Arts4Kids Program to Offer Painting Workshop at Christmas Connection

The Arts Council of Greater Kingsport will offer a painting workshop for children during Kingsport’s Christmas Connection.

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, the Arts4Kids program of the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport will offer a painting workshop for children during Kingsport’s Christmas Connection. Christmas Connection, an event sponsored by the Cultural Arts Division of Kingsport’s Parks and Recreation, is celebrating 29 years of arts and crafts. This year’s arts and crafts show will be Friday, November 7, from noon to 7 p.m., Saturday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, November 9, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Kingsport Civic Auditorium located on Fort Henry Drive next to Dobyns-Bennett High School. Admission to this fun-filled, shopping event is free and open to the public. The Arts4Kids workshop will be held in the history room of the Auditorium on Saturday only, from 10-11:30 AM for children ages 6-12. The workshop is free with club membership ($20/child for the year), or $5 per session. Rhonda Abbott, an artist and elementary art teacher from the area, will lead the workshop.

Christmas Connection has been around for 29 years because it is a charming old-fashion festival hosting the region’s best arts and crafts vendors. The Civic Auditorium will be filled with hand-made clothing, beautiful stained-glass, jewelry, original photography, delicate woodworking, floral arrangements, Christmas ornaments, baked goods, toys, watercolors, paintings, figurines, pottery, baskets, candles, tapestries, heated pillows, needlework, dolls and much more. The Holidays are fast approaching and this is an excellent opportunity to grab some holiday cheer, support master craftsmen, find unique gifts and treasures, and give your children an opportunity to explore the arts.

In addition to the Arts4Kids Saturday club workshop, the Arts Council will offer the painting session as an outreach workshop to the Riverview Boys and Girls Club and Lee Family Center through the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority later in November. It is the Art Council’s hope and goal that children who participate in this program will be introduced to a variety of Arts and encouraged to pursue creative and positive life-long endeavors. For more information or to join, contact the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport at 423.392.8420 or visit our website at www.kingsportARTS.org.

The Arts4Kids program is funded under agreement with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as, through generous support from the Kingsport Community Foundation (a fund of the East Tennessee Foundation), Eastman Chemical Co., the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Kingsport, and other local sponsors.