Calling all aspiring artists!  Spectrum Art Gallery is excited to announce, “Whimsical Workshops for Children.”  Beginning in December, we are hosting workshops for ages nine through twelve where they’ll create enchanting keepsakes in every class: One to take home that day and one which will go on display in the gallery for the month of December (and brought home afterwards)! This is a terrific opportunity for kids to begin building their creativity with artist-led classes and artwork in an established gallery.

Join us on Saturdays starting in December where children will participate in stories as told by the instructors.  Children will also learn about different art techniques as they observe a variety of crafts in the gallery store.  During the workshops they will create two works of art using natural materials gathered in the forests, fields and beaches of New England.  Hosted by Samantha Barlow-Beamer, a local artist and former early childhood educator known for whimsical fairy houses displayed in the gallery and at The Florence Griswold Museum’s “Wee Faerie Village” and Holly Matarazzo, a professional musician and early childhood educator. Children will be in capable hands as they ignite creative thinking and build a bridge of empathy between the modern world and the splendid nature that surrounds us.  Advanced registration is required, or you may visit the gallery to register or call the gallery (860)767-0742.

Along the quiet beaches of New England and wandering through the forest, Samantha Barlow-Beamer grew up closely with nature on her doorstep.  It was during a trip to Mohegan Island off the coast of Maine when her creative inspiration for building fairy houses and designing jewelry really took off.  Mohegan Island has one rule which five-year-old Samantha never forgot and still follows today: You must only make fairy houses with natural materials which have already fallen to the ground.

The one place she had trouble building fairy houses was in New York City where she lived and worked for ten years as a sales director for a UK based corporate consulting firm and later at a different consulting firm where she developed and launched a software integrated with AI. Trees are hard to come by in New York City, so she packed up her sticks and beads and moved back to the shoreline where she found her husband.  Now with their two cats and their toddler, the family travels through New England gathering natural materials for her fairy houses and visiting antique stores searching for beads to repurpose for jewelry.  Sometimes her aunts send her shells from tranquil Caribbean beaches and bark from their local forests; all of which get repurposed for her artwork.  In addition to her loyal partnership with Spectrum Gallery who discovered her in 2023, Samantha was featured in the 2024 Wee Faerie Village at The Florence Griswold Museum.  Her art is designed to remind collectors of the beauty of nature and inspire them to continue to do what they can to preserve our incredible planet and respect our natural ecosystems.

Date: Saturday, December 21: Create a Whimsical Holiday Home Door Ornament & a holiday ornament to go on display in the gallery for the month.

Time: 11 am to Noon

Cost: $20 per child. $10 material fee per child paid to the instructor. Register below.