...just two more weeks of Summer Art Camp

Mini Monets? Check.
Wee Warhols? Check.
van Gogh-Go's...half check.
Rockin' Rembrandts...sixty percent check.

It is hard to believe Summer Art Camp is over in less than two weeks. The SAA has been planning Summer Art Camp since January, our instructors were crafting in February, and registration opened in March. Since then, it's been a flurry of excited and creative campers, inspiring projects, and an wonderful energy defused in our Condell Studio all summer long.

This week, we welcome our full-day campers, the van Gogh-Go's. We also have "Portrait Palooza," a specialized painting class that meets in the mornings for our sixth through eight grade students, the Rockin' Rembrandts. For the past three weeks, we had the Wee Warhols (Kindergarten through 2nd grade) in both the morning and afternoon, and kicked off Camp back in June with our pre-K Mini Monets.

Camp has been one of the most exciting and creative educational offerings at the Art Association for years; the instructors, the projects and the enthusiasm dedicated to the arts have never been more vibrant. As one camper said during the last session, "You make a mess, you make art, you make friends at Art Camp." We are so proud and endlessly motivated by that sentiment.

The enthusiasm for all things art continues into the fall! Young Artist Studios & Pottery are in full force for Fall classes that being September 27 (schedule and registration available August 23).

Please contact the SAA Office to join our mailing list, or to learn more about our studios & facilities.

Rediscover Edwards Place!

Edwards Place may be nearly 180 years old, but there is a lot of new stuff to discover behind its doors - new interpretation, new events, new exhibits! Come for a tour and discover what life in the 19th century was like for one of Springfield's most socially prominent families, whose parties were attended by the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, and other notable lawyers and politicians.

Benjamin Edwards was born in 1818, the youngest son of Illinois' first territorial governor, Ninian Edwards. Benjamin became the first person born in Illinois to graduate from Yale in 1838, and after a year at Yale's law school he married Helen Dodge of New Haven and moved to Illinois.

Benjamin and Helen arrived in Springfield on January 4, 1840. Helen's heart sank as she looked around the rude town of 1,200 people with no streetlights, no sidewalks, and mud so thick it was hard to for the stagecoach to pull through. She was nervous about meeting Benjamin's brother Ninian jr., with whom they would be staying until their own house was ready for them.

Her fears were allayed when they reached Ninian's house and he and his wife Elizabeth gave them a warm welcome. It was on that night that Benjamin and Helen first met the woman who would become one of their dearest friends: Mary Todd. Little did they know that twenty years later Mary would be the First Lady of the United States; that night she was just Elizabeth Edwards' little sister visiting from Lexington, Kentucky.

Helen was drawn to her at once. She later remembered: "The sunshine in her heart was reflected in her face. She greeted me with such warmth of manner...saying she knew we would be great friends and I must call her Mary. This bond of friendship was continued to the end of her life."

Today Edwards Place tells the story of the social and family life of the Edwardses and their friends. Stop by to discover the secrets of times gone by!

Springfield's Long Nine @ SAA

Last Saturday, the Springfield Art Association hosted a Vintage Baseball Game, complete with rules from 1858. The Springfield Long Nine plays games throughout the summer in different locations (their complete line-up can be seen here).

Here are some pictures of the game; from the food to the weather, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

Coming up this week @ SAA

Although the Independence Day weekend is behind us, there is still a summer's worth of art to be had (and seen, and made!) at the Art Association.

Classes are beginning this week; although registration ended for some of the classes, the SAA can accommodate registrations for workshops later in the summer, as well as for classes not yet at capacity.

It's hard to believe, but Summer Art Camp is halfway over! We have just two more sessions left after this week. Want more art for your own Wee Warhol or Rockin' Rembrandt? Check out our new youth classes at springfieldart.org.

4th of July at the SAA

Fourth of July is undoubtedly my favorite weekend in the summer...just thinking of it conjures cookouts and parades; fireworks, or course; but also, baseball! And the Springfield Art Association has a perfect combination of fun, art, and America's favorite pastime.

"Play Ball," our current exhibition in the SAA's Gallery, is a wonderful installation of baseball's past and present through art, craft and memorabilia.

Tomorrow, on July 3rd from 12 to 2pm, there is a Vintage Baseball Game, on the Edwards Place front lawn. Learn about what baseball was like in the 1890s, and come play against the vintage players!

Refreshments are available; so come on out, bring your pennant and a picnic, and we'll see you at the game!

Summer Art Camp's in Full Swing!

I cannot believe that tomorrow marks the first of July, and that we are almost halfway through "Summer Art Camp" at the Art Association. It seems like yesterday we were opening our doors to welcome the first session, and now more than 100 creative, enthusiastic and energetic campers have come through, making some of the most innovative and imaginative projects the studio has seen.

This summer, the SAA offered twelve sessions of camp in both half-and-full-day camps for pre-K (4 & 5) through 5th grade, along with specialized classes for grades 6 through 8th. Each week was a different theme; the pre-K Mini Monets looked to the land, sky and sea for their inspiration in "Looking Up, Looking Down"; the first week of Wee Warhols (K-2) experimented with all sorts of ooey and gooey projects in "Let's Make a Mess," and this week, our second group of Wee Warhols are learning about the different traditions and customs around the world in "Create 'Celebrate!'"

It's been an incredible summer already. With a talented and art-loving camp staff, assistants and most importantly--our campers!, the rest of the summer will surely be the same.

Although many of our sessions have already filled, there are still plenty of opportunities to have art make its way onto your summer calendar! Visit www.springfieldart.org to check out our Summer Schedule of Classes that begin next week! Registrations will be taken over the phone, in person or by e-mail through Friday.

Summer Classes @ the SAA

Registration for Summer 2010 Classes is going on now through the end of the week!

From ceramics to jewelry, photography to papermaking, classes to smaller-scale workshops, there is something for every artist, regardless of skill, experience or age level. Along with old favorites (painting with Jean or jewelry with Meghan) to fresh classes with dynamic instructors ("Springfield Photo Safari," with Sarah Chatham of New Beginnings Photography, or "Clay Nations," a young artist pottery class with Meredith Pyle), the Summer Class Schedule offers more than before, while maintaining the high quality of instruction, art production and endless creativity you'd always expect from the SAA.

For more information on all of our awesome class offerings, visit the "School of Art" tab on the SAA's official website.