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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2022)
n Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 13, 2022 Page A-3 Children’s art show draws a crowd at Healthy U Gwen Barringer IVN Contributing Writer Creative and colorful art covered the walls and interior of Healthy U in Cave Junction April 10. The outdoor preschool, Art and Science Kids, presented some of its students’ artistic creations to the public in a special exhibit. The exhibit displayed a wide range of art in many different mediums, showcasing the variety of things that students have learned throughout their time at the school. The event itself was a culmination of efforts between the school’s founder and director, Joseph Flaherty, and its art instructor Ariana Jurisic. Flaherty described the display as “teaching in effect, mentioning that Jurisic’s unique focus and passion for the six elements of art- line, color, shape, form, value, and texture- contributed greatly to the children’s overall learning experience. Jurisic has been happy to lend her artistic expertise to the Illinois Valley. Raised in Europe, she spent time in Croatia and Italy before making her way to the United States and finding a place to call home in Southern Oregon. Here, she has finally been able to blend her two passions - art and teaching - together for the past several years. Along with running several other art classes geared toward all ages, Jurisic’s “Art with Ariana” classes for Art and Science Kids have been happening since April 2021. She noted that it was “kind of cool” that the exhibit would fall just a few days shy of that anniversary. She also mentioned that she “absolutely loves seeing the friendships that grow between the students that come to the art classes,” and that she enjoys facilitating these friendships that have begun through a common love of creating art. Although the majority of the art pieces were made by children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old, there were also several creations by older children, teenagers, and parents that were made available for public viewing. Mediums ranged from crayon and marker drawings to acrylic paintings and sculptures, and even some mixed-media pieces on display. The exhibit also served another purpose - drumming up more community interest in Art and Science Kids. On its website, the school is described as a “grassroots organization offering programs designed with Illinois Valley kids in mind” that intends to “provide unique educational experiences for children from a variety of backgrounds.” The school offers several different programs for local youth, including their outdoor preschool and tutoring services. It also offers the Willow Room, a place for children ages 5-12 to get studying done, read, and create art with adult supervision. Flaherty recognizes that with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic “the children in our valley are struggling with mental health and academic support,” and that many could use somewhere to gather and express themselves. He was also sure to mention that while the enrollment for their programs has slowly increased, the programs are not yet full, and said, “I would definitely like to see A sample of the art displayed at Healthy U Sunday, April 10. Art and Science Kids pre-school teachers below: Leela Whittlinger (left), art teacher Ariana Jurisic, founder and program director Joe Flaherty and bookkeeper Bruna Pimentel. more kids out in the woods with us, and in the art studio with us.” For more information, the Art and Science Kids website can be found at www. artandsciencekids.com. They also have an office located inside of the Illinois Valley Family Coalition building at 535 E. River Street in Cave Junction. (Photo by Laura Mancuso, Illinois Valley News) Yo u r n e ws i s o u r n e ws Free! O b i t ua r i e s, a n n i v e r s a r i e s, b i rt h days, w e d d i n g s & mOre! Only $10 for Photo Call Laura 541-592-2541 or laura@theivnews.com Steve Berg F r i d a y, A p r i l 1 5 5:30 - 8:30 PM Happy Easter! Taylor’s Country Store Sportsman Tavern dine in or take out 541-592-3556 P OOL T ABLES & L OTTERY S undayS P ool tourney at open Mic Wednesdays @ 5 PM 6 (new time - sign in at 5:30) New Hours M-Sat 10 - Midnight Sun 11 - midnight KXCJ (LP) Eat @ 105.7 FM McGrew’s Illinois Valley B w/ Jack Community Radio Download our current program schedule and live streaming at kxcj.org Friday, April 15 7 PM, $5 Happy Easter!
