Common Ground Teen Center adds splash of color to downtown Washington
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Morgan Henderson, right, carefully re-creates her drawing on the Teen Center’s window while her friend, Ele Sickman, free-hands a rainbow. The two young adults enjoyed drawing and painting during Fine Arts Camp.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Malia Rivera of Washington looks on as Kiya Vaughn, also of Washington, stencils her artwork on the Teen Center window. Vaughn drew inspiration from one of the “Respect” signs in the center, while Rivera said she wanted to advertise the center in cursive.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Teen Center Supervisor Landan Weakland tapes one of the camper’s artwork outside so the artist can trace the words, which will be readable by passersby, while a camper begins painting.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Ele Sickman of Washington works quietly on her drawing during Fine Arts Camp. Sickman said she enjoys drawing and recently had fun getting creative through photography.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Morgan Henderson, left, and Ele Sickman add their own artworks to the Teen Center window mural. Henderson carefully transferred a drawing from paper to glass while Sickman free-handed a rainbow.
The Common Ground Teen Center is adding a splash of color to downtown Washington.
For the first time ever, the Teen Center is hosting several weeklong, in-person summer camps, and last week’s theme was fine arts.
“I heard so many young people last year say, ‘I can’t draw,'” said Mary Jo Podgurski, director of Washington Health System Teen Outreach. “I believe in young people. What they have inside of them should be let out. The intention is to encourage them to express themselves.”
Over the course of the week, attendees did express themselves in a variety of ways. Some campers learned origami or calligraphy while others dabbled in music and explored literature.
But the most popular activity was painting.
“We’ve been talking to a lot of people in the community and we realized no one really knows where we are because we haven’t really put too much advertising on the outside,” said Landan Weakland, Teen Center supervisor.
So fine arts campers spent the beginning of the week brainstorming and fleshing out ideas during drawing sessions, then brought their visions to life on the Teen Center’s windows Wednesday and Thursday, when individuals added their personal artwork to the group mural with window chalk.
“We really wanted to encourage creativity and add a little bit of lovely to the outside,” said Sophia Curry, a teen supervisor.
Ele Sickman, who enters seventh grade this year, spent much of the week perfecting her piece, which prominently features a multi-colored heart surrounded by uplifting quotes.
“I messed up on the heart. I thought one of (the markers) was purple, and then it turned out it was, like, brown, and I was really mad,” Sickman said. “So I made it a peachy color.”
During camp, young adults worked through challenges like Sickman’s, embraced the fluidity of the creative process and ultimately created works they’re proud of.
“There was a man that came along and he held a thumb’s up when I was painting,” Morgan Henderson, of Washington, said with a smile.
Fine arts camp was a hit with the youth, and Podgurski expects a great turnout for this week’s Games Camp, too. She’s looking forward to finishing the summer with Nature Camp, Aug. 9 through 12.
“It’s the best-kept secret in town,” said Podgurski.