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The Mississippi Summer Arts Institute Kicks Off at the BPAC

By June 20, 2013General

 

 

Photo: Teaching Artist Laura Morton of Belhaven University instructs the Arts Campers in Lyrical and Jazz Dance Fusion.

 

Now in its 16th summer, the Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute (MSAI) at the Bologna Performing Arts Center offers opportunities for artistic students to improve their talents.  On Sunday, June 16, 43 excited young artists from across Mississippi arrived at the Bologna Performing Arts Center for two weeks of intensive, high-quality training in dance, literary arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. In the days since, these talented and eager campers, ages 12-18, have plunged right in to an immersive residential camp full of artistic opportunities. Classes offered at MSAI include digital photography, graphic design, watercolor painting, choral music, stage combat, contemporary modern dance, and many more.

Campers attending the summer institute hail from cities across the state and the Delta region including Indianola, Clarksdale, Oxford, Starkville, Jackson, and Gulfport. Local teaching artists for MSAI include Ronald Douglas, Cetin Oguz, and Joseph Abide of the DSU Art Department, Dr. Shelley Collins, Dr. Nicholaus Cummins, and Joshua Armstrong of the DSU Music Department, and Patricia Roberts of the DSU Department of Languages and Literature.  Guest teaching artists include Jonathan Smith of the Mississippi State English Department, Cynthia Newland and Laura Morton of the Belhaven Dance Department, and Christian Vernon, Company Director of Child’s Play Touring Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

The Summer Arts Institute concludes with two events that are free and open to the public.  Join the visual art and creative writing classes as they present their works at the Closing Reception on Friday, June 28 at 7:00pm at the BPAC.  The following morning, the performing arts classes will appear in the Final Performance on Saturday, June 29 at 10:00am at the BPAC.

The 2013 Arts Camp is made possible through support from AT&T, Entergy, the King’s Daughters and Sons Circle Number Two, Domino’s Pizza, Borrow Smart Mississippi, and the Crosstie Arts Council.  For more information on the Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute, please call 662-846-4844 or visit www.bolognapac.com.