An art bug in the summer camp
June 3, 2002 | 12:00am
By tradition, civic organizations, business corporations and academic institutions offer extension projects like summer camps and art workshops for children during the merry months of April and May. Taking advantage of the children’s vacation from school, they design activities to develop and hone the children’s skills, following their interests and inclinations.
The Petron Kids’ Summer Camp, now on its third year, is a fine example of this endeavor that channels the energies and untapped potentials of the young into more productive ventures. Specifically worth mentioning is the module on art entitled "The Summer Art Bug Program" for the children of Petron employees.
The nine sessions of the program – organized by Petron Foundation in cooperation with Bonifacio Art Foundation and ArtPostAsia, with the UP College of Fine Arts providing activity and educational resources – allowed the children’s imagination to soar and create works expressive of their fresh sentiments and youthful feelings.
Leading the pool of workshop facilitators were Reynaldo L. Concepción, chairperson of the UPCFA department of studio arts and alumnus artist Denes V. Dasco. They were assisted by fine arts students Christian Erl Altas, Gari Apolonio, Dahlia Barcelona, Ferdinand Mark Basa, Patrick de Veyra, Michael Fajardo, Humphrey Gorriceta, Carl Loquias, Mervin Malonzo, Renan Ortiz, and Jaco Payawal.
This year’s offering scored a difference with its adherence to a theme, i.e., the insect world, in introducing the children to 2D and 3D concepts.
Woven into the program was the celebration of Earth Day through art in April. It became a multi-faceted summer learning trail in art, drawing inspiration from nature, science and environment, and harnessing new materials, like ostrich eggshells, scrap rubber foam, pipe cleaners, shoe boxes, shells, stones and sand, to cite a few, in enabling the children to express their timely concern for the dwindling world around them.
The Earth Day celebration held in Fort Bonifacio in cooperation with the Bonifacio Art Foundation, and integrated into the summer art program fostered awareness among the children for the immediate environment around them.
Children brought their own Earth Boxes, representations of nature’s gifts closest to them. The Earth Boxes contained found materials from their gardens, homes, and vacation nature spots visited on family outings, their pets and favorite insects. Throughout the day, the children were kept busy with papier mache activities and assemblage: creating wings, appendages and antennae that were worn for the Bug Parade later in the afternoon which culminated at Jerry Araos’ "Kasalikasan" (or Living Gardens) at Fort Bonifacio.
The My Zoo Volunteer Group brought in their traveling zoo early in the morning to show some live insects and birds to the children. Stories about insects were also told to the children. As part of the Earth Day program, the Young Petron Artists 2002 gave a donation to the Butterfly Farm to help with its upkeep.
The fundamental concepts of shapes, color and composition were learned through slide shows of master art works, demonstrations, and hands-on applications on both two-dimensional and three-dimensional surfaces. The children were acquainted with the concept of creating mobiles, using light and colored materials, like scrap rubber foam, to create shapes and forms that hang in space. The origami activities familiarized the children to the art of paper folding, with an awareness for paper qualities like weight, color and design.
One of the highlights of the workshop was the ostrich egg painting activity. The children were introduced to a new surface and material to draw and paint on. Inasmuch as the ostrich eggshell is not the usual ground for painting, the children were first acquainted with the distinctive qualities of the hard, textured and shiny surface of the eggshell. They were also shown samples of finished painted and sculpted ostrich eggs. With styrofoam balls to manipulate, the children were taught the concept of patterns and spatial composition when applied on-the-round.
The culminating activity of the summer art program is the ongoing exhibition of the children’s works at the 34th floor of the Petron Bldg. The place has been transformed into some kind of a fenced sanctuary of insect forms, like butterflies, ladybugs and dragonflies fluttering from the ceiling to the glass windows as mobiles, origami and papier-mache sculptures.
The summer program was not without superheroes and heroines in residence. Following the successful turnout of Spider-Man, the movie, the workshop, for its final activity, encouraged the children to create their own original super heroes and heroines inspired by insects. The children were asked to relate their past workshop art projects to create their super beings. They garbed them the coolest costumes, equipped them the best superpowers and weapons, and provided them a storyline including the hero’s or heroine’s real name, address, occupation, and how he/she got his/her superpowers.
The pop art activity impressed on the children the value of non-violence. Borrowing heavily on the famous line of Uncle Ben, Peter Parker’s uncle that, "With great power comes great responsibility," the children were made aware that the most important role of the super hero/heroine is that he/she fights for clean environment and the preservation of nature.
The new super heroes and super heroines born in the Art Bug program were Toro Dragonfly, Butter Lily, Ant Man, and Lady Butterfly. It is simply gratifying as it is inspiring how children’s unadulterated kind of imagination, when properly nurtured and stimulated, can come up with amazing stories. Sample the following adolescent gems.
With his hypnotic and x-ray eyes, great speed and power to camouflage, Toro Dragonfly, by Noby, Miko, Joven, and Ezra, fights pollutants and evil men and cleans dirty air with his wings.
In real life, he is Nokojora James, a scientist from Japan. While taking his lunch during a scientific field study on insects in a remote place, a dragonfly went for his food. It turns out that the insect comes from their lab where many experiments are being undertaken. The next day, he felt something different about his body. He felt stronger and realized his unusual dragonfly powers.
Butter Lily is a creation by Chiqui, Mia, Sarah and Kathleen. Butter Lily is Britney Rose in real life. All of 19, she lives with her dad, having lost her mother when she was only six years old. She and her mother had a secret garden behind their house. Her mother passed on to her not only her excellent gardening skills, but also the special key to the door that led to their special garden.
Her secret garden had many fun mazes, and wonderful flowers, bushes and insects. While enjoying her garden one day, a butterfly perched on her finger and gently bit her. The next day, she was no longer the same. By twirling around, she becomes a super butterfly who could heal people in her special garden. As Butter Lily, she can also scatter seeds that instantly bloom into flowers, stop robbers, thieves and kidnappers by throwing seeds that become a bundle of trapping vines, and turn bad guys to ugly plants.
Ant Man is a creation of Myron, Nino, Gerard and Marvin. As a superhero, he blends into the environment, has a strong sense of smell, sight and hearing, and spurts growth liquid for plants. Among his weapons are acid saliva, radar antenna, metal armor, power abs, laser beams from arms, a power punch and a power belt.
In ordinary life, Ant Man is Mickey Radar of New York. Story has it that Mickey, returning from a picnic at the park with his girlfriend, notices that he has scratches in his hands. That night, Mickey went to bed without washing his hands. Some ants got to him and bit his scratched hand. The following day, he discovered he has the power that enables him to fight polluters, fertilize the soil, and rescue people from danger.
Lady Butterfly by Clarice, Ayra, Mowee, Louise, and Jennifer is Miki Mundane, a bio-scientist, in ordinary life. Miki is a lab researcher on insects. One day, while working on a butterfly specimen, she discovered a chemical fluid oozing out of it. While analyzing the unknown substance, there was a sudden explosion from malfunctioning computers in the lab. The explosion knocked Miki unconscious, making the unknown substance spill over her. When she wakes up, she notices light, fluttering movements from her arms and a lightness of weight. Later, she finds that she can pop out wings, and spurt a liquid that can paralyze her enemies.
As a super heroine, Lady Butterfly can easily hide herself in times of danger by blending with colors in any place, hide in bullet-proof cocoon, and pollinate idle and empty lands quickly.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
