Art Camp Evening a Fine Exhibit

By P.M. Fadden
Associate Editor

Students, parents, faculty and friends convened at Girdwood´s Challenge Alaska building for a Friday social, August 12th to honor exhibits from 2016 Fine Arts Camp.

“Art Camp has become an anticipated annual event; one that parents and children count on.”
– Arts Camp Founder, President Tommy ‘Salami’ O’Malley

Celebrating its thirtieth year, the two week long Arts Camp represents annually combined volunteer efforts of professional artists, professors and teachers guiding the creative energy of approximately 100 student-age pupils.

Arts Camp, an offshoot from non-profit entity Girdwood Art Institute [GAI], offers student artists opportunity to be creative leaders.

“Children suggest the media they would like to explore,” said GAI President Tommy ‘Salami’ O’Malley. “We use a variety of media and only rarely do we have the same artists year after year.”

“Annie Olson and I started Camp in 1986,” said O’Malley. “It has become an anticipated annual event and one that parents and children count on.”

“There are two, two hour sessions for younger students: one in the morning and one in the afternoon,” said O’Malley. “A four hour afternoon session is for older students.”

“Camp is usually two weeks at the end of July – beginning of August,” he added. “This year it was August 1 – 12.”

The GAI overseen Arts Camp is a labor of love for directors Carrie McLain, Amber Molan and Jimmy Riordan. Alongside President O’Malley, the collective trio organize a multi-media environment to encourage creative expression.

“We take feedback from what the students would like to learn and what we think will extend what we have already taught i.e. portrait drawing,” said O’Malley. “We plan a mix of media of two dimensional and three dimensional works.”

“We choose art instructors who have the ability to inspire,” he added.

“We have a mix of academic university professors and public school teachers alongside professional artists like Jim Kaiser who make their living with their arts,” explained O’Malley, “and the directors also teach.”

“Everyone associated with Arts Camp volunteers their time planning, grant writing, meeting and organizing,” he said. “There are about 12 volunteers who work at the camp. These are parents, grandparents, teens.”

Each year’s Arts Camp registration is directed through area schools.

“Four Valleys handles registration,” said O’Malley. “We have students from Girdwood, Eagle River, Cooper Landing, Anchorage, Indian and Bird Creek.”

“Close to 70 children, ages 5–17 participated. Some attended for one week, most attended for two. A couple of children attend Camp from the Lower 48 visiting their grandparents who live in Girdwood,” said O’Malley.

“In the past we have had as many as 124 students which included three adult art classes,” he said.

“Challenge Alaska has graciously allowed us the use of their building for the past 12 years,” O’Malley said of Arts Camp’s varied locational history. “Before that, what is now the Grind was renovated from its purpose as a laundromat to be the Girdwood Center for the Visual Arts. Arts Camp was held there. Arts Camp has also been at the Girdwood School, in Glacier City Hall and in a log cabin in old Girdwood.”

In tandem to the evening’s displayable art forms was enacted drama The Araboolies of Liberty Street by Sam Swope. The outdoor production, as performed by Why Bother Rehearsing Theatre Company, added stage quality color and flavor to the already entertaining evening.

“We have always done some kind of dramatic presentation. Usually we pick a children’s book to work from, one that can have a lot of actors,” said O’Malley. “Stage craft and prop making is featured.”

“In the past we have staged Mozart’s Magic Flute, and have created living tableaus of paintings by Miro and Picasso,” he said.

Arts Camp’s resounding success is reflected in both attendance as well as community response. Camp directors estimate 250 persons to have enjoyed the 2016 exhibit, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the Girdwood population.

“Camp has a return rate of about 60% of our students from year to year with most attending more than 5 years,” said O’Malley. “I estimate that over the last 30 years thousands of children and hundreds of artists have participated in the Girdwood Fine Arts Camp.”

“Jimmy Riordan, who started Camp at age 5, has taught at the University of Alaska,” said O’Malley. “Students have created public works of art in the Forest Fair Park, worked on mosaics along Alyeska Highway and in the new town square park. They also create a new community mural at the children’s park every two years,” he added.

Organizers feel Arts Camp positively impacts not only the community but participating children, with effects spanning into their adult years.

“We have ruined many children for factory work,” O’Malley said.