PS 676 kids make art every day

While PS 676 students are undergoing virtual learning from home, some kids are getting the chance to participate in the 30-day Arts Alive! Challenge.

Red Hook’s PS 676 received a generous donation of art supplies from the Cayuga Arts Collective in Trumansburg, NY, and 22 students who enjoy art will get to take part in a challenge sponsored by the group. The supplies were given out to parents and kids in front of the school on May 22.

This partnership formed because a friend of parent coordinator Marie Hueston is one of the founders of the organization.

“Initially they said they could do this for 20 kids in the school,” Hueston said. “At the last minute, two more kids wanted it, so they were able to get more [supplies], so right now it is 22 kids.”

The challenge is for each student to create a drawing or painting for 30 consecutive days. They can use the list of ideas that the Cayuga Arts Collective provided or use their imagination to draw something they are passionate about.

Some of the Arts Alive! Challenge ideas include drawing a picture of a dream, making a self-portrait, making a random scribble and then coloring it in, making a picture of a pet or favorite animal, and creating a picture of New York State or Brooklyn or a picture of a day at the beach with family.

To help make these works of art, the Cayuga Arts Collective sent 22 bags, each of which held a big pad of paper, a paint set, markers, pencils, a paintbrush, a pencil sharpener and an eraser.

Von Marie Torres has two kids who love arts and crafts and attend PS 676, and she was at the school picking up their bag of supplies for them. Her daughter Michell, who is in fifth grade, will be going to Sunset Prep next year in Sunset Park.

“My oldest loves to paint and has canvasses around the house,” Torres said. “Anything that has to do with nature she loves. Sunsets and animals are her favorite. She painted an elephant the other day.”

Melody is in fifth grade and came with her older brother to pick up her supplies to participate in the Arts Alive! Challenge. Her brother likes drawing comics, and she said she was excited for the drawing ahead.

The kids can pick a different theme each day or choose a few favorites and do variations of those throughout the 30-day process. The only rule that is provided is that the kids finish one piece of art a day.

PS 676 students are asked to send pictures of their favorite creations to Hueston and also to the Cayuga Arts Collective, which is sponsored by the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts.

According to Hueston, the Cayuga Arts Collective will be publishing the pictures and the school will put them on their website. When school starts in person again, PS 676 is planning on having an art show at the school or somewhere else in Red Hook.

Nathan Weiser