The Official Laguna Beach Blog: Kid's Art Studio

The Laguna Art Museum has started a new program focused on bringing hands-on art workshops to kids of all ages. On the third Sunday of each month, the museum will be open for families to participate in the Kid’s Art Studio on a drop-in basis. Families can create a piece of art, start to finish, that is inspired by one of the museum’s current exhibits.

January 19th was the first Kid’s Art Studio and I had the opportunity to attend with my family. The project was making clay pots, using the Adam Silverman ‘Clay and Space’ exhibit as our inspiration.

There were several examples of completed projects and volunteers available to assist with any questions or help the kids might need.

My kids especially enjoyed making "pinch pots" to hold all the "found" treasures they collect. As time progressed, they started to get a little more creative, etching designs into the sides of their moldings and adding textured pieces to the smooth surfaces of their pots.

Marinta Skupin, Curator of Education at Laguna Art Museum, gave the kids a tour of ‘Clay and Space,’ the current exhibit from potter Adam Silverman. She explained how Silverman found his inspiration in nature for his work. The 20+ kids listened with rapt attention as she talked about how Silverman harvested clay from the canyons of Laguna, formed the pots, and eventually fired them in the open fire pits at Aliso County Beach. After the tour, the kids worked with renewed creativity on their clay creations crafting even more intricate designs.

Even some of the parents got in on the creative action.

After about an hour of working on with their clay project, my kids proudly carried out several pieces of artwork. They can hardly wait the two weeks until the pots are fully-dry and ready to paint.