PORT TOWNSEND — The Bunker, a free art studio for teens, has its next session this Friday at the nonprofit Northwind Art School at Fort Worden State Park.
Calligrapher Lindsey Wayland and painter Michele Soderstrom, who’s also a Port Townsend High School art teacher, are the two volunteers hosting the session. Middle school and high school students are welcome. The Bunker will be well-stocked with art supplies, snacks and drinks, and music plays all afternoon.
The Bunker’s time has changed a little since the sessions earlier this spring. It will now be open from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Building 306 at the fort. Information and the parental permission form can be found at https://northwindart.org; click on Courses.
Also on the website are more Bunker dates: June 9, June 16, July 7 and July 21. Artists Dana Sullivan, Max Grover, Leila Block, Julie Read and Madeline Nelson are among the volunteer hosts.
Wayland also co-hosted this spring’s first Bunker session in April. She gave a demonstration of nib-and-ink calligraphy and shared some templates so the teens could practice.
“Almost all of the teens tried the pens dipped in ink, and played with the calligraphy forms and strokes,” she said.
“Some were very self-guided and painted. Others used calligraphy pens the entire time but chose to draw from their imagination. A couple students wrote letters with the letter-writing supplies I brought, using their new calligraphy skills.”
All afternoon, the teens were “meandering socially, laughing, snacking, drawing, painting and calligraphing, and it was great fun to witness their unfolding,” Wayland added.
“I loved every minute of it. The adolescents on the planet right now are alchemists, and it is a gift to watch them transform the world with their inspired minds.”
