The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — On a wall-side table in the Steamboat Arts & Crafts Gym, 12 tiny easels hold 12 tiny pieces of art.

They’re the work of the craft gym’s after-school program participants — students who range in age from 5 to 14 and have spent many of their afternoons this school year making everything from papier-maché to fabric bags, pine cones, tile pieces and more.

“We did mostly everything,” said first-grader Mariam Worster, who worked intently with markers on a design for a mosaic stepping stone Wednesday. The crafts gym showcases the work of its youngest artists at tonight’s First Friday Artwalk, with an art exhibit and pizza party from 5 to 8 p.m. Soda Creek Pizza is donating pies for the event.

“It was an idea of mine to kind of come and see the things that the kids have done over the past year, instead of just the adults,” Davis said of featuring the work of after-school and vacation-day pottery program participants.

“It’s mostly a time for the kids to bring their families and friends and show them their projects from throughout the year,” Davis said. To keep children interested after a day at school, Davis said she keeps projects varied and keeps short- and long-term crafts going at all times.

That makes it a little more difficult for after-school art regulars to narrow down their displays to just a few projects, but it keeps students engaged while fabric paint dries or while paper-and-glue sculptures set.

“I’m basically going to have everything set up so that each little artist will have their own little station,” Davis said. Each after-school artist will bring two or three projects from earlier in the year to put on display behind their easel, all displaying particular color palettes and art styles from each student.

“A lot of our programs, I let them be the designer,” Davis said.