Our Summer Arts & Smarts Children’s Program ended with a wonderful celebration last Thursday. A group of this summer’s participants, their families, Patchwork staff and volunteers, and their families all gathered for a potluck supper together to celebrate the summer and to spend time together.
As always, one of the biggest stars of our summer was the indomitable Susan Fowler and the series of stories she helped the group tell together. There were the stories of The Wild Robot and The Wizard of Oz (cross-pollenated with the story of Wicked and the story of L. Frank Baum). There was the story of the founding of the United States, the story of John James Audubon, and a Ghanaian story about a magical spider weaver that tied into the mixed media artworks that we wove.
This summer we spent quite a bit of time working in Patchwork’s garden where we pulled weeds (competing to see who could pull the biggest one!), added soil to our raised beds, and planted sweet potatoes and zinnias.
We also cooked with fresh, local produce thanks to the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library’s Books and Cooks Program. The library supplied us with recipies, related books, and everything we needed to cook the featured dishes. In June we made several varieties of pickles, and in July we made delicious blueberry scones. There was also a day that Jane led us in making s’mores using her solar oven.
We also made a lot of great art! Our primary weaving project stretched all summer, beginning with the creation of ceramic looms in the clay studio and ending with yarn woven inside these looms. Other summer art included ceramic garden markers and name plaques, painted seashells, and decorated sun hats.
We packed a lot into the five weeks of our summer program, and you can get a taste of it all by clicking on the video below!
At our Celebration of Summer, we also recognized Jane Vickers, who is beginning her 30th year leading Patchwork’s children’s program. Look for more celebrations of Jane in the year to come. She has influenced the lives of hundreds of children and families through her work at Patchwork and beyond!