CAMP OFFERS DRAMATIC, VISUAL ARTS

Eighteen children, ages 6 to 10, are busy creating portraits of themselves and their families this week as part of a four-week summer camp in the arts at the Irvine Fine Arts Center.

After writing autobiographies, the youngsters will illustrate them with two- and three-dimensional artworks and then move on to lessons in the dramatic arts.

“This is the first time we’ve done the program,” said Kelly Emmes, one of two coordinators of the program, which runs through Aug. 29. “It’s kind of ambitious to do both the visual and the dramatics arts at this kind of summer camp. Most camps do only one or the other.”

According to Emmes, the program is divided into three hourlong segments, each of which concentrates on a specific area.

“In the first and third hours, the children get a really wide variety of experiences in the visual arts. These include drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed media.

“In the second hour, they get creative dramatics, which includes movement, pantomime and other forms of creative expression.”

The kids also receive an introduction to art history.

“During the first week, they looked at slides of great works of art and learned how different feelings were evoked by different textures, colors and shadows,” Emmes said.

The purpose of the program is “not to turn our kids into little actors and actresses,” Emmes said.

“We just want them to learn to express themselves in creative ways and to develop a sensitivity to the arts.”