COCHRANE— Five weeks in the making, participants of the Kids Summer Painting Workshop celebrated receiving their certificates of completion from the program on Aug. 31.
Youth ages five to 10 met twice a week from July 6 to Aug. 26 at Bubble Tea Brewers for the art workshop organized by the Filipino Canadian Association of Cochrane Alberta (FCACA) with the help of Cochrane Home Treasures as the event’s sponsor.
Vice-president Edwin Aguanta and secretary Mila Prout of the FCACA co-coordinated the classes together, both of them possessing a passion for art.
During a speech directed at the young graduates, both Aguanta and Prout quickly became emotional having spent countless hours teaching and watching them bud into young artists while receiving community support throughout.
“We’re so privileged to work with this wonderful youth — our future [Vincent] van Gogh’s, [Leonardo] da Vinci’s, [Pablo] Picasso’s and Bob Ross’,” Aguanta said. “And a huge thank you to our major sponsor Cochrane Home Treasures and Barbara for partnering with us, providing all the funds to buy all the materials we needed for the workshop.”
“As the last class on Thursday was finishing up, Edwin and I were trying to figure out where to put your artwork,” Prout said. “I stood there and started crying, I was in tears. I soon realized what a marvellous job all you guys did and I thank you for letting Edwin and I be a part of your journey to this artwork.”
The FCACA members also thanked parents for allowing their children the opportunity to express their creative side beyond a screen or device and gave thanks to the staff of Bubble Tea Brewers for “putting up with the chaos every Tuesday and Thursday."
Workshop classes were set up to progress from a beginner to an advanced level, allowing participants to build on their skills each week. The classes covered everything from a review of primary colours to using different brush stroke techniques.
In total, the workshop saw 12 young artists through to completion. All of them were presented with a certificate along with a collection of all the art they produced throughout the duration of the workshop, celebrating with a pizza party to top it all off.
Many of the children’s parents and guardians were in attendance, along with a couple of officers of the FCACA and Barbara Primeau, chair of the Cochrane Home Treasures board of directors.
To show their gratitude, Prout and Aguanta presented Primeau with a certificate of appreciation and a few of the young artists gifted her with some of their work to hang on the walls of her home or at Home Treasures.
Primeau said she was happy to be a part of the non-profit’s initiative when the FCACA reached out for support as it is what Home Treasures mandate is all about— giving back to the community.
“We pick up the people that fall through the cracks,” she said. “The government can’t afford to do it so we’ll do everything we can.”
This is the first-ever workshop of its kind organized by the FCACA, but both Aguanta and Prout expressed interest in hosting something like it again in the future given the positive response.
“The best part was just seeing them grow, seeing the potential of each and every one of them,” Prout said. “Some kids when they come here, they’re still like… sleepy. And then as soon as we start our exercises and start doing their brushes, they’re just like… alive — they wake up.”
