October 22nd, 2009 :: ARTS
Arts4Kids November Workshop
Traditional Wooden Yo-yo’s
30th Annual Christmas Connection
The Arts Council of Greater Kingsport’s Arts4Kids Program will be sponsoring youth workshops with local potter and woodworker Michael Ripper at the Kingsport Christmas Connection. This year’s arts and crafts show will be at the Civic Auditorium located on Fort Henry Drive next to Dobyns-Bennett High School. The workshops will be offered on Sat. beginning on the hour starting at 10 and 11 AM and at 1, 2, and 3 PM. Ripper will be working with the children to create and decorate traditional wooden yo-yo’s. Participants will have the opportunity to work with steel stamps, wood burning tools, all natural stains, and various other surface treatments. The workshops will be open to all children ages 6-12 years old. All club and outreach members are invited to participate for free, non-members will be $5. Memberships will be available at the door, please see below for more details. Since the Arts4Kids Outreach sites of Riverview Boys & Girls Club, Holly Hills Boys & Girls Club, Cloud Boys & Girls Club, and Girls Inc. are invited to participate at the Civic Auditorium Michael will not be traveling to their locations this month.
Michael Ripper recently moved to downtown Kingsport from Avery County, NC. He has a formal education in the arts with a BFA in wood design and a BFA in ceramics, both from East Carolina University. Michael has always found an amazing beauty in nature, especially right here in the heart of the Blue Ridge. This is where most of his inspiration comes from. With his woodwork, in particular, Michael designs and arranges the grain of every species of wood so the viewer can see the real beauty and uniqueness of each piece. Whenever possible, Michael uses native Appalachian hardwood (Cherry, Maple, Walnut, and Poplar). Some of the wood is lumber that has been cleaned up from the many wind storms and floods. By using this wood and other recycled wood, he is helping to clean up our beautiful mountains and prevent forest fires. Through his art, Michael wants to share with other people the beauty that he sees, in just one very small piece of these glorious Appalachian Mountains.
Kingsport’s Christmas Connection, an event sponsored by the Cultural Arts Division of Kingsport’s Parks and Recreation, is celebrating 30 years of arts and crafts. Admission to this fun-filled, shopping event is free and open to the public. Shopping hours are Friday November 6 from noon to 7 p.m., Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday November 8, from noon to 5 p.m.
Arts4Kids Club is an introductory arts program for children ages 6-12 presented by the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport. Arts4Kids Club registration is $20 for the school-year program, or $5/individual workshop. The program is designed to expose children to a wide variety of arts and encourage their life-long pursuit of creative endeavors. For more information or to join, visit the Arts4Kids section of our website at www.kingsportARTS.org. The Arts4Kids program is funded under agreement with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as, the Kingsport Community Foundation (a fund of the East Tennessee Foundation), Eastman Chemical Co., the City of Kingsport, and other local sponsors..
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