Sea-riously Fun

By Melinda L. Lucas

The Old Jail Art Center’s summer camps are wrapping up with the two-day puppet workshop earlier this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by an “Under the Sea” experience on Friday, Aug. 11.

Students in grades 1-3 will spend a “sea-riously fun day” on some  aquatic crafts and games inspired by ocean life from the museum’s collection.

All four of the OJAC in-person sessions were well-attended, according to education director Erin Whitmore.

This is the first summer since the COVID outbreak that all workshops were conducted on site. In 2020 and 2021, all classes were virtual with kits mailed to participants, and last year, there was a combination of in-person and online events.

The first workshop of the 2023 season was held Aug. 2, entitled “Re-Create!” The workshop for older students in grades 4-6 was designed to find artistic re-uses of found and recycled materials.

On Friday, Aug. 4, participants met for the traditional Cultural Connections Camp, which this year highlighted Egyptian art and culture based on pieces in the Old Jail’s permanent collection.

This week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, a full class of elementary students designed and constructed their own Egyptian puppets, guided by Charlie Rose, a professional puppeteer who with his partner Dan Peeler has been conducting the OJAC classes for more than two decades.

Ongoing Programs

OJAC’s Activity Trunk continues for members of the community.

The trunk can be found outside the Old Jail’s gates and includes new weekly crafts. It is free to everyone.

The Tiny Tours program is also ongoing. Tiny Tours includes short virtual tours of the various galleries and collections that can be found at the museum.

The OJAC education department will be back in class with Region 14 schools for Art to Go next month, and a Family Festival is tentatively scheduled in October.

For more information about events at the Old Jail, go to theojac.org.