With summertime on our minds and state guidelines still in place, many families continue to struggle with entertaining the artistically-inclined while remaining at home. 

 

From painting at the kitchen countertop to performing on the back patio, the Arkansas Arts Council, a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, is determined to get the quarantine creatives kicking again. 

 

Drekkia Morning, the AAC’s Arts in Education program manager, suggests researching local art organizations that offer resources and expertise for children and families to utilize during the quarantine. 

 

“Emergent Arts in Hot Springs is providing art kits for children that can be picked up in bins outside, said Morning. “Others, such as the South Arkansas Arts Center, have created competitions.”

 

The Arts in Education Facebook page also acts as a resource for project ideas and inspiration during COVID-19.  

 

The Arkansas Arts Council director Patrick Ralston is encouraging families to not only make art but to carve out time to experience it as well. Ralston suggests touring an online gallery such as the AAC’s 2020 Small Works on Paper exhibit, or sitting in on a virtual art class via Zoom or Youtube. 

 

The Arkansas Arts Council also announced that they are working on a program that allows students in grades kindergarten through 12th to present their performing and visual arts to the public eye. This initiative will give students across the state the opportunity to showcase their talent via the council’s social media platforms. 

 

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