COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Thanks to a grant from the California Arts Council, children and youth in Colusa County can participate in high-quality art programs.
On Saturday, the Colusa County Arts Council hosted a lesson on mask making with guest artist Julienne Cheney, who was assisted by Arts Council Student Leader Kamila Medina.
The family-friendly event was one of many programs the local Arts Council has sponsored since Jan. 1 with funding from a state Creative Youth Development Grant, including weekly programs at the library last spring and a summer art program at the Arts Council studio, said JB Brayfrindley, a member of the Arts Council Board of Directors.
“This is just another arm of what we are doing called ARTventures Family Day,” Brayfriendly said.
The California Arts Council awarded $36,000 to the Colusa County Arts Council to promote equitable access to artneducation by providing no-cost creative experiences for youth and the community to two years.
“The point of the project is to bring multicultural arts education to the public,” said Colusa County Art Council Co-Executive Director Daniel LoPolito.
Mask making is a form of art that involves using various materials, such as paper, clay, or wood, to create realistic or fantastical masks for entertainment, use, or display.
About 15 people, mostly kids and their parents, participated in the pre-Halloween event.
Cheney said her students were able to use various materials to express a part of themselves that may not be visible to other people.
“They are creating a face,” Cheney said. “We had all the materials out; natural material, as well as felt they cut up and foil, they used to create textures or something totally bizarre if they chose to…and they did.”
The masks were built on a base of paper, and participants were able to create their art using multiple materials and hot glue.
Medina, 17, a student at Williams Junior/Senior High Schools, assisted Chaney, helping three of the younger students take what they learned to make little masks they could wear out the door.
Medina is part of the growing Colusa County Arts Council, which now has student members in the organization, helping to make art education available for all.
“I just wanted to give back to the community and the kids,” Medina said. “They are the future of Colusa County. The ARTventures Family Day was one of several events going on pre-Halloween in Colusa on Oct. 28.