Video: Columbus Arts Council Hosts Annual Summer Camp

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – For the past month, the Columbus Arts Council has hosted its annual Summer Arts Camp. Friday, July 19th is the final day of the program.

“Our major goal at the Columbus Art Council is to spread the arts to the community,” says Maria Andrews, Education VISTA Volunteer for the Columbus Arts Council.

The Columbus Art Council has been helping the community demonstrate its artistic creativity since 1965. Today the organization is based at the Rosenzweig Arts Center in downtown Columbus. This week, local children, ages 5 through 10, learned to express themselves through theatre, painting, drawing and  photography.

Camper Merrin Wright enjoyed arts and crafts the most.

“I’ve had a lot of fun because I totally forgot how to crochet and now I remember,” says Wright.

Camp teacher Melissa Duncan says the arts can help children develop important social skills.

“The purpose of any form of theatre really, when you’re a child, is to help with memorization of lines and also being able to talk in front of people, being able to speak with their teachers, and their fellow students,” says Duncan.

Youth ages 11 through 18 also participated in Art Summer Camp last month. It included music and dance as well. Friday afternoon the children presented their final art projects to family and friends.