SEQUIM — In her children’s art classes, Frances Rice aims to show how just about anything is possible.
Today and Monday, she begins five new classes for preschoolers, home-schoolers and others in kindergarten through eighth grade.
While the Friday classes will be held at the Dungeness Schoolhouse, 2781 Towne Road, the Monday sessions will be at the Museum & Arts Center, 175 W. Cedar St. All are sponsored by the MAC, with more details at www.MacSequim.org.
Classes starting today at the Dungeness Schoolhouse:
■ “Art Explorers: Studio Experience for Preschoolers” at 10 a.m. today and five more Fridays in January, February and March; a program for kids age 2 to 5 and their parents or caregivers to explore clay, painting and collage.
■ “Art in the Afternoon: Sculpture Studio Experience for Homeschoolers, at 1 p.m. today and five more Fridays between now and March 29; for students in kindergarten, elementary or middle school to experiment and sculpt with a variety of materials.
These programs cost $60 for six sessions including art materials, and parents can sign their children up by phoning Rice at 360-681-0109 or emailing her at francyfree2@yahoo.com. MAC members receive a $10 discount per class per family.
MAC classes
The same fees and contact information go for the sessions starting at the Museum & Arts Center this Monday. These classes will meet two Mondays a month: Jan. 14 and 28, Feb. 11 and 25, and March 11 and 25. The offerings are:
■ “After-School Jazz: Drawing Adventures” at 3:30 p.m. Mondays.
■ “Art Adventures: Introduction to Fiber Arts for Home-schoolers” at 10 a.m. Mondays.
■ “Art in the Afternoon: Fun with Paper for Home-schoolers” at 1 p.m. Mondays.
“In the ‘Fun with Paper’ class, we learn how to make paper,” Rice said, adding that kids also do paper marbling, weaving, collage and pop-up books to expand their horizons when it comes to this basic medium.
In the fiber arts class, students will learn to hand-dye fabric and explore the art of batik, while in the sculpture class, Rice encourages kids to survey the materials and pick out what speaks to them. Their choices include recycled boxes, clay and pinecones.
‘Open-ended’
“It’s really open-ended,” Rice said. “I try to support the kids’ individual interests. They can experiment and explore with materials and ideas.”
Her classes, with 10 students at the most, are also miniature learning communities.
“I spend a lot of time helping the kids get to know each other so they feel comfortable,” Rice said.
If a student discovers something new to do with a material, Rice said, she encourages a discussion of that; this way, “the kids get inspired by each other, and they learn from each other.”
Rice started teaching elementary school in the 1980s and later founded and directed the Loyalton Summer Arts Institute in California. She now teaches arts enrichment for the Crescent School District’s home-schooling program as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula’s KinderKids program.
“No matter what I was teaching, I incorporated a lot of art because it’s a great way for kids to have hands-on learning,” she said.
“I had an epiphany: I loved art so much, it’s what I should really focus on.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
