In Focus: Kids Art Camps Offered In Brainerd

A unique summer camp was offered this week in Brainerd. Kids ages six and up were able to unleash their creativity without the fear of making a mistake at the Traveling Art Pub’s Kids Camp.

“I just like painting a lot and I’ve done it before with some of my friends and it was really fun,” said Ellie, who is participating in the art camp.

The camps were started five years ago as a way to bring their creative services to a younger generation.

“My mom actually works with Community Ed. She loves children, as well as I do, and just giving kids an opportunity to create too,” said Sarah Stawarski, one of the founders of the Traveling Art Pub.

Stawarski and her mom founded the Traveling Art Pub to bring an art-driven outlet to the community. It started in Brainerd and has since spread to other areas in central and northern Minnesota.

“We started on weekends doing Saturday camps and now through the summer, we host two days every month,” Stawarski explained.

Each camp has a different theme that the projects revolve around. Past themes have been beach fun and colors. This week is “Let’s Get Wild.” The campers use multiple mediums to create projects all centered around the theme.

“We have zoo animals; they did the elephants which were so cute. We used chalk pastels and all different things,” added Stawarski. “It’s been great.”

“We painted this elephant and it was really cool because we used chalk to design it like they do in India,” said camper Quinn.

The camps have been very popular, allowing kids to get out of the house during the summer months and put their creativity to work.

“You’re never wrong. You can spill paint on the floor. You can have it on your clothes and walk away smiling and creating something that you enjoy and feel proud about,” explained Stawarski.

“You just paint. You can paint anything you want,” said Levi, a new camper. “If you do a bad job, you can do a good job.”

The kids are excited to take their creations home and see where art can take them next.

For more information on the Traveling Art Pub’s Kids Camps, visit www.thetravelingartpub.com.