Jennifer and Lorelei Samuels participate in the Mini Masters program at the UM Museum
OXFORD, Miss. – The University Museum and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council are offering the popular “Mini Masters” art program this fall in Oxford. These fun, drop-in workshops are for children ages 2 to 5, as well as a parent or guardian. Siblings are also welcome to attend.
Classes begin Sept. 10 at the Powerhouse and Sept. 24 the University Museum.
“Mini Masters is truly a special community partnership that offers unique programming at two different sites for our youngest learners and their parents,” said Emily Dean, the museum’s curator of education. “We love seeing the discoveries and interactions that take place here at Mini Masters as toddlers are introduced to art.”
Local artist Andi Bedsworth will be teaching classes at the Powerhouse, which be held the second Tuesday of each month, Sept. 10, Oct. 8 and Nov. 12. In her classes, attendees will explore various media to learn about colors and textures. The classes include alphabet collages, “Blue Dog” by George Rodrigue and harvest collages.
“We have new projects planned for each class and I am looking forward to doing new activities with the children,” Bedsworth said. “The fun part about this class is the relationship between the children and their parents, and that the children and parents get to know each other better while making art. These connections are what make this class so interesting.”
At the museum, attendees will be inspired to create art based on artifacts and exhibitions. The museum will host Mini Masters classes on Sept. 24, Oct. 22 and Dec. 3. Classes at the museum will allow children to explore the artist Georgia O’Keeffe and desert paintings; create pop food art and explore letters and numbers art by Jasper Johns.
Each Mini Masters class is $5 per family, per session, and no pre-registration is needed. Classes run from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. The full Mini Masters schedule is available at the Powerhouse, University Museum or online at http://museum.olemiss.edu/mini-masters/.
For more information about Mini Masters, contact either Emily Dean at esdean@olemiss.edu or Andi Bedsworth at andibedsworth@gmail.com.