The Youth Arts Program will encourage in our youth an appreciation of the beauty of the natural world and native culture, through artistic instruction, exploration, and creation. Using art as a tool to teach our youth, we will foster insight, ability, responsibility, self confidence, and personal development. Leadership skills will be acquired as our students are encouraged to assist their peers in art projects. Physically and mentally challenged youth and adults will be assisted and encouraged in all classes.

The Circle Legacy Center Art Program is age group specific, and designed to most successfully meet interests and abilities of all students at the Circle Legacy Center. The program is very hands-on, and student-creation centered, and will make use of outdoor/natural settings whenever possible. Older students will be encouraged to help younger students, and assist staff to teach classes and facilitate events.

There will be a festival every season (four times a year) where student created art and crafts can be exhibited and sold. Students will present performances (including plays, native/cultural and modern dance, music, poetry readings and a weekly open mike night), food creations (from self grown and local produce-when available), and other Center projects and creations that can be shared with the community.

We will also take field trips to help foster natural, environmental, and native interests, appreciation and education-including local natural preserves, and indigenous ceremonies, and museums.

In addition, the Circle Legacy Center will collect student submitted poetry, essays, and short stories written about the natural world, environmental issues, native cultures and issues, and other personal interests. We will publish these writings on a regular basis.

The Circle Legacy Center will have an influx of diverse cultural teachers who will present public teachings about their ethos and communities-these teachers will share their knowledge and art with the Center's students. These cultural instructors will open the students' horizons about cultural/environmental/nature awareness, community activism and involvement through an art format. Youth creativity will be encouraged and expanded. Leadership skills will be developed with students encouraged to assist those younger then themselves. The Circle Legacy Center will cultivate through our youth art program: self esteem/confidence, self reliance, art appreciation and skills, employment skills, community involvement, leadership and cooperation.

Age Specific Art Programs
With focus on environmental and diverse cultural themes and assisted by art director, parents and peers-and presented to the public. Projects including but not limited to...

Toddlers

• Creative play-held in natural settings and/or atmosphere
• Coloring pictures that are created by art director and older peers
• Finger painting
• Arts and crafts
• Drawing their interpretation of lessons
• Making and playing musical instruments and creative dance

5-8 Years Old

• Nature/cultural drawing (pencil, crayon, charcoal)
• Nature painting (tempera, finger painting)
• Mural painting (mobile that will be exhibited)
• Sand painting
• Sun catcher construction-assorted mediums
• Weaving-on small hand made looms
• Mask making
• Arts and crafts
• Native drum, music, and dance-instruction and performance
• Short plays-student/staff written and performed, and established stories
• Viewing movies

9-12 Years Old

• Drawing (pencil, charcoal, pastel)
• Painting (tempera, finger)
• Mobile murals
• Clay sculpting
• Sand painting
• Mandela construction
• Sun catcher painting
• Weaving
• Constructing dream catchers
• Mask making
• Wind chimes
• Making plant and animal identification books
• Small totem polls
• Jewelry making
• Other arts and crafts
• Native drum, music, and dance-instruction and performance
• Cultural re-enactments
• Short plays
• Poetry & short stories-writing and publishing
• Native language instruction
• Gardening-plant, cultivate and harvest
• Film shows

13-16 Years Old

• Drawing and painting
• Murals-mobile and permanent
• Multi-medium sculpture
• Sand painting
• Creating: mandalas, dream catchers, jewelry, masks, totem poles, etc.
• Making: soap, candles, wind chimes, weaving, masks, natural paint, etc.
• Other arts and crafts
• Plaster mold of animal tracks
• Making costumes for plays and indigenous re-enactments
• Constructing plant and animal identification books
• Native drum-instruction, crafting, performance
• Native dance & music-instruction, appreciation, and performance
• Introduction to native language
• Plays & re-enactments-create, direct & perform
• Peer instruction for younger students
• Poetry & short story-writing, performance & publishing
• Film events
• Garden/greenhouse-planting, cultivate, harvest & education
• Creative organic food preparation

17-20 Years Old - same as for 13-16 age group, but add the following

• All curriculum created for older youth
• Weaving-self made looms and/or larger looms
• In-depth writing and art workshops
• Publishing
• Encouraging and supporting older youth in taking leadership roles
• Social art gatherings