Art at IAC sparks creativity

Published 9:51 pm Thursday, September 9, 2021

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Kids will have a chance to get creative on game day this weekend at the International Arts Center on the campus of Troy University.

Each month, the International Arts Center hosts a hands-on, arts workshop — called ArtSPARK — for parents and children to help expose the community to what the IAC has to offer. This month’s workshop will be held on a different date and time than the normal schedule.

“We normally have ArtSPARK on the first Saturday of the month,” Carrie Jaxon, IAC curator and director, said. “So, we moved it to Sept. 11. But Troy [University] has a football game in the afternoon, so we thought having ArtSPARK earlier in the day would be better for community involvement.”

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ArtSPARK will be held Saturday from 9-11 a.m. at the IAC, 158 International Boulevard, in the heart of the Troy University campus. This month’s workshop will once again expose children to the artwork of Montgomery artist Janet Nolan. Nolan created whimsical pieces from recycled materials and things she collected from the trash. In August, ArtSPARK took inspiration from Nolan’s sculptures.

This month, Nolan’s work will once again be used to spark the imagination of children. Nolan made a 12-foot wide, 100-foot long canopy from discarded umbrellas. The canopy is on display, along with other pieces from Nolan’s exhibit, at the IAC. Kids will have a chance to examine the canopy and then make their own canopy from recycled cardstock.

The workshop will be taught by Andrea Pack, a community art educator.

Jaxon said ArtSPARK is always free and invited parents to bring their children to the IAC and create art together. She said the workshop is from 9-11 a.m., but parents and kids can come any time during the two-hour workshop and join in.

In addition to making a canopy the children can take home, there will be an art scavenger hunt, story time and snacks, tours of Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park and kids can also feed the fish and turtles and take a tour of the terra cotta warriors.