Museum's youth art series going places

A youth art program hosted by the Putnam County Museum has been chosen for a regional grant.

The Arts Illiana of Terre Haute chose the museum's summer arts program "Arts on the Move" for one of its cultural enhancement grants of $450. The museum will offer this three-program series on select Saturdays in July and August as part of its mission to educate the community about the cultural heritage of Putnam County.

Arts Illiana selects artists, arts events, and arts programming for grants as the regional partner of the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Arts Illiana represents Region 6, serving Clay, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties.

'Arts on the Move" is designed for elementary school-aged participants, however younger children are welcome with adult supervision and older children can be junior leaders. All activities except the walking tour on Aug. 12 will take place in the museum multipurpose room. Interested parents should contact the museum to reserve a spot for their children. Cost for each program is $5, however a limited number of scholarships are available. Red Leaf Creativity Center and Bright Futures have made donations to provide those scholarships as part of the cash match required by the grant.

The summer programs are as follows:

-- 'Oh! The Places We'd Go!" On Saturday, July 8, at 10 a.m., kids create their own handmade accordion-style books about their dream vacations. After the session is over, the books will be displayed in a special exhibit at the Museum!

-- 'I Love a Parade!" On Saturday, July 22, at 10 a.m., kids will learn about the history of and ideas behind parades. Afterward, they will design and march in their own parade, which friends and family can watch in the Museum parking lot. (Parade at 11 a.m.)

-- 'Building Putnam County." On Saturday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m., kids will take a walking tour of the Courthouse Square and learn about the architecture of its buildings while taking photographs of the architectural features with disposable cameras. After learning about some types of buildings that already exist, the kids will sculpt models of buildings they would like to see built in Putnam County and/or create a collage of their photos. Adults are welcome to take the tour with their own cameras.

Reservations are not necessary, however space is limited. For more information or to guarantee a spot, contact the museum at 765-653-8419 or museum@co.putnam.in.us.