Wednesday, April 16, 5-7 pm

Catamount Arts Center, 115 Eastern Avenue, St. Johnsbury

Instructor: Katie Moritz

Do you belong here?

Why?

Why not?

In preparation for PoemTown St. Johnsbury 2025 – a community-wide celebration of National Poetry Month that takes place in April – join poet Katie Moritz for a FREE poetry workshop on the theme of BELONGING. Writers who choose to submit their poems to PoemTown St Johnsbury will have them displayed in storefronts throughout April.

 Open to all community members - no poetry experience needed! Participants can choose from one of four workshop times. Admission is FREE, but you must register online or by calling the box office at 802-748-2600, ext. 3. 

 The workshops are part of a community-wide writing project, Paper Chains, which is funded in part by an Arts and Social Cohesion grant from the Vermont Community Foundation. The aim of Paper Chains is to build connections among community members by writing about the experience of belonging (or not belonging), and inviting those whose voices are not generally heard to participate. In addition to offering the public workshops, we will be working with Writers for Recovery and also training staff and volunteers from a wide range of community agencies to lead writing workshops for their clients and constituents.     

PoemTown St. Johnsbury is a collaborative project of Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, and Discover St. Johnsbury, and is affiliated with Kellogg-Hubbard Library's PoemCity. 

Katie Moritz is a published poet and nonfiction author, and her fiction work has been nominated for a prestigious Pushcart Prize. Katie has over a decade of experience in writing and communication. Prior to her position as the Communication Liaison at NVRH, she has served as an editor of a weekly paper, a manager of an assisted living facility, and an educator for at-risk youth and first generation college students. While pursuing a master’s degree in writing and literature at Dartmouth, she founded a graduate student journal, and in turn served as its editor-in-chief. She currently lives in Vermont's rural Northeast Kingdom with her husband, her son, a dog, and her toothless cat.

VIRTUAL - Tuesday, May 6, from 6-8pm 

Workshop Description: Immerse yourself in the beauty and inspiration of the garden as we explore ways to engage children in nature-inspired artmaking. We’ll use natural materials such as leaves, petals, stones, seed pods, and sticks to create nature art. Discover techniques for ephemeral art, pressed flower creations, garden-inspired prints, and more. We'll also discuss how to guide children in observing seasonal changes and using their surroundings as a source of creative inspiration. You'll gain ideas for fostering meaningful artistic exploration while deepening children's connection to the natural world. Leave with practical tips for gathering, organizing, and storing natural materials to spark ongoing creativity.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will explore techniques for creating nature-inspired art using a variety of natural materials, such as leaves, petals, stones, and seed pods, to foster creativity in young children.

Participants will develop strategies for guiding children in observing seasonal changes and using their natural surroundings as a source of artistic inspiration.

Participants will gain practical tips for gathering, organizing, and storing natural materials to support ongoing creative exploration and engagement with nature.

Friday May 30 6-8 pm

Catamount Arts, 115 Eastern Avenue, St. Johnsbury

FREE

Painting is so much more than portraits and landscapes! In this process-based workshop, participants will have the opportunity to experiment with a variety of paints and methods that can be used in early childhood settings. We’ll dive into watercolor, tempera, paint sticks, and a few non-traditional paint options. We will discuss what is developmentally appropriate while learning about the arts skills in the VELS, National Core Arts Standards and Teaching Strategies Gold. Participants will come away with new knowledge and skills about painting techniques, sentence starters to encourage young artists to talk about their work, talking points to share with parents and colleagues about process-based three dimensional art and ideas for incorporating painting experiences into their curriculum. This workshop is for EVERYONE! No art experience or skill required in this play-based workshop, and seasoned artists may find some new tricks too. 

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will gain knowledge  and practical skills with tempera paint, paint sticks, watercolor paints and other materials. 
• Participants will explore a variety of painting techniques including layering, resists, brushing techniques, use of rollers and texture tools, and sgraffito. 
• Participants will plan for how to apply their new knowledge and skills in their early childhood settings with consideration toward their particular group, setting and personal needs.

Alexandra Turner is a doctoral student and Project RESILIENCY Scholar in the Social Emotional Behavioral Health and Inclusive Education program at University of Vermont, and holds an M.Ed. in Arts in Education and a Bachelor’s in Studio Arts. She has been a teaching artist, PD trainer, and program director for Inclusive Arts Vermont (VSA) for ten years, and prior to that was an Early Childhood Educator for five years. She has studied, practiced, played with, created and sold art in the domains of glass, drawing, painting, digital photo, installation, ceramics, and cake. Alexandra has worked with hundreds of educators and hundreds of students in a variety of art forms and purposes of art, including arts for their own sake, arts for mindfulness, arts integration with core curriculum, art and social emotional learning and inclusive arts practices for people with disabilities. Most importantly, Alexandra is the mother of two amazing young artists, currently 5 and 11 years old.

Saturday May 31,  10 am-12:00 pm

Catamount Arts Center, 115 Eastern Avenue, St. Johnsbury

FREE 

Using the power of aesthetic and sensory experience we can create opportunities for emotional regulation. This hands-on workshop will give participants the opportunity to experience a variety of arts materials, mindfulness activities and sensory experiences and plenty of time to reflect and discuss. What makes each material unique? How do we feel about it? How does it make us feel? What action is invited from each material? How can we intentionally leverage different materials for different regulation needs? Participants will come away with ideas for using the arts for regulation in their own classrooms, and in their own lives. 

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will explore a variety of arts materials and creative exercises designed to activate connection between mind and body, and reflect on how these experiences affect their emotions. 
• Participants will come away with an introductory knowledge about the ways in which the arts and creativity can be used as a tool for regulation in their own early childhood settings and beyond.

Alexandra Turner is a doctoral student and Project RESILIENCY Scholar in the Social Emotional Behavioral Health and Inclusive Education program at University of Vermont, and holds an M.Ed. in Arts in Education and a Bachelor’s in Studio Arts. She has been a teaching artist, PD trainer, and program director for Inclusive Arts Vermont (VSA) for ten years, and prior to that was an Early Childhood Educator for five years. She has studied, practiced, played with, created and sold art in the domains of glass, drawing, painting, digital photo, installation, ceramics, and cake. Alexandra has worked with hundreds of educators and hundreds of students in a variety of art forms and purposes of art, including arts for their own sake, arts for mindfulness, arts integration with core curriculum, art and social emotional learning and inclusive arts practices for people with disabilities. Most importantly, Alexandra is the mother of two amazing young artists, currently 5 and 11 years old.