Arts Council seeks volunteers for Boys & Girls art program
Columbia Arts Council is seeking ways to expand a new art club at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Maury County, including bringing on additional instructors to help the program grow.
Arts council treasurer Quan McFall began Wednesday's meeting by outlining the Boys & Girls program, which he helped form alongside fellow instructor Alex Saylor. The weekly Wednesday club teaches students multiple artform mediums, from chalk art to pencil sketching, pull string art and more.
McFall said the club has so far garnered several students with 17 kids currently participating in the various crafts offered. However, as the club continues to grow, there has become a greater need to bring on additional volunteer artists to help teach, as well as funding to allow even more activities.
"We started with simple arts and craft activities, letting the club members keep some of their work and leaving other work for examples and for future gallery representations," McFall said. "Planning will be essential for future progress as the club forms, and it would be nice to have extra volunteers come and work with the youth."
The additional funding for resources would provide arts materials and other crafting tools for the kids. It will also provide more activities in the future, such as outdoor activities, pottery classes or to host the club over multiple days of the week.
"We are over three months into this, and they are showing significant interest in all of their activities. Now, the goal is to have them get more time with volunteers who don't mind coming in to exhibit their skills, and possibly give the youth more hands-on experience," McFall said.
"There is a lot of planning that goes with it, and we've kind of come to the conclusion that we need some more resources, because we're pooling our own right now. Getting more volunteers is the most important part. We're just looking for simple resources, nothing complicated yet, because we still have to figure out the kids who are interested in taking it to that next level."
The city's arts council receives an annual allotment of $5,000, and McFall said the funding for what is needed would only be a few hundred dollars, although a definite number hasn't been decided yet since certain projects cost more than others, and much of the club is still in the planning process.
Arts council vice chair Abigail Hornaday-Collett said the council could use its budget to fund the needed resources, given there aren't many set plans for upcoming arts-related expenses. It would also provide the necessary means to grow an arts program aimed at the city's youth.
She is also excited to see what additional projects the club could provide, if they receive the proper funding and resources needed.
"We could allocate $500 for this semester, and if you use it up and [you could] come back to us for more for summer programs," Hornaday-Collett said. "It would be great if they could do something like glass blowing."
Arts council chair Beverly Mitchell added that the important thing about supporting such a program is reaching kids through the arts and the effect it can have on their young developing minds.
"Exposure to the arts and for those who 'catch it,' you're nurturing them," Mitchell said. "This is brilliant."
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Arts Council seeks artist volunteers for Boys & Girls Club art program
