, so there is always something new and interesting to see. Te STAAA offers after-school programs for children and summer camps from the beginning of June through August. Camps are offered for grades first through sixth and another camp for middle school and up. At the camp, children will work on a wide variety of projects, from painting to mixed media. Each year, the camp has a different theme that the art projects are based off of. Te camp for older children focuses on portfolio building. Elyse Brady, director of the STAAA says the camps always try to incorporate master artists into camp projects and allow the children to explore the galleries at the art association.
“We will typically draw from the exhibits
on display for inspiration so the children will usually go through the exhibit, they’ll talk about the artwork, [and] they’ll talk about the techniques that they’re seeing,” says Elyse. Te STAAA also has a collection of 16th century artifacts on permanent display,
which allows children and visitors of all ages to learn about art in a historical context.
Te STAAA’s annual Tactile Art Show
in October is very engaging for children because they can physically touch the artwork. STAAA does this in partnership with the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, and their students create Braille labels for the artwork. STAAA also partners with the St. Johns County School District to display artwork from middle school and high school students in an art show in the spring.
STAAA participates in the First Friday
Artwalk along with more than 20 other art galleries in the downtown St. Augustine area. “Children have the opportunity to kind of meander through some of the back streets to go into the galleries and experience what it’s like to see these special exhibits,” says Elyse. Oftentimes, the STAAA will even display artwork the children from their after school programs and summer camps have created. “When you go to an art gallery and have the chance to stand in front of a piece of artwork it forces you to slow down a little bit and discover what’s going on with that work and what the artist is trying to communicate to the viewer.”
HERITAGE PUBLISHING, INC. © 2014
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