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Thank you so much for your interest in the 2025 Summer Program! The Journey Through the Arts (JTTA) Summer Program is celebrating 25 YEARS this summer! Due to extreme demand and limited space we are introducing a mandatory application PRIOR to confirming registration. Last year we had over 300 people apply for only 120 available spots. Our hope is that this application process will allow everyone equal access to our programming.
Applications will be available at the end of February. But we wanted to release the dates and themes early to let you know! We will be in touch again when 2025 Summer Applications are being accepted. In the meantime- take a look at the themes and get ready for a great summer! Updates will also be posted on our Journey Through the Arts Facebook page AND our website.
A few other important details to note: Our Summer Program is open to all children ages 6 to 12 years old. Children must be 6 years old in July to be eligible. Our Summer Program runs Monday to Friday from 9:00-3:00 with an Open House performance and art gallery on the Friday of each week at 2:00pm. COST: $285 per week plus HST which includes all musical instruments and art supplies. We thank everyone for their enthusiasm!
Monday, March 3: World Wildlife Day Celebrate World Wildlife Day by creating a whole sketchbook full of cartoon animals!
Monday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day Gargoyle and Gryphon Drawings
Monday, March 24: A Tiny World Create your own scene inside a tiny wooden box- making miniature beds, accessories and creatures using fabric, paint, found items and more!
Monday, April 7: Whimsical Wire Button Trees Using vintage buttons and wire we will create delicate branches and blooms to create a colourful wire tree.
Monday, April 14: Wonderful Weaving! Learn how to create your own loom and how to weave colourful tapestries from yarn.
Monday, April 28: Create Your Own Painted Ceramic Tile$20 plus $6 Art Kit to take home. Register for whatever workshops
interest you! (Plus HST)
Tuesday, March 25: Creating Pottery Clay Vases and Watercolour Flowers Learn several handbuilding techniques to sculpt your own clay vases and fill them with beautiful watercolour flowers!
Tuesday, April 1: April Fools Day Prank Drawings Interactive Cartoon Drawings that make you and your friends laugh this April Fools!
Tuesday, April 8: Inside the Forest Pen & Ink Textures of Blossoms, Bark and Hidden Burrows- a magical forest drawing
Tuesday, April 15: Creating Wishing Stones Create thoughtful messages on rocks to decorate your garden this spring
Tuesday, April 22: Earth Day Learn How to Make Your Own Handmade Paper
Tuesday, April 29: Hold Your Horses! Horse and Unicorn Paintings$20 plus $6 Art Kit to take home. (Plus HST)
Register for whatever workshops interest you!
Saturday, March 29: There's a MOUSE in Your House! Creating 3D Mouse Mixed Media Portraits: Mickey Mouse? Minnie Mouse? Stuart Little? What cute little mouse will you make a portrait of using paint, beads, cardboard, ink pens and markers.
Saturday, April 12: Creating with Sea Glass$20 plus $6 Art Kit to take home. (Plus HST)
Register for whatever workshops interest you!
MARCH BREAK
Held from 10:00-11:30
Friday, March 7: Fun With Clay! Spend the morning creating sculptures and pottery!
Thursday, March 13: Become a Puppeteer Create your own Puppets and Act them out!EASTER WORKSHOP
Held from 10:00-11:30
Monday, April 21: Mixed Media Woden Easter Egg Decorating Using Japanese PaperP.A DAY WORKSHOP
Held from 10:00-11:30
Friday, April 11 P.A DAY A Day For the Birds! Create and Decorate Your Own Wooden Birdhouse to put outside and learn how to draw our feathered friends!Special workshops are 30 minutes longer and are $35 plus HST including ALL art supplies.
TO REGISTER for any of the workshops:
Please email Christine at jttacabin@gmail.com
See you at the studio!
Looking for a creative experience for your students in Kindergarten to Grade 8? The Journey Through the Arts In-the-Schools Program brings amazing interactive and hands-on visual art workshops that are geared towards each grade right into your classroom! We bring all of the art supplies and guide the students step-by-step through fun and imaginative art projects. $7 per student (includes all art supplies, instruction and a 2-period-length art workshop). By the end of the workshop each student will have a piece of art to hang in the classroom or take home with them.
Email jttacabin@gmail.com to for more information or to reserve a workshop.
(Please note: The JTTA In-the-Schools Program is open to schools ONLY in Port Hope & Cobourg at this time.)
Here are just a few of the school art workshops we offer:
WORKSHOPS DESCRIPTIONS
JK/SK: Clay Pinch Pots: During this workshop students will learn all about clay, 2D shapes, 3D shapes and how to make their own clay pinch pot using self hardening clay. The pots will be left to dry in the classroom and paint will be left with the teacher so that the pots can be painted and decorated 4-5 days later once the clay is fully hardened.
Grade 1: Art in the Round: "Exploring Sand Mandalas": This workshop will focus on learning about the various types of lines, geometric and organic shapes, warm and cool colours and radial designs to create a mandala sand painting on canvas using various colours of sand.
Grade 2: Understanding Warm and Cool Colours: "That's One Cool Panda!" During this workshop students will learn how to draw a panda using geometric shapes. They will then transform their symmetrical panda drawing using warm colours on one side and cool colours on the other. This workshop will focus on how colours can be used to show emotion as well as using symmetrical shapes.
Grade 3: Painting Underwater Creatures: This workshop will teach students how to draw an underwater scene and will focus on the concepts of space (foreground, middleground and background) to create the feeling of depth and will teach the students how to create various textures (pointilism for sand, scales on fish etc) and underwater creatures including a jellyfish, seahorse and a fish to create an underwater painting.
Grade 4: Squirrel Drawings: Learning About Line and Texture: This workshop will teach students how to draw a squirrel and to use various drawing techniques such as cross-hatching, pointillism and repetition of lines to create visual rhythm and texture in their squirrels fur and the setting of their drawing.
Grade 5: Birch Tree Landscape Paintings: This workshop will focus on understanding how to compose a landscape and using shading and cast shadows that create the illusion of depth in a landscape painting.
Grade 6: Caricatures: This workshop will teach students about the rules of proportion for the human face. After understanding proportion we will break the rules and exaggerate a facial feature to create a funny caricature of ourselves.
Grade 7: Drawing Trees Inspired by Emily Carr: This workshop will teach students about how to use lines for expressive purposes while creating a landscape drawing inspired by Canadian artist Emily Carr. The workshop will also introduce students to using texture and value in their drawings of trees using chalk pastels.
Grade 8: Cubist Portrait Paintings Inspired by Picasso: This workshop will investigate Cubist portraits and how artists such as Picasso broke up and analyzed three dimensional shapes and reassembled them on the page. During this workshop we will analyze the shapes used in the human face and reassemble them to create our own Cubist self-portrait paintings.
I would also be happy to discuss the individual needs of your students and customize a lesson to suit your individualized learning goals and units.
Are you stuck for a creative and fun way to celebrate your child's birthday? Why not hold a party at the log cabin at the Journey Through the Arts studio! Parties include:
- a 1 hour art project
- 30 minutes for cake and/or presents
Birthday Party packages include:
- a customized art project based on what the birthday child would like to do (painting, cartooning, drawing, clay sculpture etc) and a customized subject matter (their favourite animal, cartoon character). Email Christine to discuss all of the art media options AND subject matter available.
- includes all art supplies
- an art-themed goodie bag for each participant
Cost: $18 plus HST per child
**Parties can be booked to suit your schedule
What are YOU interested in exploring? Landscapes, animals, gardens, abstract? The art supplies are ready! Feel free to contact me to reserve a customized time during the day Monday to Friday between the hours of 10:00am to 2:00pm and create a project for you! Connect with your creative side and with your friends in a fun and relaxing environment. $30 per person for a 1.5 hour private workshop (includes all art supplies). Please email the studio at jttacabin@gmail.com for more information or to book your workshop!
I hope to see you all at the cabin studio!
Christine
Journey Through the Arts
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We hope to see you at the studio soon!
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Journey Through the Arts, run by artist Christine Benson, and musician Mike Woods is a multi-faceted arts organization in Port Hope, Ontario which is dedicated to bringing a variety of exciting programmes to adults and children. Founded as a way to ensure "the arts" (music, art and drama) are an integeral part of children's lives JTTA offers week long summer programmes throughout July and August at a restored mill along the Ganaraska River. The summer programme, which was founded in 2002, teaches children (between the ages of 6 and 13) about the value and importance of using their creativity and imagination while they produce visual art, perform original musical compositions and perform short plays. The results are both inspiring and humbling as the children gain confidence and learn various skills throughout the week.
From its roots as a children's arts organization Journey Through the Arts (JTTA) has blossomed and grown into a place where adults and children alike can experience the limitless possibilities of the arts. JTTA now offers after school, weekend and specialty art workshops for children, private guitar lessons, a group recording facility and adult visual art workshops which are dedicated to exposing adults (with various levels of experience) to the fine arts.
In the summer of 2005 JTTA opened the doors of the The Journey Through the Arts Gallery which focuses on giving exhibition opportunities to local and regional artists and artisans. The JTTA Gallery offers visitors a glimpse into the ideas, practises, techniques and work of 15 artists. The gallery features a variety of media including painting, printmaking, jewelry and pottery. Exhibitions and artists are ever-changing with work that is sure to inspire the artist within all of us.
PRIVATE LESSONS for ADULTS & CHILDREN:
Arranged to suit your individual schedule, these lessons can be booked after school or in the evening. Lessons are 30 minutes ($20 per lesson) or 1 hour ($30 per lesson) plus HST. Private lessons include all art supplies. Lessons are based on your individual interests including mosaics, jewellery, painting on canvas, watercolour, printmaking and more!!
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ART BIRTHDAY PARTIES:
JTTA offers a fun and creative way to celebrate your child's birthday! Your private party includes all supplies, snacks and an art project for each of your guests. Parties are one hour in length and are held at our downtown studios. Parties are suitable for children 6-13 and are $15 per child plus HST. Please visit our website or call the studio for project descriptions.
IN-THE-SCHOOLS PROGRAMME:
Invite JTTA to your school! Workshops are available for JK to Grade 8 in various media. All workshops are affordably priced at $6 plus HST per student, including all art supplies. Instruction is 2 periods in length and comes with an accompanying rubric that compliments the visual art curriculum.
SATURDAY MORNING ART WORKSHOPS FOR
CHILDREN 6-12:
Each 1 hour workshop focuses on a particular
technique and/or art movement. Art workshops for children are held on
Saturday’s from 10:00-11:00 and are $20 per workshop plus HST (which
includes all art supplies) and consist of a maximum of 10 participants. Children are not required to register for all workshops and are free to
pick and choose the workshops that interest them!