archangel arts camp

Children’s Artistic Talents Can Soar at Archangel Arts Day Camp

By Pauline Hovey
Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of 3/15/07)

MADISON — Whether your child’s talent or interest lies in music, acting, art, dance, photography, writing, building, or design, the Archangel Arts Center summer day camp can offer the perfect venue for his or her creative expression. Situated at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Madison County, this Christian-based arts center, dedicated to promoting artistic excellence for the glory of God, has organized an exciting and innovative lineup for summer 2007, including such unusual offerings as learning American Sign Language and building movie sets with Legos. And best of all, it’s offered in a peaceful, nurturing setting surrounded by the natural beauty of central Virginia.
Husband and wife team, Tomas and Bonnie Fernandez, both artists and members of Our Lady of the Blue Ridge Parish in Madison, co-founded the Archangel Arts Center five years ago in following an undisputable call to create an environment where the gospel message could be proclaimed through art. The couple has since expanded the center’s list of instructors, some of whom are independent or retired professional artists and musicians, to bring a wide variety of classes and workshops to the area. The summer camp program, although only a few years’ old, is extensive in its wide range of offerings and appeals to all ages, from preschoolers to teenagers.
Camp programs range from a three-hour segment to all day, depending on the child’s age and level of interest. Of the center’s dozen or so programs, the Lego/Radio Drama camp is one of the most creative offerings around. When this program was offered for the first time last year, Tomas, who developed and ran the program, said it filled up immediately. “The challenge was to be able to effectively work with all this enthusiasm,” he said. Although they were avid Lego builders, “none of the kids had ever created a movie with their Legos, so that new spin created a bonfire.”
Last year’s Lego program was based on the Christian story of the quest for the Holy Grail. Fernandez said he let the children’s imagination take over within the perimeters of the background of the story to create the land of Camelot, complete with drawbridges, a moat, a king and queen, and other characters. Campers in this year’s program will use a different story for their setting, but will again build indoor and outdoor sets, learn to create sound effects, learn the secrets of stop motion cinematography, and film their own movie short.
Other offerings include junior camp, for children ages 4-8, which provides music, art, and dance instruction, and begins and ends with prayer. Skills Intensive camps, for ages 8 and up, focus on instruction in a particular area such as photography or music, and also begin and end with prayer. New this year is a camp program teaching sign in American Sign Language (ASL). There will be two offerings: one for older children wanting to learn how to use ASL in faith-based songs, and one for parents who want to learn to sign to their young children (ages 2-7).
The tentative schedule includes the following:
ASL Connections: Musical Signs for the Lord — campers will become a voiceless choir through the use of sign language;
ASL Connections: Signing with your little one — parents will learn how to sign with their young children, teaching them fingerspelling, numbers, colors, and more;
Paper Making/Book of Verses — campers learn the art of paper making and construct a book of Bible verses;
Mancala Camp — children create, sand, and paint their own Mancala game — a board game originating in Africa that can best be described as a cross between chess and Chinese checkers
Fiber camp — children explore a different fiber art each day;
Dance Camp — challenging dance steps and routines choreographed to Christian music
Junior Dance Camp;
Music Camp — offerings include guitar, voice, theory, piano, and chorus;
Drama Camp — covers basic acting techniques;
Photography Camp — includes digital editing of photographs;
Lego/Radio Drama — this daylong camp includes set building, cinematography, and voice acting;
Campers desiring to take both a morning and afternoon program will receive a discount. Nonmember costs for half-day programs start at $40. Camp programs will be offered weekly, beginning June 18 and ending Aug. 3. Archangel Arts Center is located on Route 29 South in Rochelle. For more information, including costs, call the center at 540/948-5628.

Hovey is a freelance writer from Greene County.