Over the weekend, Paperkite was lucky enough to be part of an event in our community that brought together local arts and recreation groups who offer programming for children and families. Close to 200 people gathered at the Fenimore Art Museum to attend to a concert by Uncle Rock, listen to a reading of original ghost stories written by 3-6th-graders, do crafts and watch paintings in the Museum’s collection come to life with the help of some costumed interpreters.
We live in a small community that is blessed with a wide variety of cultural resources. With such a small population, competition is steep, not only for funds but for a basic share of attention. You can plan an event for a year, but if it happens to coincide with almost anything else, your attendance will suffer greatly.
Meanwhile, families who are looking for something to do often rely on word of mouth and a lot of happenstance to learn about events.
So when we heard about an initiative to bring those groups together to create a comprehensive events calendar, we couldn’t wait to join the effort.
As parents, we’ll be thrilled to have that resource for ourselves. As creative teachers, we’ll be glad to have another venue to promote our workshops. And as members of the community, we think this effort will make arts, culture and recreation more accessible to everyone in the community.
Paperkite is donating our services to help get this collaboration off the ground and online. We’re set to launch in the next couple of weeks, and we’ll give you a peek behind the scenes of all the hows and whys of what we did.

We’re still finalizing the list, but here is the preliminary list of workshops we’re offering this fall.

Here is the coolest part: If you don’t see a class you want to take, suggest one and we’ll try to find a teacher.

And if you have a special talent or knowledge you would like to share (anything from painting to converting car engines to biodiesel), you could make a couple bucks sharing it with the rest of us. Again, add it in the comments.

Here is the lineup so far:

Elementary and Middle School Classes

Design KIDS – Grades 6-8
Graphic design is also for kids! Ever look at a piece of artwork and wonder what makes it so successful? We will learn the rules of design and how to apply them. Using a variety of hands-on media we will explore color; integrating text and images; layout techniques and other principles of design to create beautiful balanced compositions. At the end of the session students will have a portfolio to present for a final critique. 

Fairy Tales
In this class, younger writers and pre-writers will learn the elements of creating vivid settings, compelling characters and unforgettable stories. We will read a variety of fairy tales – some familiar, and many that are probably new, as well as invite members of the class to share their own favorite fairy tales.

Mysteries, Ghost Stories and Folk Tales
When the leaves turn crimson and orange, creative minds will conjure delightfully frightful mysteries, ghost stories and folk tales. We will learn about the history of this type of storytelling, learn the elements of keeping our readers on the edge of their trembling seats and even take a local ghost story field trip to learn about Cooperstown’s local haunts.

Magical Settings and Characters
From Aslan and the White Witch to Harry Potter and Voldemoort, young readers have always been entranced by magical characters and settings. In this class, we’ll venture into the realm of fantastical settings and characters, learn what makes them come to life and create a little of our own magic in the process.

Wild Tales with Tails
From Winnie the Pooh (and Tigger, too) to The Cat in the Hat to the Cowardly Lion, come of literature’s best-loved characters hail from the animal kingdom. In this class, we will learn more about the animals of New York with a visit to The Farmers’ Museum’s “Wild Times” exhibit and a tour of the working 1840s-style farm. Each student will choose an animal from the exhibit or from the farm as a main character to research and bring to life in a story.

Gallery Hoppers
Cooperstown and the nearby towns and villages have a wealth of galleries, museums and other cultural offerings. This group will meet once a week to visit exhibits and museums discuss what we’ve seen, and then create our own exhibit about what we’ve learned.

One-Day Workshops for High School Students

* Writing a Great College Application Essay (without selling out, selling your soul or making anything up)
* Don’t Friend the Dean: How Facebook, MySpace and Blogs Can Help or Hurt Job and College Applications
* Career GPS – Setting a College and Career Course for True Happiness

Adult Classes

Sheep to Shawl
A beginner’s guide (or refresher) on fiber arts, knitting and crochet. This class will meet once weekly, and will include instruction on knitting and crocheting, as well as field trips to learn how wool and alpaca fiber is collected, prepared and spun. We’ll also try our hands (no pun intended) at spinning, learn how to read patterns, determine the best yarns for a project (and the best projects for specific yarns). All skill levels are welcome and encouraged to join this class, as we hope everyone will learn something and enjoy time spent with fellow knitters.

Memoir
Writing your personal history is a powerful, exciting and restorative exercise. In this class, we will take the clay of raw experience and transform it into art. We’ll explore creative techniques for finding your stories, crafting compelling narratives and using vibrant, evocative language.