Art Abounds at Telluride's Ah Haa School this Summer

Winter in Telluride has melted away, on the mountain and in our hearts and minds, as  the summer season heats up. 

For the summer season, Telluride's Ah Haa School for the Arts has increased its programming, offering over 140 kids' classes in every medium: sculpting, throwing, painting, beading, jewelry making, cooking, recycled creations, printmaking, theater, drawing and metals.  The idea is to embrace and develop each child’s imagination and creative spirit. 

“With long-time favorites as well as many new classes, this summer we truly have something for everyone. It is going to be a blast,” said Rachel Loomis-Lee, the school’s Executive Director.

Ah Haa School has worked hard over the last few years to cultivate a capable and inspiring staff of instructors, able to provide great instruction for children ages 4 –18.

Brooke Ahana returns to Ah Haa with brand new classes for 2010. Her plan is to take students on an acrylic journey at amazing Acrylic Adventure camps, June 21-25. Or, if animal art appeals, perhaps your young artist would be more interested in At The Zoo, where working with multiple mediums and materials, they get to create a menagerie of mythical and zoo animals. At the Zoo culminates in a puppet show. Check out Brooke’s many other classes and the full catalog online at www.ahhaa.org.
 
If clay is your thing, turn to superb kids' instructors, Jacey Depriest & Julie McNair. From June to August, Jacey teaches a weekly clay camp and various Fabulous Fridays, when your child gets to experience the wonder of the tactile art of ceramics. Meanwhile, Julie has revived her popular Rockin’ Robins Birdhouses class and a kid's version of her adult class, Fabulous Figures for Kids, in the clay room.

Professional puppeteer Morgan Eckert is here in late June and July with three puppet-making options: Making Marionettes, Parade Puppets, and Shadow Puppets. Adult faculty, Barbara Martin, shows your child how to do amazing things with gourds in her class, Gourd Art: Masks & Bowls.  The Ah Haa has teamed up with local, Sara Doehrman, to do a special four-day Fairy Wings Workshop, July 12-15.

The metal-master of Deep Creek, Jon Hubbard, returns with some great offerings for kids. From July 26-29, students can learn the basics of forging and metal arts, as they work to complete their first wire sculptures. Back by popular demand, Jon is once again teaching Monster Bikes Welding, (August 9-11), where students use recycled bicycle frames and parts to build new two-wheeled works of art. This is one of the several programs in Ah Haa’s new Youth Discovery Camps, aimed at offering new and interesting opportunities for kids ages 12 and up.  

Amy Brown is adding diversity to the catalog with her new classes for kids this year, such as Photography Journals, Children’s Book Author-Artist, and Mural Masters. Anjali Sawant, who also will be teaching adult classes this summer, should delight young artists with monster mayhem, in Making Monster Dolls and Paper Mache Monsters. Ah Haa mosaics guru, Flair Robinson, remounts her popular Mosaic Marathon class, June 28-July 1.  Chef David Hafer whips up culinary delights  with the return of his Top Chef Kids class, July 12-15.

Rounding out Ah Haa's summer faculty are the wildly popular after-school and No School Art Day faculty artists Martha Starr and Desiree Rothschild. Starr is teaching the 4-5 year old age group almost weekly, while Rothschild brings some fabulous classes, such as Mosaic Magic, and ARTragous Beaded Flowers.

Whether making wearable art, painting a self portrait or imitating the Impressionists, cooking up a storm, or shaping metal with fire, Telluride's Ah Haa School has it on the summer schedule.

“Ah Haa is the sound of inspiration and this summer we hope to inspire children of all ages,” says executive director Rachel Loomis-Lee.

Ah Haa has also reached out to other local not-for-profits in the Telluride community and will be collaborating with The Pinhead Institute, The Telluride Skate Camp, and SquidShow Theatre to diversifying class offerings this summer.

Camps began June 7 and continue through August 26. 

To view the full schedule and register for classes online, please visit www.ahhaa.org.