SummerArts Camp – Rivertowns Location!

HASTINGS-ON HUDSON, NY:

Channel your kids’ energy into the arts this summer! RiverArts’ SummerArts camp is an incredibly rich and diverse arts experience for kids that are passionate about arts and crafts and those who wish to broaden their horizons and try something new.

The camp offers students in Grades 3-9 an exciting opportunity to explore a wide variety of artistic mediums and express their creativity in a supportive environment – all while making new friends and connections with other creative kids from southern Westchester County. Classes include ceramics, weaving, sculpture, textile painting, pop art collage, improv, dance and expressive movement, acting, songwriting, African drumming and more. Students may register for one or more weeks or the whole 4- week session.

Students participate in four workshops a day led by teaching artists who are experts in their field as well as experienced educators. A typical week may feature 2 visual arts classes, 1 music class and 1 movement or theater class each day. In between classes kids can play outside, spend time with friends or work on a project at their own pace. All classes in visual art, movement, theater and music are perfect for beginners and experienced creators. Workshops for older children are more in depth and provide an opportunity for more sophisticated exploration and execution.

DATES: Weekly beginning Monday August 2nd and ending Friday August 27th, 2021; students can enroll in single weeks or all four.

TIME: Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 3:00pm

PLACE: First Reformed Church, 18 Farragut Ave, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

Fees & Registration:

• $500/wk per student plus a $35 registration fee per family
• Partial scholarships are available to those in need. Funding for scholarships is provided, in part, through The RiverArts Kristeen Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fund, ArtsWestchester, and by individual donations.

More info: https://riverarts.org/summer-camps/summerarts

Some of our Teaching Artists:

Doug Coe –  Doug has been a Fiber Artist in various forms for about 40 years. He has taught knitting, weaving, and crochet to adults and kids for almost that long. As a weaver, he ran Skein of Light in the early 2000’s, and taught for SummerArts 2008-2010, as well as French Woods Festival for the Performing Arts from 2011-2013. Doug served as Executive Director of RiverArts, from 2013-2021 and he is delighted to be returning to SummerArts now that he has retired from his full-time position. He recently founded Hudson Valley Handweaving, and will continue his active weaving practice from Montgomery, NY.

Kofi Donkor – Maxwell Kofi Donkor is a Master drummer and Asante Prince who was born and raised in Ghana. Kofi was chosen to carry on the ancestral drumming tradition and spent much of his childhood learning drumming from his grandfather. Kofi now lives and works in New York State where he is the leader of the Sankofa Drum and Dance Ensemble. The group promotes teamwork and community building through their performances and workshops at events, schools and festivals. Kofi has been an active member of Bridges of Peace and Hope for many years, and he believes that the arts (visual and performing arts) are a sure way to bringing people of all races, culture, and gender together in peace and love.

Lance Johnson – As an artist, Lance uses his work to inspire people from all walks of life. Especially young people who live in urban environments. He uses vibrant colors, textures and WORDS to inspire the viewer of his work. He uses words like DREAM, INSPIRE, SHINE, LOVE, LIVE, CREATE, BEAUTY, PEACE, WISDOM throughout his work to effect emotions in the viewer.

Ellen Flaks – Ellen Flaks calls herself a facilitator of creativity. She is a creative drama instructor, improvisational theater specialist, a scene study, monologue and audition coach, a puppeteer, a director, a stage manager and public speaking coach. Ellen creates a super safe and comfortable environment where her students have a blast “stretching their imagination muscles.” Ellen holds a B.F.A. in Theater from Syracuse University, a Masters in Teaching from Manhattanville College and has completed the Core & Conducting training program at the New York School of Playback Theatre.

Anna Mayta – Anna Mayta grew up in Chile is a dance improviser, choreographer, and instructor. She graduated from Empire State College in June 2001 with a BA in Dance in Education. In October 2020 she was accepted to Bethany Arts Center residency in Ossining NY. Ms. Mayta teaches the Spanish language through movement in addition to fusion dance, which centers on the incorporation of African, Classical Indian, Flamenco, Modern and Latin dance styles. She has choreographed for the D’amby Project, SolesBare Dance Collective, and The National Ballet of Zimbabwe. Currently, Ms. Mayta directs her project-based dance company, Mayta Fusion Dance, which is located in the Hudson Valley NY.

About RiverArts:

Celebrating and cultivating the arts in the Rivertowns for over half a century, RiverArts has been the catalyst that connects performers, musicians and art-makers with Rivertowns audiences. Motivated by a belief in the power of art to bring insight and delight, RiverArts delivers programs that have repeatedly brought us together, welcomed newcomers, and created experiences that strengthen our sense of community. The free, five-town Music Tour and Studio Tour expand our combined local and metro area audiences to 20,000.