DACO program at mall teaches arts skills to teens

LANCASTER – The Cold Stone Creamery store at the River Valley Mall closed late last year. But the space didn't remain vacant for long, as the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio now uses it for its Creative Arts Space for Teens program.

The program is a free workshop for youths 13 to 18 on the second and last Friday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. The program runs all year and started around March. The students learn various aspects of art, including painting, drawing, sculpturing, design and possibly some photography or video projects later on.

"Basically, kids come out and we do art projects with them," instructor Bianca Gery said. "The first project we did was a metal mural. Each student got a couple sheets of metal and they did their own paintings on them. Then we hung them together on the wall so it all came together.

"Right now, we're working on a different kind of mural, but we have done some collaborative sketching before for the bigger projects. We'll be working on some more sculptural pieces a little bit later and some poster-design contest type things, as well."

Gery, a mix-media artist who received her bachelor's degree in studio art at Ohio University, said the main goal of the program is to allow the teens to build artistic skills and meet new people.

The program is free and any teen wanting to participate just needs to show up at the mall before the class starts. Gery said there are usually between six and and eight art students at each class. She said if demand remains strong, more Friday classes are possible. Gery said the classes are a good way to give teens something to do and was designed specifically for the mall location.

"It's safe," she said. "It's a positive thing that they can get into, as well."

Gery said some of the students are into art but have not taken any art classes or they are new to art in general.

"I try to, along with the other teachers, help them with learning elements and principles of art," she said. "How to apply different techniques. We talk about color theory, we talk about working as a team in art projects as well as being an individual artist. Design process. The list goes on and on."

Students also learn how people may view their art in a public setting and what to consider when making a piece of art. While the students can take home some of their art, other pieces are on display at the former Cold Stone Creamery spot. Students can either work at what was the store's counter space out front or in the back.

jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron

If you go:

What: Decorative Arts Center of Ohio's Creative Arts Space for Teens program

Where: River Valley Mall in Lancaster at 1635 River Valley Circle

When: The second and last Friday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m.