Studio sparks kids' creativity

The Desert Sun • July 9, 2009

A nonprofit organization aims to keep children off the streets this summer, with hopes to inspire their inner artist.

Ten children from the President Gerald R. Ford Boys & Girls Club of La Quinta enjoyed free studio time for their own personal art projects recently at the Old Town Artisan Studio.

"It's really cool," said 9-year-old Emily Marcial of Indio last week as she rolled out clay for a collar she wanted to add to her sculpture of a dog. "I like art and doing creative stuff like this."

The group, whose ages range between 6 and 15, started their clay and pottery projects June 29 and plan on completing them this week.

"I'm having fun," said 13-year-old Tristan Carretero of La Quinta as he tried to shape a small pot on the studio's wheel. "I never did this before, so it's cool that I get to experience something new like this."

The children were able to sculpt and use the potter's wheel under the supervision of art instructors for free at the studio, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the city of La Quinta and a matching donation from local residents Alan and Jan Newman, Victory Grund said.

Grund and her husband, Richard, call themselves the "visionaries" of the studio, which is monetarily supported through donations and memberships.

"I just found clay to be very therapeutic and a wonderful way to express ourselves, and I wanted to share that opportunity with the young, the old and for those with special needs," Grund said.

Art instructor Kay Henkel, who has taught for more than three decades and signed on with the studio when it opened in March, said such facilities are vital for those who want to dabble but can't afford supplies or classes.

"Art is important to our lives and so many people are not exposed to it at an early age because it can be expensive," she said. "But here, it's a wonderful place because the children get to pick and choose what they want to do; what they want to learn."

The Old Town Artisan Studio is a nonprofit organization that plans to provide free, grant-funded art classes to several other groups this summer, including seniors from the La Quinta Senior Center as well as children from the Braille Institute and the Coachella Valley Autism Society of America.

"The La Quinta Arts Foundation was having cutbacks and couldn't afford to have anyone come to the Boys & Girls Club so that was a big loss, especially for all the kids who do art," said Landon Duarte, 13, of La Quinta. "But to have this, it's great because we're able to go out of the club and do art."

Maria Jimenez, youth program development specialist at the club, agrees.

"I love this because it shows off so much of their creativity," she said. "The opportunity to expose them to this is very important, especially with the schools knocking down funding for art programs."