News from the Noteworthy from the Community Arts Network of Oneonta
CANO Expands Summer Program for Kids, Teens
Founded 55 years ago, the Community Arts Network of Oneonta provides arts education, cultural presentations, and community events to residents and visitors in the region while supporting artists in the greater Oneonta area. The organization has undergone many transformations as it seeks to best meet the area’s current needs. The Summer Arts Program for Kids and Teens has grown each year since 2022 and, this summer, CANO will take the leap to full day arts education classes for kids and expand the range of teen workshops.
The Summer Arts Program offers a nurturing space for youths to explore, learn and create with peers. The program for kids 6-10 years runs for nine weeks during Oneonta School District’s summer break, with a visual art program that runs Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with themed weeks. Due to requests for full-day care and additional opportunities for children to take a broader range of arts classes, children will now be able to take arts workshops from 1-4 p.m. directly following the visual art program. The afternoon workshops provide a more eclectic arts experience, with instructors who have backgrounds in such areas as music, literature and visual art.
Offerings for “teens” 11-17 years old are also more diverse this year, with weeklong immersive workshops focusing on poetry, watercolor, ceramics, jewelry, modern embroidery and more.
“The expansion of the teens program is like a dream come true,” said CANO Executive Director Hope Von Stengel. “Imagine being able to take a fundamental guitar workshop one week and a fiction workshop the next. Photography I and II will explore using traditional and digital processes, including black and white photos. It is a thorough introduction to the arts.”
“We have a great team this summer, with over 10 artist instructors who plan to incorporate science, art history and nature into the kids’ projects. Megan Joubert and Sara Christoff are CANO’s summer art coordinators and will be teaching classes and workshops. Diana Cozzens is our new programming director and will offer ceramics and cooperative art projects. The program has really evolved and it is an honor to bring something this amazing that is affordable to the greater Oneonta community. We are so grateful to the New York State Council on the Arts and the Community Foundation of Otsego County for their support in this program and their investment in the education of our local youths.”
There is $5,000.00 in scholarship funding available for local children 6-10 years thanks to funding from the Community Foundation of Otsego County as part of their Fall 2024 Awards Cycle focusing on enrichment programming and basic needs for children. CANO also provides some teen scholarships in an effort to make arts education equitable and accessible to all.
To learn more about the Summer Arts Program, go to CANO’s website, https://www.canoneonta.org/, and e-mail admin@canoneonta.org with any questions.
Hope Von Stengel is the executive director of the Community Arts Network of Oneonta and festival director of the City of the Hills Festival.