Arts Council to offer free art workshops in Spencer this summer

The Tioga Arts Council (TAC) recently announced free summer art workshops presented by Kathye E. Arrington, taking place at Inspire S-VE, Inc., located at 57 E. Tioga Street in Spencer, in July and August 2024. The workshops are Drum Making, Mud Cloth Painting, and Banana Leaf Art.

Can Drum Making (Recycle Art Making) will be held on Monday, July 8. In this workshop, students will create hand drums from recycled food and coffee cans. The cans will be covered with fabric and glued on and secured with rubber bands. This will guarantee the quality of the tone of the instrument. For the final touch, the head of the drum glue is brushed on with glue to complete the process. This workshop is for ages six to 14. The class is limited to 10 to 12 participants.

Mud Cloth (Korhogo Style) will be featured on Monday, July 22. Korhogo cloth is an African textile made by the Senatobia people of Korhogo, Ivory Coast. Korhogo is made by hand painting designs on hand-woven and hand-spun cotton fabric. In the class, participants will learn about the tradition, symbols, and process of Korhogo style and create their own work of art. Students will be painting with bamboo sticks and mud from different parts of the United States and other parts of the world like South America, Europe, and Africa. This workshop is for ages eight to 14. The class is limited to 10 to 12 participants.

Banana Leaf Artwork will be presented on Monday, Aug. 12. Banana leaf artwork has been a part of African art for centuries. The art form comes from Kenya. Banana leaf art is created from pieces of banana leaves that are cut and pasted on wooden backgrounds. The banana leaves are sometimes dyed to create a more dimensional or realistic effect. This workshop is for ages eight to 14. The class is limited to 10 to 12 participants.

All supplies (including snacks) are provided, and an RSVP is required by. Email to kathyeea65@gmail.com with the class title to reserve your seat one week prior to the event.

Kathye Edwina Arrington maintains an active career in the fine and graphic arts. She has a great interest in multiculturalism and sensitivity towards children that can be seen in her artwork and her teaching activities. Kathye creates art, and teaches privately.

Kathye earned her B.F.A at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and M.S. in Studio Art with a concentration in graphic design at the College of New Rochelle, N.Y. Her artwork has been displayed in New York and Maryland and Pennsylvania. In May 2002, Kathye’s work was displayed at the International Gathering of People Expo at Savage Mills in Savage, Maryland. Later that year Kathye was invited to be a part of The African Spirit in Contemporary Art exhibit at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, Pa. in 2002; ALVEAR STUDIO Design and Imports Gallery in Washington D.C. in 2003; Avenue Art Gallery in Endicott, N.Y. in 2005; the Bundy Museum in Binghamton, N.Y. in 2007; the Tioga County Council on the Arts in 2003, 2005 and 2010; New York State Fair’s African Village art tent, 2007- 2011; the Phelps Mansion, Binghamton, 2008 – 2009; the Art Institute of Washington, D.C., 2008; Angles Gallery, Fredrick, Md., 2009; Van Horn Jewelers, Owego, N.Y., 2009 – 2010; Festival of Lights in Greenbelt, Md., 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Kathye has also displayed at The Drumzone in Endicott in 2012, and The Black Cat in Owego from 2011 – 2015; and the Broome County Arts Council in 2016 and Tioga Arts Council in 2017. In November 2023, at the Tioga County Arts Council, Kathye, along with her sister Karen Arrington, held their exhibit in the main gallery, and while their grandnephew Benjamin Peterson had his first exhibit in the Youth Gallery featuring Mud cloth, Pottery, Watercolor, and Acrylics.

The Tioga County Youth Bureau provided funds to support this free workshop series. Inspire S-VE, Inc. partnered in this arts-enrichment endeavor.

Contact Christina Di Stefano by email to tiogaartscouncil@gmail.com if you have additional questions.