TDAC Gives Away Free “School of Fish” Art Kits for Kids this Summer
From The Dalles Art Center:
By Ellen Potter
The Dalles, Ore., June 13, 2024 — “#GoFish” may be the hottest hashtag this summer for families in the Mid-Columbia Gorge area because of a free art engagement program for kids at The Dalles Art Center (TDAC). The School of Fish program is the name of the summer program designed to reel in families that provides free take-home art kits packed with art supplies and instructions to make colorful paper salmon!
Participants are invited back to TDAC for a School of Fish party and will hang their paper salmon and create a school of fish in the gardens of TDAC! Starting Thursday, June 20, families can stop into TDAC Thursdays – Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. to pick up a School of Fish art kit (while supplies last). In addition to School of Fish, TDAC is offering Kids Create! every Saturday drop-in art classes from 10 – Noon all summer. TDAC’s famous Summer Art Camp kicks off on June 25 with six weeks of Art Camp for kids. See details at https://www.thedallesartcenter.org/education/classes-for-kids.
School of Fish kits include resources to make it easy for families to keep learning about salmon and explore the surrounding area. Salmon are a vibrant part of the Mid-Columbia Gorge area’s cultural history and ecology, and the School of Fish celebrates this history, culture, and remarkable ecosystem that exists in the area. The Wasco County Cultural Trust, whose mission is to encourage projects and activities in the arts, heritage, and humanities related to the priorities of the Wasco County Cultural plan, provided a grant to support the School of Fish project. Volunteers and individual donors provided time and resources to create the kits.
“What I love most about School of Fish is that it gives families in our area a way to engage in creativity and art at home and to then come together, like a school of fish, to create a public art display that celebrates kids’ art!” said Pam Westland, TDAC Board President. “We hope to give away all the kits and are eager to welcome everyone and their paper salmon back for our party on Saturday, September 7th at TDAC! I cannot wait to see the fish ‘swimming’ in the gardens at TDAC. #GoFish!”
A recent Texas A&M University research project showed that elementary and middle school students who had access to arts education scored higher in writing achievement, emotional and cognitive empathy, and school engagement while also showing a lower incidence of disciplinary issues. The School of Fish program allows kids to stay engaged in learning during the summer and bring creativity into their family activities.
Families are welcome to stop in The Dalles Art Center Thursdays through Saturdays between 11 am – 5 pm to pick up their free School of Fish art kit! More information and links to educational and cultural resources are available on TDAC’s website: https://www.thedallesartcenter.org/free-art-kits.
More Youth Art Education this Summer
In addition to the School of Fish program and Summer Art Camps, TDAC is offering a Fine Arts for Youth class for four weeks in July, a fine arts program teaching the basics of line work, charcoal, watercolor and acrylics to middle school and high school aged students. On July 2, it will offer “A Starry Night: Painting Fireworks in the Night Sky” to 8th to 12th Graders, a youth guide to acrylic painting. See thedallesartcenter.org/education/classes-for-kids for more information.
The Dalles Art Center (TDAC), celebrating its 65th birthday in September 2024, connects people in the greater Mid-Columbia Gorge region through engaging and exploring art because a creative and connected community thrives together. Housed in a National Historic Register 1910 Carnegie Library, TDAC offers art education and public programs for children, adults, and seniors. Local artists and artisans exhibit and sell their work in the gallery.
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