Best of Arlington 2019
Arlington Arts Center
Best Art Camp
Photo by Dawn Whitmore
Housed in a historic school building on Wilson Boulevard, the Arlington Arts Center (AAC) offers weekly afterschool classes, as well as spring break and summer art camps for children ages 4 to 14. Students explore the fundamentals of creating art in a variety of media with a focus on contemporary artists. “It’s important to talk about artists who are making work today,” says education and outreach manager Samantha Marques-Mordkofsky. AAC maintains studio space for 12 artists in residence, giving campers the opportunity to interact with working artists and learn about their process. “We see a completed piece,” Marques-Mordkofsky explains, “but we have no idea how difficult it was to complete, or that the artist was dissatisfied with it for the first three months, until finally [they had a breakthrough].” Through AAC programs, kids learn that setbacks, problem-solving and experimentation are all part of the creative process.
–Lisa Rabasca Roepe
