Campers at the Cashiers Historical Society’s inaugural-art camp got an extra dose of excitement when a bear made an appearance as the group was about to hit the hiking trails.
“We were getting ready to go on a nature walk and we saw the bear, so we went to the pond instead,” said Sandi Rogers, Vice Chair of Education and Events at CHS.
Mia Kaylor, 11, said it was exciting seeing the bear.
“It was scary, I hid under the table right there,” she said. “It looked right at me.”
A bear makes an appearance at the first ever Cashiers Historical Society’s art camp. Bear photos courtesy of Sandi Rogers.
In addition to seeing the bear, kids on the Plateau spent their mornings last week at the CHS’ campus coloring rocks, drawing flowers, painting clay pots, and learning about art and nature at an art camp. And yes, there was no mention of history in that description.
“There’s a lot of people who don’t know we [CHS] exist,” said Rogers. “So, let’s start with the children and show them what we have. It’s a summer camp and they’re attention spans are less, so we’re just having fun focusing on art and making it enjoyable for the kids.”
Guest Instructor and Artist Justin Allman said camps like these are a great way to open kids up to the world of art.
“I wanted them to expand their artistic horizons throughout the week,” he said. “They pick up new skills and ideas and bring them home to use and make them better artists. It shows them art in a different way instead of just pencil and paper.”
Guest artists like Justin Allman made appearances throughout the week to open up campers’ minds to the world of art.
Campers were from Blue Ridge School, Summit Charter School, and homeschoolers. Kaylor said her favorite activity was using three colors of nail polish to paint clay pots and said she learned some new techniques while creating art.
“I need to loosen my hands when I do art,” said Kaylor. “Plus, there were snacks and we talked about knives, so the camp was great.”
Mia Kaylor, 11, shows off her still-life drawing skills at the end of a week-long art camp at the Cashiers Historical Society.
Briella McKim, 11, said she wants to come back to the camp again next year.
“I loved it,” said McKim. “My favorite things were drawing, coloring, and painting. It was all about art and I learned a lot.”
Rogers said the camp may become an annual event.
“This is the first, but we’ll likely do this again next year,” she said. “Parents have already said they hope we do.”
CHS’ main fundraiser ‘A Day in the Country’ Designer Showhouse, is going on now through Aug. 4. For tickets or more information click HERE.
Article and Photos by Brian O’Shea
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