Arts4Kids April 2008 Workshop

Arts4Kids April Workshop: "Making Treasures out of Trash"

Nicole Vachon Hanlon working with students.

“Making Teasures out of Trash”What does the Earth mean to you? What did it mean to the people who lived here before? Come learn about the Native Americans in Kingsport and then create a totem pole or art sculpture that represents your connection with the Earth.

The Arts Council of Greater Kingsport presents this Arts4Kids club workshop for children on Saturday, April 12 from 1-3 PM at Warriors' Path State Park. Families will meet the Arts4Kids program director and artists in the parking lot on Duck Island at 1 PM. Participants are asked to dress appropriately for the outdoor activity, including walking shoes for the nature walk portion of the project. Pre-registration is encouraged by calling the Arts Council at 423-392-8420. A community outreach session of this workshop will be held at the VO Dobbins Community Center on Friday, April 11, from 4:15-5:45 PM for children living in the Kingsport Riverview Community.

Artists Nicole Vachon Hanlon and Bill Hess have used a wide variety of“trash” materials in their own art and will show you how you can make “treasures” out of “trash”, therefore helping to clean up your home-the EARTH-and make ART!! Participants will use recycled materials and their creative minds to make some new Earth Treasures. If you have neat things you would like to include in your sculpture bring them and our artists will help you create. Bottle caps, metal scraps, wood pieces, cans, plastic bottles, old pieces of broken pots... see what neat shaped things you can find and think of what animal they might make! If you prefer not to bring anything, there will be lots of materials to choose from-just bring yourself!

Nicole Vachon Hanlon has a B.S. degree in Human Development/Child Development and Psychology from Virginia Tech and a M.A. in Environmental and Cultural Sustainability from E.T.S.U. She is a former member of the Kingsport Art Guild, Kingsport's Citizen's for a Cleaner Environment, and the Staunton August Arts Center Board in Staunton, VA. Nicole likes to combine her love of the environment and art. She works with a mixture of media and loves the creative process of combining things together to make treasures out of other peoples' junk. She has created sculptures with wood, metal, clay pot chards, coconut husk fibers and old tools. Also, she has taught many environmental education workshops in DeKalb County, GA where she was the Environmental Project Coordinator; for the Staunton Augusta Arts Center; and as the Atlanta Outward Bound EcoWatch Americorps Team Leader.

Bill Hess is a sculptor, product designer, teacher, and engineer with a studio near Charlottesville, Virginia. Bill has taught art, science, and design to youth and adults from a wide range of backgrounds in rural and urban settings. As an artist, Bill works primarily with reclaimed glass and metal rescued from junkyards and recycling centers. He has also completed mixed media installations using recycled plastic bottles, tree branches, and straw. His sculpture and craft work has been featured in regional galleries and publications, and he is regularly commissioned for public and private projects. Bill grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He has Bachelor's degrees in Studio Art and Mechanical Engineering from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire and a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He studied glass and bronze casting at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle.