LoCo Art’s Stress Less! campers pose with their reverse silhouette artwork Friday that was revealed for the audience at the parent performance at the Holland Theatre. (EXAMINER PHOTO | Mandy Loehr)
Youths in Logan County from different school districts came together last week for a unique opportunity to find the beauty, enjoyment and comfort in the arts — whether that be art, theater or music — in the newly formed Stress Less! Summer Arts Camp hosted by LoCo Art.
Each day from June 24-28 featured a session with each of these art forms led by local professionals at the Holland Theatre. The Safari-themed week concluded with a parent performance on the theater stage Friday, June 28.
“It’s been a fantastic week. The kids got to express themselves in ways that they usually don’t get to,” said Dennis Crites, a K-12 music teacher at Waynesfield-Goshen Schools, who led the music portion of the camp.
The parent performance featured the students sharing an African percussion beat led Crites, a “cuckoo” celebratory rhythm, he said. The performance played out while a reverse silhouette artwork was gradually revealed behind the scenes for the audience — a colorful African sunset featuring a variety of wild animals from the savannah.
“With acting, we get to be someone we’re not used to being. It opens up our minds and our hearts,” said Suzanne Dennis, who helped to lead the theater portion of the camp alongside Holland Theatre Executive Director Greg Titus and Board President Kris Swisher.
“It’s the first year that we’re hosted the arts camp that is also focused on mental health and wellness. It’s a very needed service to the community,” LoCo Art Co-Director Myles Bowers, who serves as the music lead.
In September 2023, art leaders from around Logan County first launched Stress Less!, an arts-based mental wellness program created for youth in grades 5-12, at the theater and the adjacent LoCo Art studio.
The program featured three six-week after school sessions for youths throughout the school year. The 2024 summer camp was a continuation of the programming, with a focus on developing arts-related coping skills, tools for dealing with stress and anxiety, and to foster creativity, confidence and self-worth in youth through artistic expression, LoCo Art Co-Directors Bowers and Jennifer Davis said.
Among the interactive and creative daily activities at the camp included working on art journals, said Nancy Funderburgh, who came alongside students to hone their art skills, along with visiting artist Richard Duarte Brown of Columbus. Students could try out different art techniques in their journals, and write down whatever thoughts and feelings were on their mind that particular day.
“The art journals are great if you’re having a rough day,” said Funderburgh, who also serves as the Logan County Art League president. “It can help with dealing with stress, anxiety and other difficult feelings.
“As an adult, I can have ‘down’ days, too. My journal helps me to refocus. I am worth it and I can keep going.”
Participant Carlin Curtis proudly displayed his art journal for his friends and family after the parent performance Friday and talked about everything that he’d learned throughout the week. Students also got to take home clay polymer sculptures that they created.
Holden Baker, case manager with Community Health & Wellness Partners at Benjamin Logan Schools, assisted with the camp as well and said it was a rewarding experience.
“It’s so cool to see the kids open up as the week goes on, especially the really shy ones. Having the opportunity to participate in theater, art and music every day really gives the kids the chance to find their niche and the type of art that speaks to them.”
Other individuals assisting with the Stress Less! programming have included Alayna Levingston, music therapist with Community Health & Wellness Partners, along with Nikki Burkhamer, who provided makeup for the parent performance Friday.
Stress Less! is made possible by generous funding from the United Way of Logan County’s Community Impact Grant, as well as state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council.
As part of their grant funding the Stress Less! team participated in the Ohio Arts Council’s KickstART program, a collaboration between the Ohio Arts Council and Bellefontaine native Jane Hess Collins, to help rural communities address local needs through employing local artists, as previously detailed in the Examiner.
Collins, a Bellefontaine High School graduate who now resides in Alexandria, Va., is the founder and executive director of Heard, a nonprofit organization that funds local artists to bring creativity and life skills to people in need.
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.
Additional funds were provided by Hess Lumber and the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center. The Stress Less! team also expressed appreciation to Community Health & Wellness Partners for contributions made to the program’s mental wellness practices and activities.
“The Logan County Art Center is committed to growing the Stress Less! program, collaborating with local artists and partnering organizations,” shared Davis. “It is wonderful to feel the support of our community as we strive to make a lasting impact on the lives of Logan County youth. Positive results are inevitable when caring groups team together.”
For more information about Stress Less!, visit https://locoartspot.com/stressless.
