ARTS FOR ALL
Sponsored by the Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation, Baylor University and Friends of the Festival
Behind the Mask
Paint a mask with Rhonda Heckel, and China Spring High School Art Club and their army of volunteers. "Behind the Mask" - masks encourage us to transform ourselves, and empower us to do so. They permit us to replace one reality with another. They can ultimately provide us with a better understanding of who we really are behind the masks we put on every morning to face the world, and take off every night in our dreams.
Wood Sculpture
Create and paint your wood sculpture with Robbie Barber, Professor of Sculpture at Baylor University and students from the Baylor Sculpture Department. Take your inspiration from newly installed Waco Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition around the Convention Center and City Hall.
Claymation
A ball of self-hardening Mexican Red Clay, eager hands, and a desire to explore---that is all you need to begin to create clay sculpture. Join Karin Gilliam, Director Martin Museum and miniatures sculptor Janys Frazier and student volunteers at Claymation.
The Clay Potters
Watch the experts get their hands dirty as they spin clay into finished pieces throughout the festival. Artist Paul McCoy, Professor of Ceramics at Baylor University, explains, "The artistic process is, by definition, a qualitative process which combined with our human capacity for quantitative problem-solving, makes us whole and capable of discernment at a level not possible in the absence of one or the other."
Easel Art
Revel in the Colors! It’s time to bring out the artist in you. Paint your blank cardboard canvas thanks to the wonderful folks at Central Texas Corrugated, Inc. You can take home your masterpiece.
Paper Sculpture
Let your imagination run wild as you engineer paper into 3-dimensional headgear.
Facinations
Face Painting Transforms! Face Painting Entertains! Face painting is Magical!
Harold Alexander, Alexander Designs and volunteers from the Central Texas Metropolitan Community Church will create fascinating faces.
Fish Kites
Modeled after the carp that bravely swims against the current symbolizing strength, courage and lifetime success. There will be lots of room to decorate the fish with patterns from nature or from your imagination. Add extra blue tail streamers to simulate water a stream.
Weathergrams
Members of the Waco Calligraphy Guild will help attendees to make their own weathergrams. Weathergrams are written on completely bio-degradable brown craft paper, are the size of a bookmark, and hang in the garden during either the solstice or equinox. Found translations come from Far Eastern poetry and haiku. They are given away, never sold, have very few verbs, a special layout as far as the lettering goes, with a red first letter and black lettering for the rest. Weathergrams means "weather writing"-notations by sun, wind, rain and possibly ice. They are left to weather and wither like old leaves. According to Asian tradition, when the papers flutter in the breeze, the motion is meant for one to praise and observe nature and life around us.
Art and music are an important part of early childhood development at the Waco Cultural Arts Fest, and WCAF is excited to join with Talitha Koum Nurture Institute, Smart Start, Workforce Solutions Childcare Services, Baylor Piper Child Development Center, McLennan Community College Early Childhood Development Center and the Mayborn Museum presenting:
Squish, Glob, Splat (Art & Sensory)
Most children naturally want to be involved in the messy, oooey –gooey highly visible experience of using paint, but did you know that not only are they learning about color and how to manipulate a variety of other media through their exploration, they are also developing large and small motor skills necessary for brain development? Children will not only use their creative abilities but will also develop insight into how they see their world and can then show others through self expression in individual and unique ways. They achieve great emotional satisfaction through these creative experiences that promote self-esteem and a sense of wonder.
Activities: 1) Make your own playdough to take home; play-dough area for children to use 2) Gadget and texture painting: painting of the structure from construction area 3) Make your own Gak to take home; gak in the sensory tables** Recipes will be provided
Caterpillar Walk (Decision Making and Construction)
Our caterpillar needs a new coat, lots of “Stuff” to choose from to create a colorful new coat for our large caterpillar sculpture.
Puppets
From a paper bag, scraps of fabric and other fun stuff make a puppet. Total engagement in the project and what is more, continual problem solving as children put the puppets together.
Puzzle Pieces
Waco Cultural Arts Fest is proud to support Autism in Action. Help us send children with Autism to Summer Camp. Make $1 minimum donation and create your unique puzzle piece to add to our “It’s a Puzzle” canvas.
The Rhythm is Going to get You
Steve Gryb, the Pied Piper of Percussion, presents “The Rhythm is Going to Get You!” - - America’s MOST interactive percussion show for the young and the young at heart. Children in all cultures naturally relate to music as freedom of expression creating laughter and fun as they move to the beat. As their bodies move and cross from left to right, important pathways in the brain are being formed for future math and reading skills.
Percussion Petting Zoo
Steve Gryb, the Pied Piper of Percussion, presents a hands-on interactive exhibit called a "Percussion Petting Zoo" featuring hundred's of percussion instruments from around the world!"
Wiggle, Waggle, Snuggle (Movement & Literacy)
Language naturally flows from the experience of music and movement.The three go hand in hand in the developing child who is stockpiling vocabulary at an enormous speed in the first three years of life. Children who are ready to, who are exposed to a variety of literacy opportunities and who are encouraged to “act out” the stories they hear receive invaluable benefits that will build on language skills both spoken and written.Puppets, costumes, and other props enhance the theme of the books and stories that children love to read.
Activities:
1) Each child will receive a VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR book while supplies last and there will be storytelling. 2) Costumes and dramatic play props for movement and acting 3 )Soft spaces for reading
Stick, Stack, Stump (Woodworking & Construction)
When children participate in Construction activities they have many avenues for creativity as well as opportunities to refine perceptual and motor skills, problem solve and strategize to find solutions, increase their visual and spatial awareness, sharpen manual dexterity and even develop pre-reading and pre-math skills. You might think children are just playing, but actually, they are delving into design and construction techniques from a child’s perspective.
Art Beans
The Talitha Koum Nurture Institute brings ART BEANS to the festival. Beans of all shapes, colors and sizes act as the color or “paint” and a young child’s imagination brings them to form and meaning. Participants recieve a take-home keeper that says, “Bean there, done Art!”
Bubbles!
What’s more fun than Bubbles? The Mayborn Museum will once again be presenting Bubbles! Museum staff will be in the grass near the river making giant bubbles – some as big as 5 feet long and around 2 feet in diameter! Visitors will be able to blow their own bubbles with different size wands and dance through bubbles created by a bubble machine.