A SPLASH of colour is set to brighten up Rugby kids’ school holidays at a series of fun arts and crafts activities.
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is hosting its Summer of Colour programme of events throughout the summer break.
The first event on Saturday (July 20) celebrates this summer’s Olympic Games and Paralympics in Paris, with youngsters invited to help decorate the iconic Olympic rings in the venue’s activity space during free drop-in sessions running from 10am to 12 noon and 1.30pm to 3.30pm.
The museum celebrates the Festival of Archaeology on Tuesday (July 23), with free archaeology-themed drop-in sessions taking place from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm.
Early years Coloured Light Play sessions take place on Thursday (July 25). Sessions, priced £2.50 per child, run from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm.
Colour Wheel Collage craft workshops on Wednesday July 31 give early years children the chance to create a colour wheel from mixed media. Workshops, priced £2.50 per child, run from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm.
On Friday August 2, Coloured Marbled Paper workshops take place from 10am to 10.30am and 10.45am to 11.45am. Suitable for six-year-olds and over, the workshops cost £2.50 per child.
The Summer of Colour goes green on Saturday August 1 with the first of a series of Self-led Scrap Days, where youngsters can raid the gallery’s arts and crafts store cupboards, recycle materials and let creativity run riot.
Sessions run from 10am to 12 noon and 1.30pm to 3.30pm, with further Self-led Scrap Days taking place on Saturday August 17 and Saturday August 31.
The kaleidoscopic creations of digital artist Jason Wilsher-Mills have inspired Rugby Art Gallery and Museum’s Summer of Colour.
Children can create bright and bold portraits at Collage Colour Portraits workshops on Tuesday August 6. Workshops, suitable for six-year-olds and over, take place from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, with places priced £2.50 per child.
The art gallery team joins the free National Play Day celebration at Whitehall Recreation Ground on Wednesday August 7, offering open air arts and crafts activities from 11am to 3pm.
Perfect for a budding Banksy, early years Graffiti Art sessions take place in the Percival Guildhouse Gardens on Thursday August 8. The sessions run from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, with places priced £2.50 per child.
On Saturday August 10, the second hunt of the summer starts at the art gallery and museum, with youngsters challenged to find hidden postcards celebrating Rugby’s great inventors.
Youngsters can experiment with neon lights at Neon Art workshops on Tuesday August 13. Suitable for six-year-olds and over and priced £2.50 per child, the workshops take place from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm.
A free Tote Bag Screen Printing session takes place on Wednesday August 14, where youngsters can print a personalised tote bag. The drop-in session runs from 11am to 3pm.
Early years Rainbow Play sessions takes place on Friday August 16, where children can explore all the colours of the rainbow in sessions running from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm. Places are priced at £2.50 per child.
The Summer of Colour creativity continues with Mod Roc Sculpture workshops on Tuesday August 20, Rainbow Weaving sessions on Wednesday August 21, and Giant Portrait workshops on Thursday August 22 – all suitable for six-year-olds and over, with sessions running from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, and places priced at £2.50 per child.
The programme draws to a close in the final week of August, with early years Water and Bubble Play sessions (Tuesday August 27), Colourful Kaleidoscope workshops (Wednesday August 28, suitable for six-year-olds and over) where children can create a kaleidoscope, and 3D Pen Keyring workshops (Thursday August 29, suitable for eight-year-olds and over), where youngsters can develop a design with a 3D pen and turn it into a keyring. All sessions run from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, with places priced £2.50 per child.
Rugby Borough Council’s partnerships and wellbeing spokeswoman Coun Maggie O’Rourke said: “The Summer of Colour has been inspired by the venue’s current art exhibition, Jason Wilsher-Mills’ Jason and His Argonauts, which has brought a cascade of colour to the main gallery.
“The summer programme caters for children of all ages and abilities, with a range of free activities on offer and other sessions delivered for just a small charge.”
Young visitors to Jason and His Argonauts can also enjoy a range of free activities inspired by the exhibition, including colouring in, mask-making and dressing up.
The council’s Liberal Democrat group spokesperson for partnerships and wellbeing, Coun Neil Sandison, added: “The Summer of Colour really promises to bring out the creativity of our young people, and bringing activities outside of the boundaries of Rugby Art Gallery and Museum to our parks and green spaces is a positive move.”
Places for all paid sessions must be booked in advance. Visit www.ragm.co.uk/summer-of-colour or call (01788) 533217 for more information and tickets.
