One of the things I enjoy the most about writing is the portability of it. It’s something that’s come in handy on more than one occasion in my life — during things like the move to Summerland, for example, where the only thing that really changed for me, in terms of creating, was where I was working.
I’m currently sitting in a basement in New Brunswick surrounded by the art of my mother-in-law, who is a painter, and the fact that I can still keep doing what I love most just makes me happy.
But enough about that, there’s art in Summerland to talk about.
Much as last week, I’m looking forward to chatting a bit about the upcoming Summer Arts Program here that is being put on by the arts council here in Summerland.
I’ve always loved that this program exists for kids in our community and I’m happy to have a chance to help spread the word about the programs being offered this year.
The first program I’m going to talk about is the Puppetry and Play program being offered from July 4 to 8.
This program will have children creating their own puppets and using them to act and sing their way through well-known songs, fables and nursery rhymes.
Puppeteering is one of those beautiful forms of performance that has managed to survive for a long time, despite advances in technology that have often seemed close to rendering them obsolete.
The interactivity of puppetry and the way it thrives on imagination, though, keeps it going strong, thanks in no small part to the genius of people like the great Jim Henson.
This program will provide a great introduction to the art form and allow children the chance to create and perform and have a lot of fun in the process, which is what matters most.
In a similar vein, but jumping ahead a little in the program is Graphic Novel Week.
Much like puppeteering offers a chance to tell stories in a creative manner.
Graphic novels, comics and their offshoots, really help push the limits of how a story can be told on the page.
I have had a long love affair with telling stories in comic form, from somehow managing to win an award as a teenager to a daily comic blog I started as I moved out to Summerland.
This program is a great chance to those kids who enjoy stories told in the comic format to try things out.
The best part about comics, at least from what I’ve discovered, is that the ability to draw well isn’t always required.
When I first started, I could barely draw a stick figure (and won that award I mentioned for it) and I know more than a few people out there who have done quite well for themselves only drawing stick figures.
Kids will take their ideas from an outline to a full-blown comic over the course of the week. This program runs from July 18 to 22 and is aimed at kids nine and up.
More information about these programs can be found on the Summerland Community Arts Council’s website (summerlandarts.com/).
Douglas Paton is a Summerland writer and musician. If you know of a local arts and culture event, contact him at dgpaton80@gmail.com.
