Art Lab offers summer activities for families

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press

Expressing oneself through art is something that anyone can do, big or small, young and old.
The Cove Art Lab offers the community an outlet for said artistic expression. This summer, the Art Lab will be offering a variety of fun, artistic activities.
“I think that artistic expression is important for all people,” said Mindy Desmond, owner of the Cove Art Lab. “We all have an urge to create something…We all have that creative side that we need to nurture.”
The Art Lab offers one-day classes that are available for $15 per person. On July 15, they will have a Little Hands Collage session available for anyone 3 and older. The one-hour class begins at 1 p.m. The lab is also holding two-hour, one-day painting classes available for those ages 7 and older. A shark painting class is set for July 7, starting at 6 p.m., with a wolf painting class on July 14 at 3 p.m., a Harry Potter-themed painting class on July 21 starting at 6 p.m., and a chameleon painting class on July 28 starting at 6 p.m.
The lab also holds art parties either at the Cove Art Lab or at another location. 
The Art Lab hosts classes for adults every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. They also offer 6 p.m. classes every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.
The lab also holds free family-friendly karaoke nights every 1st and 3rd Saturday from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. 
“It’s enjoyable for me. It keeps me busy, and I love art,” said Matthew Cruz (13) about the summer art camps.
The classes encourage teamwork, and can be a good activity for the whole family. They encourage parents to paint with their children.
Desmond said she loves working with children with learning disabilities and those with special needs.
She said that she also has a lot of senior citizens that participate in her classes.
“Expressing yourself is important for all people, even if you don’t consider yourself to be artistic,” said Desmond. “Every child does something creative when they are little. We all have that in us, and at some point, some people are told that they are good at art, and some people are told that they are not, and we sort of fade away into those categories. What it is is that we either haven’t found the skills that you need or the right material…whether that’s paint, wood, metal, or words.”
Desmond said that the purpose of the Cove Art Lab is to provide the community with a family friendly environment that is accessible to anyone within the community.
Desmond said she’d like to invite anyone interested to come in and check them out. The building is only open during scheduled events. 
For those looking for a mini camp event, the Art Lab offers several summer camps throughout the month of July. For children ages 3-6, they have an Art for Little Hands camp. The camp is offered July 11-14, July 18-21, or July 25-28. It runs from 8:45-9:45 each day.
For older kids, ages 7-13, they offer various themed camps. For the month of July, they offer the Rainforest Art camp July 11-14, the Under the Sea camp July 18-21, and the 3D Arts camp from July 25-28. Each camp is available for $40.