As part of Literacy Merritt and Nicola Valley’s Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week, the Old Courthouse Art Gallery hosted a hands-on creative event for K-Preteens and Teen-Adult on January 30.
Just as with the Merritt Drum Connection, participants were invited to “unplug” from digital devices and create a work of art, in this case a book made from an assortment of media; stamps, paper cut-outs, magazine pictures and text and recycled paint chips.
Arts Council President Mischelle Pierce said the event was a great way to get children down to the Gallery and involved in the creative process.
“With the literacy program, the Unplug and Play we just thought it would be fun to partake in it, because we like to see kids coming in and doing more art. I think if they don’t learn art when they’re kids, they don’t really have the appreciation for it later on in life, so we thought it was a great opportunity to partner up with literacy,” said Pierce.
“It’s fun to see the kids with scissors and stamps. So often in school they’re doing a specific thing whereas here with this, it’s just a freeform do-it-how-you-like kind of thing. You might have a hope for what you’ll have in the end, but it doesn’t really matter the process.”
