Saturday, June 6, 10am-noon

Catamount Arts Center - Fried Family Gallery

Interested in both art and poetry? Come try your hand at writing poems inspired by the wonderful art in St. Johnsbury. In this workshop, writer Rachael Fowler will provide prompts to help you write your own ekphrastic poems. There will also be time to share what you’ve written. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have knowledge of two published ekphrastic poems, drafts of your own writing, and a list of more ekphrastic literature to explore. 

Fee: $15 (10% discount for Catamount Arts members).  Please contact Anne at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to inquire about financial assistance. 

Rachael Fowler’s short fiction has been published by The Literary Review, North American Review, Prime Number Magazine, Southern Humanities Review, and Fugue. Her novel Whale Bones is forthcoming from Ricochet Press. Her writing has also been awarded funding through the Mississippi Arts Commission and residencies with the Vermont Studio Center, Nocefresca, Yaddo, and The Studios at MASS MoCA. She earned her PhD in Creative Writing (Fiction) from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Writers, where she currently serves as Assistant Teaching Professor of English, Coordinator of the Young Authors Academy, and Editor of Mississippi Review. 

Saturday, June 6, 10am-noon

Catamount Arts Center - Fried Family Gallery

Interested in both art and poetry? Come try your hand at writing poems inspired by the wonderful art in St. Johnsbury. In this workshop, writer Rachael Fowler will provide prompts to help you write your own ekphrastic poems. There will also be time to share what you’ve written. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have knowledge of two published ekphrastic poems, drafts of your own writing, and a list of more ekphrastic literature to explore. 

Fee: $13.50 (10% discount for Catamount Arts members).  Please contact Anne at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to inquire about financial assistance. 

Rachael Fowler’s short fiction has been published by The Literary Review, North American Review, Prime Number Magazine, Southern Humanities Review, and Fugue. Her novel Whale Bones is forthcoming from Ricochet Press. Her writing has also been awarded funding through the Mississippi Arts Commission and residencies with the Vermont Studio Center, Nocefresca, Yaddo, and The Studios at MASS MoCA. She earned her PhD in Creative Writing (Fiction) from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Writers, where she currently serves as Assistant Teaching Professor of English, Coordinator of the Young Authors Academy, and Editor of Mississippi Review. 

For early childhood educators

Monday, June 8, 5pm-7pm

Instructor: Susanna Olson

Location: Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

*FREE, but advance registration required*

Imagine a circle time that fully engages preschoolers' bodies, voices, and imaginations from start to finish. Through playful and simple drama routines early childhood educators can both expand expressive range and deepen learning for children by offering them opportunities to construct and demonstrate their understanding of a wide range of content from literature to science and beyond. In this workshop, participants will experience a collection of tried-and-true exercises designed to guide young learners, each in their own unique way, to pantomime the life cycle and migratory behavior of monarch butterflies. Drama exercises will include “Echo”, “Freeze”, “Moving Through Space”, “Solo”, “Shaping” and more. Following the acting session, teachers will brainstorm together ways these same exercises can be used to support a wide range of curricular content in the classroom. A brief tour of the butterfly house at Fairbanks Museum will enrich this fun experience!  

Please Note: This workshop involves plenty of whole body kinesthetic learning so participants should wear clothing in which they feel comfortable moving. 

FREE, but advance registration is required. Those who attend will receive Documentation of Professional Development.This workshop is presented with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council. 

Susanna Olson is a dynamic theater arts integration teaching artist with over 20 years' experience providing direct service to children and professional development for teachers and teaching artists across Vermont. With extensive expertise in PreK-4th grade classrooms, she's collaborated with hundreds of classroom educators to co-create and implement residencies that both address curricular goals and strengthen children's expressive abilities. Currently practicing her teaching artistry at Robin's Nest Children's Center in Burlington, over the years she's taught for a variety of organizations including The Flynn, Champlain Valley Head Start, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Vermont Arts Council.

Saturdays, April 11, May 9, June 13, 10am-noon

Catamount Arts Center

Instructor: Abby Maier Johnson

Explore the work in the Catamount Arts galleries by making your own art creations! Classes will meet once a month. Students will spend time looking at the work in the galleries and then create projects inspired by a piece in the show. 

Class fee: $20 per session. Registration in advance is required. We are committed to offering high quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay. If you need financial assistance, please contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to learn about scholarships.

Abby Maier Johnson has over 20 years of experience working with children in libraries, schools, museums, and community centers. Her work as a teaching artist has often focused on using everyday materials to create sculptures, puppets, and masks. She currently works with students in PreK through 8th grade as the art teacher at The Riverside School in Lyndonville, and loves exploring all kinds of visual art with her students.

Monday, June 22-Friday, June 26, 9am-noon

Catamount Arts Center

Catamount Arts will offer its popular EPIC Music Camp this summer in the air-conditioned Catamount Arts Center, for students aged 8 and up. Camp faculty will include Artistic Director Jason Bergman, Roy MacNeil, and Ruth Einstein. The camp will include high quality music instruction on violin, viola, cello and bass (beginners will start on violin); games and performance opportunities; and exploration of classical and traditional music in large and small ensembles. Depending on interest, mini classes for experienced players may include music theory, ear training, improvisation, composition, and chamber ensembles.

Tuition for the week is $100 per child, with a 20% discount for siblings. We never want a family to make a difficult decision regarding their child’s enrichment, which is whywe makegenerous tuition assistance available. Parents and caregivers wishing to discuss financial assistance should contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600 ext. 109. Families wishing to pay more in order to support other campers are welcome to do so by visiting https://www.catamountarts.org/support/donate/ or using Venmo (@catamountarts).

Space is limited, so please reserve your spot(s) by 5pm on June 15.

For more information, call 802-748-2600, ext. 109 or visit the EPIC Music page on the Catamount Arts website: www.catamountarts.org/education. EPIC Music is inspired by the global El Sistema movement, which creates social change through music education. Learn more at elsistemausa.org.