Artist for a Day

ARTIST FOR A D a y

The arrival of fall is a special time. Not only does it signal the arrival of cooler weather (we can dream!) and the return of some amazing community events, it marks the beginning of a new League year. In fact, fall is my favorite time in the Junior League. I love the excitement of the first meeting where you get to catch up with members you haven’t seen in months and meet some of the new Provisionals. I enjoy hanging out at the Revel slinging Pepsi with friends and seeing everyone’s adorable photos at the Pumpkin Patch. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with another long-standing fall JLSB tradition: Artist for a Day.

If you are not familiar with Artist for a Day, let me give you a brief rundown. The committee works throughout the summer to plan educational art projects with the goal of introducing STEAM concepts to children at the Red River Revel. These hands-on art projects expose Revel visitors to a variety of mediums, skills, and types of art. The Artist for a Day (AFAD) tent is a place where both parents and children can engage in the artistic process and help children understand how the professional artists they see at the Revel create their work. This year we are also branching out to partner with the JLSB event Super Safety Saturday and will have crafts available there as well.

This October we are hosting crafts that highlight four different areas of art: dance, visual, theatre, and music. Junior League volunteers set out craft materials for each child who comes to the AFAD tent and help them complete the entire project from beginning to end. Each craft is also accompanied by an educational curriculum. The curriculum helps each volunteer ask questions and start a discussion with the children they are assisting to foster additional art and STEAM education.

For example, the craft that represents music this year is a pair of Easter egg maracas. Children will choose a filler material—such as rice, beans, or beads—for their two Easter eggs. Two plastic spoons are then affixed to each Easter egg using washi tape. The project allows learners to choose the materials they would like to use, practice construction of the instrument, and select their tape colors to create the desired pattern on the maraca. While working on these, volunteers will ask questions such as: “what other instruments can you think of and how do they make noise?,” “how does the maraca filled with rice sound different than the maraca filled with beans?,” and “what rhythms can you make with the two different sounds?” The crafts will change each day and our goal is for every visitor to leave with a deeper understanding of the artistic process.

The benefits of arts education extend well beyond craft time. Studies show that children who participate in the arts are likely to exhibit improved academic performance and mental health outcomes. Here are just a few ways arts education benefits children:

Emily Oliver

• Art promotes creative thinking and problem solving.

The process of working on an art project involves making choices, coming to conclusions, second-guessing decisions, and evaluating results.

• Art engages all of the senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste—and encourages neural connections.

• Arts and crafts projects build fine motor skills. It is a fun way to work on dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

• Art materials provide a safe outlet for emotions and allow children to express themselves in a way they may not be able to with words.

• Art helps everyone connect. It creates common ground between children (and adults) who may not share many interests. It can help people of all ages, races, abilities, languages, and cultures engage in a shared activity.

Additionally, the National Endowment for the Arts shares important data on how arts education impacts academic outcomes and the economy:

• Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill.

• Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in grades 8-12 who received arts education were three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than students who lacked those experiences.

• In 2020, arts and cultural production contributed 876.7 billion dollars to the U.S. economy, accounting for 4.2% of the nation’s GDP.

• 4.6 million people worked in the arts and cultural industries in the U.S. in 2020.

Arts are an integral part of each child’s education and are important to helping individuals and cultures thrive. The AFAD committee is working hard to bring a dynamic educational art experience to children in our community. We hope to pique students’ interest in art and motivate them to explore other opportunities to engage in art in their schools, homes, and community. We look forward to seeing you and your young artists soon at the Artist for a Day tent! Since 1976, the Red River Revel has served as the Bicentennial gift to the City of Shreveport. While this might be a well-known fact to our members, be sure to tell friends and family, as it is often a pleasant surprise!

WHERE TO FIND US

Super Safety Saturday

Saturday, September 24 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Sheriff’s Safety Town

Red River Revel

Saturday, October 1 through Sunday, October 9 Weekdays 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Saturdays 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM Sundays 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM Kids’ Activities Area

MAKING THE MOST OF OURSenior Years!