The arts have always been an important way for Club members to express their feelings and emotions, and during the pandemic, this creative expression is even more important. As a result, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County has partnered with local businesses and renowned organizations to help maintain this healthy outlet for Club children.
“This pandemic has demonstrated that the arts are a valued and necessary outlet for young people,” said Cultural Arts Coordinator for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Casandra Tanenbaum. “Expanding cultural awareness and providing an outlet for kids to be kids creatively is the goal.”
All Clubs open for summer camp and our virtual Club www.BGCatHOME.org offer members a wide array of artistic options. Painting classes, craft classes, a Broadway Dance Summer Musical Theatre program, photography classes, individualized violin and cello lessons, West African dance classes and much more are offered in-person at the Clubs or via Zoom for those participating from home. Those that can not attend summer camp in person have the option of picking up supplies from Clubs so that virtual members can still create from home while following along with virtual art classes.
The Symphonia of Boca Raton already had a strong relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County before the pandemic by teaching Club members how to play string instruments. The Symphonia didn’t miss a beat when it was not possible for Club members to meet in person for their lessons. Music lessons are now done virtually and loaner instruments have been provided to Club members who did not have access to an instrument at home.
“We are teaching violin and cello and working on a program for the younger, less advanced children. All of our teachers have been teaching their own private students virtually since March, so are well into the rhythm and ‘dos and don’ts’ of virtual teaching,” said Executive Director of The Symphonia Annabel Russell.
The Norton Museum of Art also continues its Afterschool Arts Outreach program at Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club and Florence De George Boys & Girls Club. Again, the museum already had a long-standing relationship with Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, and as Club members were forced to be virtual, the Norton supplied art kits to be sent home. Click on the link to see some of the artwork created: https://www.norton.org/exhibitions/aao-online-exhibition.
“The Norton community arts partnership provides our students with a plethora of opportunities to encounter, appreciate and create art, and actively reprioritizes the experience of art-making as a valuable undertaking and potential career path,” added Tanenbaum.
To round out the art experience, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County has also been working with Picasso’s Creative Workshop to provide fun art projects for Club members to tackle. These projects range from painting ceramics to creating masterpieces on canvases!
