Kaleidoscope Summer Fine Arts Camp (June 25-29) roots run deep

Kaleidoscope Summer Fine Arts Camp (June 25-29) roots run deep
The founding principle behind the original summer fine arts camp back in 1990 was to offer a taste of all the fine arts arenas to local children. Held in those early years at the Erie Meyer Civic Center and several surrounding town buildings, the camp was the first opportunity for South Baldwin County youth to experience such a varied array of the fine arts all at one time, and to have an opportunity to interact with professional artists and teachers from so many different artistic backgrounds. To bring this to fruition, hands-on classes in the visual arts, performing arts and humanities were created. A second goal was to bring performers from all over the southeast to Pleasure Island, otherwise known as a beach town, so that our children could experience firsthand live performances, as well as get an chance to interact with the performers themselves. “We have always wanted to make clear the path that a young person can travel to realize his/her artistic dream,” said camp coordinator Pam Winstead.
To this end, over the years, dozens of performers such as international pianist Jerry Alan Bush, The Rocky Mountain Story Spinners, Pensacola Symphony harpist Katie Ott, Mobile Opera a la carte, multiple casts from UA SummerTide Theater, and classical oboist Kemp Jernigan have crossed the SFAC stage.
“I particularly loved having Kemp (who grew up in Gulf Shores) come to perform a few years ago,” stated Winstead, “because I was able to say to our camp students: ’Kemp was sitting in the audience right where you are now, about 20 years ago.’ That makes everything so relatable to the students. They see that someone who grew up in their hometown can work very hard pursuing a dream, and end up being very successful.”
After attending the Hartt School of Music and Yale School of Music, Mr. Jerningan now enjoys an extensive performing career, which has included appearances at the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Opera, with the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, as well as in Europe and Japan.
Three decades after that first summer fine arts camp, our community finds itself extremely blessed to have a panoply of artistic opportunities for everyone. We now boast of being not only a extraordinary beach destination, but one that offers a beautiful place to live, with several fine arts organizations and entities in both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach which richly serve both residents and visitors from all over the country. Now held at the First Presbyterian Church of Gulf Shores, in partnership with the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance, the principles established early on for the camp are still tightly embraced.
At this year’s June 25 – 29 camp (9 am to 3 pm), 2018 camp students will be treated to choices of several classes including Pottery (Jamie Adams), Pastels (Tommy Vogel), Mixed Media (Cindy Langston), Painting (Kevin Cobb), Musical Theater/Drama (Pam Winstead & Karan Fox), Music (Pam Winstead & Kayla Dowling), Dance (Jamie Parks) and Storytelling/Spoken Word (Elizabeth Vander Kamp). Ending each afternoon is a professional, live performance.
This year’s line up includes international cellist (pictured) Della Grigsby, the University of Alabama’s SummerTide Theater cast from “Pump Boys & Dinettes”, pianist Kayla Dowling and storyteller Elizabeth Vander Kamp. A “Question and Answer” time follows each performance, and students have the opportunity to mix and mingle with all performers. A Gala will take place on the last night of the camp, revealing the week’s artistic activities with both performances and a visual art display.
To register online visit gulfcoastartsalliance.com, or stop by the GCAA Gallery on E. 24th Ave. in Gulf Shores, or the First Presbyterian Church. Tuition for the entire week is $115 per student ($100 additional siblings); both partial and full scholarships are available. Call 251-978-8130 or 251-948-2627 for more and/or scholarship information. Registering early for the camp assures class selection availability.