A Different Kind of Art

Area student artists recently completed a “Green Found Art” workshop at the Winnsboro Center For The Arts conducted by local artists Tracy Hopkins and Grahame Hopkins. Grahame is pictured here working with one of the students, Justin Haney.

The workshop was held on two days, this past Friday and Monday, and now the creations are displayed at the center and will be juried. At an Artist’s Reception on Saturday, July 24th at 10:00am, cash prizes will be awarded to the top three students judged on Creativity, Application of Theme, Use of Materials, and Skill. Special recognition will be given for Most Creative, Most Unusual, Most Interesting and Most Imaginative.

The kids all had a great time, and found all kinds of interesting things to make out of old paper, tin, cardboard, and even some old bones. Nick Rakich first started making a banjo out of cardboard and twine, but switched the second day and made a ukulele out of an old cookie tin. His brother, Ethan, made a shark out of cardboard, wire and tin foil.

Jannah Haney made this cute dress out of a trash bag. "She started off to make a smock out of a trash bag," said Elizabeth Joslin, a VISTA volunteer at the Center. "She wanted to protect her clothes while she was painting. Then she decided to decorate it and make a dress. Kennadie helped her with some of the decorations."

(L-R: Kennadie Williams, Jannah Haney.)

Some of the other work the students did were splash paint and mixed medium. They also had lots of fun painting on old bones the Grahame's brought in. "Somebody must have had a pit on our property where they buried cows," Grahame said. "Every now and then one of our dogs brings us a big old leg bone."

When interviewed by the teachers, some of student’s commented that what they enjoyed most was that they could create whatever they wanted, with no one telling them how they had to do it. Their experience of total artistic freedom is reflected in the wide array of art work produced.

Brennan Murray (L) did some splash paint, but was most excited about the replica of the George Washington Monument he was creating.

The workshop was free and scholarships were provided, in part, by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Winnsboro Cultural Arts District. Participants were asked to create works of art out of everyday “found” resources to encourage Recycling in Winnsboro. VISTA worker, Phyllis Martin was instrumental in organizing the event and was so happy to see the kids there having a good time.

"I hope people will come to the reception and see all this terrific work the students did," she said. "It is at 10:00 on Saturday morning. It had been scheduled for the evening but some of the kids had conflicts, so we changed it to the morning."

Some of the kids who took part in the workshop. (L-R) Ethan Rakich, Jannah Haney, Nick Rakich, Nicole Giroux