By Sue Moore
“The arts bring the Vicksburg community together. It’s in our heritage,” said Syd Bastos as she was drawing up plans for a summer arts camp for 8 to 12-year-old children. Called “Arts in the Burg,” it extends the work of the Vicksburg Cultural Arts Center (VCAC) into a new realm, she noted.
“We want to inspire kids to express themselves through instruction and studio work in visual and performing arts classes each day where they will be in a safe and supportive environment,” Bastos said. The two-week arts camp will run from July 10 to 21, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the community center.
There will be an art exhibit and performance for family, friends and the community to celebrate the participants’ newfound abilities at the end of the camp. Instructors will come from local artists and teachers who love to mentor young people. They’ll work with no more than 10 children per class. The cost to parents is $400 with the possibility of scholarships.
Four disciplines will be taught, with collaboration occurring between the disciplines for a more dynamic experience. All art supplies will be provided and a t-shirt will be given to the day campers who will be asked to bring their own lunches. Registration is online at vicksburgdda.com/events.
Bastos and Lisa Beams, who is in charge of the artists at the VCAC, want to extend the offerings of the Art Center to a broader audience as the Center looks to make this the definitive place for arts entertainment and exhibitions in the village. The Center has the support of over 20 artists who exhibit at the 200 S. Main Street location. It sponsors coffeehouse concerts on the third Friday of each month and has promoted Destination Dinners for the Ukraine and Ireland recently. It sponsored and promoted the Art Stroll in 2016 that attracted an estimated 600-plus visitors to downtown Vicksburg.
The VCAC is a program of the Downtown Development Authority.