Concord art group offers virtual classes at crisis center

CONCORD, CA—The Concord Art Association (CAA) hopes to empower artistic expression, even through a computer screen, for students at the Monument Crisis Center (MCC) during December and January.

CAA is teaming up with MCC to provide instruction and materials for several art projects for students in grades 6-8 who participate in MCC’s after-school tutoring program.

This is the second venture between the two groups. In July 2019, 12 CAA volunteers conducted an afternoon Art Camp with student clients at MCC. The volunteers designed and provided materials for projects for children aged 6-13.

“We set up art stations with the various projects, and the children moved from table to table during the afternoon,” said Catherine Hensiek, CCA’s president. “Some of the projects included origami, collaged notebook covers, painted rocks, stencil paintings, beaded bracelets and a paper caterpillar race for the younger students.”

Online classes

CAA has scheduled six, one-hour online classes for the current program. It is anticipated that 23-25 students will participate.

Rock painting, art journaling and Christmas cards will be available in December, and youth will have a chance to experience origami, art journaling and zentangles in January.

CAA members Samineh Perryman, Thea Jue and John Nakanishi have volunteered to teach these classes.

“The CAA board and the leadership at MCC are very excited to be able to provide these art lessons to the students,’’ Hensiek said.

The art group is providing a supply list and some materials along with the instruction, and MCC is using gift cards that it has received through donations over the years to purchase the necessary art supplies.

Conversations are underway about the possibility of a virtual art show in the future.

For more about the Concord Art Association, click here. For more about Monument Crisis Center, click here.