Donkey Mill Announces Spring Youth Classes

Courtesy photo.

The Donkey Mill Art Center announces Spring 2018 programming and classes for youth, with a variety of creative options available for students ages six to 18. The youth program’s mission is to enable children to engage in artistic and cultural activities that otherwise would not be available to them; nurturing creativity, collaboration and exploration while encouraging students to be active citizens.

The center provides after school classes, weekend workshops for parents and children to create together, art camps over school breaks and classes to fit a variety of schedules. A full schedule and detailed descriptions for each class can be found online.

Twelve week exploring art classes for kindergarten through fifth grade students will begin on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 25 and 26, 2018, with both Thursday and Friday after school sessions available to choose from.

In these 12 session courses guided by teaching artists Akiko Cutlip, Gerald Walsh and Bobby Howard, students will explore drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, collage, sculpture, gardening and more.

Akiko Cutlip will also teach a ten-week course for home-schooled students ages six to 10 on Friday mornings beginning on Friday, Feb. 9. This class will take a look at art making around the world, students will discover how every culture has shared meaning through art. Methods explored will include sumi painting, mandala designs, mask making and more.

Monthly parent/child workshops encourage families to enjoy a fun affordable creative activity together; with a different low-cost activity or project every month. In the spring these will include printmaking, cyanotype photography, and Japanese brush painting with sumi-e ink.

Special programs this semester will include “Weaving with Natural Materials” with visiting artist Susan Raber Bray starting Thursday, Feb. 1, a “Teen Silk Screen Shirt Printing Workshop” with teaching artist Emi Sundberg Saturday, Feb. 10, and a one-day “Potter’s Wheel Introductory Class” for teens on Saturday, March 10.

Over Spring break, Tuesday through Friday, March 20 through 23, four-day art camps will be available for both keiki and teens, enabling students to dig deep into intensive projects. Keiki ages seven though 11 will explore world cultures and art methods with Akiko Cutlip, while teens ages 12 through 17 will have the opportunity to learn comic book basics and design methods from Jin An Wong.

Beginning in March, Courtney Meiselman will lead two six week sessions of “Exploring Clay”, providing an exciting opportunity for students grades 6 through 8 and grades 9 through 12 to get muddy in the ceramics studio and leave with finished ceramics projects.

Donkey Mill Art Center is the home of Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art education organization. Its mission is to provide a stimulating environment that helps individuals discover, develop and expand their artistic abilities.

Donors help make it possible for young artists ages six to 18 to attend art classes at the center. For more information or to apply for scholarships, call (808) 322-3362 or email info@donkeymillartcenter.org.

The center is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and is located at 78-6670 Mamaloahoa Highway in Holualoa.