Summer Arts: Lots for Children to Do

Here’s a select listing of children’s summer arts programs:

Los Angeles Area

Autry Museum of Western Heritage (4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles) offers several summer children’s programs including: “The Art of Nature,” a class for ages 7-9 exploring different artists’ depictions of the West plus hands-on activities in painting, sculpture, collage and more. 9 a.m.-noon, Aug. 4-8. $55-$65, supplies included. “Pioneers and Early Communities,” a class for ages 10-12, examining the early European settlers, plus hands-on activities in making candles, toys and games, 1-3 p.m. Aug. 11-15. $55-$65, (213) 667-2000.

Barnsdall Junior Arts Center (4814 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles). Summer session 1997 is July 7-Aug. 30 and includes classes for ages 5-17 in music-video making, creative writing, furniture and wearable art, puppet fun and photography. $18-$42. (213) 485-4474.

Japanese American Cultural Center (244 S. San Pedro St., downtown) has summer sessions July 21-25 for ages 7-12 and July 29-31 for ages 4-6. Children can experience an introduction to Japanese language, making musubi and tsukemono, obon traditions, making origami and more. $40-$110. Call Chris Aihara at (213) 628-2725.

Long Beach Playhouse (5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach) presents the 13th annual Summer Youth Workshops for ages 8-13, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.-noon, June 16-July 14. Each day students have an hour of music, an hour of dance and an hour of acting with a final showcase to demonstrate learned skills. Tuition $98, (562) 494-1014.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles) offers its second year of summer art classes throughout the month of August. Classes are divided into two age groups: one for kids ages 6-8 and one for kids ages 9-12. The one-week sessions are Monday-Friday. Students may participate in the morning, afternoon or both. In “Back to the Basics” (Aug. 4-8) students will discover the basic techniques used by Cezanne, Van Beyren and Rodin. “The Twentieth Century and Beyond” (Aug. 11-15) allows students to study and practice techniques used by artists represented in the museum’s permanent collection. In “Art of the Masters” (Aug. 18-22) students will create with acrylic, charcoal, oil and clay. “The Artist and the Studio” (Aug. 25-29) will give students a chance to explore painting, figure drawing, collage and assemblage, $65-$110,(213) 857-6139.

Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl (2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood) offers “Musical Treasures of the World,” a festival of performing arts for young people featuring music, dance and storytelling performances, arts and crafts workshops and open orchestra rehearsals. Mondays-Fridays, July 7-Aug. 15. Performances at 10 and 11:15 a.m., workshops follow performances at 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., and are divided into the following age groups: 3-5, 6-8, 9 and up. Themes for the weeklong programs are: “Adventures in Jazz,” “Klezmer Craze,” “African Explorations,” “Viva Mariachi!,” “Rhythm of the Philippines” and “Splendid Strings.” Performances $3 per person, workshops $1. Advance tickets encouraged, (213) 850-2000.

Los Angeles Theatre Center (514 S. Spring St., downtown) is now accepting applications for the summer session of Wordsmiths, a playwriting workshop for ages 18 and older led by California Arts Council artist-in-residence and playwright Silas Jones. The 12-week workshops, July 8-Sept. 27, meet Tuesdays, 7-10 p.m. for beginners; Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m. for intermediate; and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for advanced. Deadline for application, including submission of stage play, is June 23, (213) 485-1624.

Museum of Latin American Art (628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach) will hold an art camp titled “Paper Angels.” The program, divided into five two-week sessions, June 16-Aug. 22, will focus on different creative uses of paper, from tissue to cardboard. There are two workshops scheduled every weekday. The first, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., is for children ages 6-10 and the second workshop, from 2-5 p.m., is for students ages 11-15. June 16-27, Book Art; June 30-July 11, Papier-Ma^che; July 14-July 25, Collage; July 28-Aug. 8, Paper Sculpture; Aug. 11-22, Paper Architecture. The program ends with a one-week exhibition of the children’s projects in the museum. $25 per two-week session; enrollment closes one week before the session begins, (562) 901-9162.

Pacific Asia Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena) will hold several workshops for children throughout the summer. Children ages 7 and up can learn taiko drumming in a 10-week session; classes Saturdays 9:30-11 a.m., $70. Ongoing, six Saturday session Chinese brush painting classes are held from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $90-$99. Creative dance, yoga, Chinese language and tai chi also available, (818) 449-2742, Ext. 31.

Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts (145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena) offers art sessions for children, June 30-Aug. 29. Classes range from printmaking, clay sculpture, electric sculpture, picture frame making, totems, self-portraits, storybook art, clowning and more. $38 for five class meetings, (818) 792-5101.

Pasadena Shakespeare Company, Pasadena Shakespeare Company Theatre, Plaza Pasadena Mall, Euclid and Green streets, Pasadena) will offer an introduction to acting Shakespeare class, for students ages 13 and older, six Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. beginning July 6. Also a class in creative dramatics for students ages 8-12, six Fridays from 1 to 5 p.m. beginning July 11. $150 per six-week session, (818) 564-8564.

Plaza de la Raza School of Performing and Visual Arts (3540 N. Mission Road, East Los Angeles) offers classes in mariachi, painting, guitar, music and folklore, acting, ceramics and more, ages 5-18, July 14-Aug. 16, $15 per course, (213) 223-2475.

Santa Monica Playhouse (1211 4th St., Santa Monica) has been in the business of children’s theater workshops since 1969. This summer: Production Workshop for ages 6-14, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Session I: June 30-July 25; Session II: July 28-Aug. 22. Workshops in voice and improvisation, production and performance, dance and theater games, $600-$750. In Performance Lab, youths ages 13-17 work with professionals to create their own performance pieces, Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Session I: June 30-July 25; Session II: July 28-Aug. 22, $750. Admission for both programs by audition only, (310) 394-9779, Ext. 128.

Serendipity Children’s Theatre Company (1100 W. Clark Ave., Burbank) offers a Summer on Stage with core classes in voice, movement and dance, one-day seminars in makeup, auditioning and fencing, and a performance lab with more than 75 hours of rehearsal and production work culminating in a production. (This year’s is “Fame.”) Classes and lab for ages 8-17, July 7-25; performances July 25-26. There’s also a mini-camp for students ages 5-8. $275-$500, registration before June 13, (818) 557-0202.

William Grant Still Arts Center (2520 S. West View St., Los Angeles) has daily classes, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., July 7-Aug. 29, in music, dance, drama, literary and visual arts for ages 6-12, (213) 734-1164.

Warner Kids Create Art, Music, Drama presents classes for ages 3-17 in recycled art, marching band, ballet folklorico, drama, tap and more conducted adjacent to the Warner Grand Theater, 464 W. 6th St. in San Pedro, July 7-Aug. 16. Classes $12-$24, (310) 548-2496.

Watts Towers Art Center (1727 E. 107th St., Los Angeles) offers a variety of classes July 8-Aug. 23 in such areas as tie-dyeing, understanding architecture, book designing, comic book art and beginning black-and-white photography, all free. Register on the first day of the workshops you wish to attend, (213) 485-1795.

Westside School of Ballet (1709 Stewart St., Santa Monica) offers a summer children’s program for girls and boys ages 7-11 from June 23-July 18 and July 21-Aug. 15, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (day care available until 5 p.m.). Daily schedule includes one hour of ballet, one hour of jazz, one hour performance class, and one hour specialty dance such as tap, Polynesian or folk. Open to beginners, elementary, intermediate and advanced students, $650 per session, (310) 828-2018.

Orange County

Ballet Pacifica Conservatory Summer Intensive Program (1824 Kaiser Ave., Irvine) is led by Tina LeBlanc, principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, and other professionals. The four-week session for dancers at the intermediate through advanced level (students placed by audition) culminates with a performance at UC Irvine, July 28-Aug. 23, $450-$750, (714) 851-9930.

Bowers Kidseum Summer Art Camp ’97 (1802 N. Main St., Santa Ana) offers two-week sessions for children 6-12 to learn about diverse cultures through mask- and jewelry-making, textile design and other activities; includes tours of the Bowers and Kidseum galleries and a field trip to the Santa Ana Zoo. Half-day; some extended days available, July 15-Aug. 21, $120-$140, (714) 480-1524.

Broadway on Tour Children’s Theater Musical Theater Summer Workshop (2190 N. Canal St., Orange), for ages 9 to 18, is a three-week session July 7-25 that includes training in voice, improvisation, audition and performance technique, plus technical production skills. Culminates with “A Salute to Broadway” revue, $95, (714) 282-8148.

Fullerton Museum Center (301 N. Pomona Ave., Fullerton). Super Tuesday and Super Saturday summer workshops at the center offer moderately priced instruction in a range of visual arts. Many of the 90-minute sessions tie in with the center’s upcoming exhibit, “American Dining: California’s Role.” Prices and dates unavailable at press time. Ages 5-12. (714) 738-6545.

Huntington Beach Art Center (538 Main St., Huntington Beach) offers a day camp, Art on the Beach, for children 7-12. One-week sessions include experiences in visual and performing arts, multicultural handcrafts, field trips to Orange County galleries and the beach. Half-day to extended-day offered. June 23-Aug. 8, $85-$150, (714) 374-1650.

Irvine Fine Arts Center Summer Arts Camp (14321 Yale Ave., Irvine) includes half- and full-day sessions combining visual and performing arts, plus swimming and other outdoor activities. Extended care offered. Culminates with performance. Ages 6-11, $145-$269, (714) 724-6880.

Laguna Art Museum (307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach). Content and prices are still being finalized, but a museum spokesman says twice weekly art classes will be offered in two-week packages in July and August. The 90-minute sessions will be open to children ages 7-11, (714) 494-8971.

Laguna Playhouse Young Conservatory (606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach) offers a Musical Theater Workshop for ages 8-13. The four-week program (July 7-Aug. 1) focuses on voice, movement, character development, backstage skills and other topics; culminates in a musical revue, $350, register by July 2, (714) 497-2787, Ext. 207.

Orange County Museum of Art (850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach) offers various classes and workshops, covering topics ranging from locomotive sculpture to pen and ink drawing and beyond, most taught by professional Southland artists. Sessions offered for ages 3-12, $36-$85, some materials fees added, (714) 759-1122, Ext. 204.

South Coast Repertory Young Conservatory (655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa) offers a Summer Theater Workshop, an overview of theater arts for youths ages 8-11 and ages 12-17, Aug. 4-16 and Aug. 18-30. $195. Also available: SCR’s Summer Performance Workshop (Aug. 18-30) for youths who have completed one year of Young Conservatory training, $195. New this year is Summer Players, a monthlong program (Aug 4.-30) in which continuing YC students rehearse and perform an original show in a local tour; enrollment by audition, $395. For all SCR programs call (714) 957-2602, Ext. 210.

Soundwall Music Summer Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp (at Chapman University, 333 N. Glassell St., Orange) is being offered in Southern California for the first time. This 5-year-old Bay Area program is targeted to serious rockers ages 12-17. Technique, rock history, music theory and jammin’ included. Residency camp; price includes housing, meals and all programs. Aug. 3-9, $695, (510) 831-8676.

South Orange County School of the Arts at Dana Hills High School (33333 Golden Lantern, Dana Point). Teens interested in learning backstage skills can sign on as crew for the school’s Summer Musical Theater Workshop staging of “Little Shop of Horrors.” School credits given, June 24-Aug. 1, free. (714) 240-1994.

San Fernando Valley

A Noise Within (234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale), Glendale’s classical theater company, will offer an intensive four-week Teen Shakespeare Workshop with three-hour sessions Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, July 7-Aug. 2, culminating in an evening program of prepared scenes, $425, (818) 546-1449.

Cal State Northridge (18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge) will sponsor its 40th annual Teenage Drama Workshop, an intensive six-week workshop for grade 8-12 students interested in acting, directing, writing and stagecraft, June 23-Aug. 3. The session culminates in several performance opportunities, $750. (818) 677-3091.

The Chandler Studio Theatre Company (12443 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood) offers its Drama Camp 1997 for children ages 9-17 in two sessions: June 23-July 20 and July 21-Aug. 17. Includes training in drama, voice, dance, poetry, movement and other techniques. The camp will run weekdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $650 per session with discounts available, (818) 908-4094.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum (1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga) will offer a Summer Youth Drama Day Camp for ages 8-14, three days per week July 1-Aug. 2. Includes training in music, fencing, improvisation, mime, movement and other techniques. $500. Also, a Summer High School Shakespeare Seminar for high school students, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, July 21-Aug. 22. Includes training in improvisation, commedia dell’arte, voice, cold reading, stage combat and other techniques, $495, (310) 455-2322.

Two Roads Theater (4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City) will host the Workshop for Young Artists’ Summer Theater Camp, a four-week program, weekdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 30-July 25, with a final presentation July 27. Campers will learn by staging a full play production, $800, (213) 850-5315.

Ventura County

Gold Coast Theatre Conservatory (60 Rancho Road, Suite 1, Thousand Oaks) offers two-week courses for ages 9-17 and ages 5-8 in commedia dell’arte, fairy tale theater, mask making and a drama camp for ages 13-17 that teaches the basics of acting, writing and directing for the theater. Session I, June 16-27: commedia dell’arte and mask making, $80-$95. Session II: July 7-18, fairy tale theater, $80-$190. Drama Camp: July 28-Aug. 29, $395. Teen Summer Stock: Aug. 4-29, $350. Admission is by interview only, (805) 497-8607. Deadline: Tuesday.

Corinne Flocken and Jim Fowler contributed to this report.