Note: This is the first in a series of sponsored posts for The Arts Council of Princeton. All thoughts and opinions are authentic and my own. 

The Arts have always had a place in our family, mostly because it’s something that I grew up with and kind of was born into. My grandfather was an artist/inventor, my dad spent many years running his own graphic design business, and his sister is a professor at The New School in New York City. Whenever there was an art project to do for school, my dad and I would pull out the big wad of molding clay and the tools to try and create something different. I took art class in school (went all the way up through AP Art in high school), but beyond that, I never took art classes as an extracurricular. I don’t know why I didn’t try and explore or develop the talent, but I just never did. I was always crafty and enjoyed doing artsy stuff at home – I spent the Blizzard of 1996 painting a garden scene on my bedroom door, because why not? And then in college, I actually spent the summer after my first year researching what it would take to publish a book of craft ideas. That’s how much I was into making things. But once I became a mom and then a working mom, a lot of that went out the window. However, once my girls started showing a strong interest in the arts, it revived my love for it as well. Now I actively seek opportunities for them to expand on their talents and introduce them to new ways of looking at things. We live in the Princeton, NJ area, where there is a very vibrant arts scene, much in part due to the partnerships created by The Arts Council of Princeton. My family recently came on board as ambassadors for the organization, and our first opportunity was a week at one of the summer camps for kids.

This opportunity came at a time when I was scratching my head about what I was going to do with the girls during August when all camps end. It’s already a hard balance when you have to juggle work and summer activities; having 3 weeks to fill was stressing me out!

When it came time to register the girls for camp, we had a few different themes to pick from. The girls unanimously and enthusiastically wanted Astonishing Asteroids. We had already been to the Planetarium that spring and the girls regularly enjoyed star-gazing with their dad, so the prospect of merging art with their interest in outer space was the perfect fit!

When camp week came around, the girls didn’t really know what to expect, but at the end of the first day, they couldn’t wait to go back.

The girls knew they were working towards a class exhibit in the Taplin Gallery, where the rest of summer camp projects were on display for the public. They also did little projects each day to represent some of the best aspects of the galaxy: ALIENS!

In addition to working on projects that involved mixed media like paper mache and clay, the teachers read related books to the kids and took them for some outside play in the neighboring YMCA.

At the end of their week, we all went back as a family to the Taplin Gallery to see some of the work they did as a class. It was fun for them to take us on a tour of the exhibit and to show us what they worked on as a group. It made me proud just to watch how proud they were of their art.

It might not be enough for me to tell you how much they loved it. Just watch their recap video below to see for yourself. Now that the the girls are getting into a regular routine of making videos, they couldn’t wait to do one at the end of their week.

If you live in the Princeton area and want to learn more about the programs available at The Arts Council, they are hosting an Fall Open House on Saturday, September 10th from 1-3pm. We’ll be there!

Thanks again to the Arts Council for giving the girls this opportunity. You’ll see us doing more throughout the year, but you can also get a feel for what the organization offers at their website or their social networks:  Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter.