A WEEK OF COLOR

This video series was created by Angie Stambuk and Selena Jones, and is comprised of five 15-minute videos that are short, guided art workshops for youth. They focus on the use of color in art as a way to safely explore all sorts of feelings and/or challenges that one may face during this time of struggle.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Students can participate using almost any kind of colorful media, and a piece of paper of some kind. Simple examples could even include using paper bags as your paper, and markers or colored pencils as your media!

MORE ABOUT THE CLASS

COVID-19 has not hampered the development of the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts’ Youth Outreach Program! We are pleased to share with you the newest addition to this program: A Week of Color. This video series was created by Angie Stambuk and Selena Jones, and is comprised of 5 15-minute videos that are short, guided art workshops for youth. They focus on the use of color in art as a way to safely explore all sorts of feelings and/or challenges that one may face during this time of struggle. Each video was produced in Spanish and English, and all videos are free to the public and can be accessed online.

Any colorful material can be used in this workshop, and we feature four different art materials in these videos: oil pastels/crayons, markers, watercolors, and colored pencils. In an effort to make the A Week of Color art workshop video series more accessible to youth in our region, art kits are being assembled and will be distributed for free to some classrooms in Clackamas County, and include samples of each of the featured materials. Kits also include a 24-page printed booklet with English and Spanish written instructions for each of the five workshops. These booklets can also be viewed for free online. We are always looking for more partners who can help us fund and/or distribute even more kits to youth who might benefit from these art activities!

OUR MESSAGE TO YOUTH

It is easier for all of us to understand and even manage our feelings much better if we have a way to express them. Have you ever felt so happy that you had to call a friend and tell them about it? Have you ever been sad or frustrated and felt much better after writing about it in your journal?

Talking about your emotions is the most common way of expressing them, and it certainly helps make your positive feelings (like happiness, peace, confidence) more real, and your negative feelings (like sadness, anger, fear) more manageable.

There are many other ways to express your feelings, like writing, making music, dancing and physical activity. Art gives you a form of expression that you can use in a variety of ways and can take with you anywhere.

A simple way of expressing your emotions through art is by using different colors. The color you pick to represent a particular feeling is unique to you, as it will vary from person to person, and even from day to day for the same individual. So, what is your “happy” color today? What color or colors would you use to represent the way you are feeling right now?

Welcome to A Week of Color! Let’s go have adventures with art.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Selena Jones loves art and engaging her community. Born and raised in Oregon, she attended Knox College in Illinois where she received her BFA and Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Art. Shortly thereafter she attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she completed her MFA in Sculpture. Pursuing her love of art, teaching and community, Selena spent the next seven years teaching art and design to youth and adults at national and international colleges, universities, and private schools. She is a practicing artist and works full time coordinating the Lake Oswego Festival of Arts. In addition, she is currently completing her second Masters Degree, an MBA in Nonprofit Management through the University of Portland.

Angie Stambuk is a retired pediatrician and former Director of the Benton County Commission on Children and Families, with a passion for working with underserved youth. She believes that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential through education, wellness and family stability. Throughout her career she has worked with youth-focused organizations in California and Oregon, including LBL ESD, various school districts, and Boys and Girls Clubs, to develop and implement programs that enrich the lives of children by providing access to activities that would otherwise not be available to them. As an amateur and passionate dancer and artist, she understands the importance of arts in education, and is committed to continuing work to preserve and create programs that provide accessible art and enrichment opportunities. Angie was born and raised in Chile, and is grateful for her bilingual skills and cultural understanding that help create pathways to working with Latinx children and families.

DID YOU TAKE THE CLASS?

Email the Arts Alliance at info@clackamasartsalliance.org and let us know if you participated in this class. We’d love to hear more about your experience!