West Springfield Arts Council Awards $5,931 Grant towards West Springfield Boys & Girls Club Middle School Art Program
WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA – On October 16th, 2023, West Springfield Boys & Girls Club launched a brand-new program that provides a space where 6th-8th graders can learn new skills, play sports, and participate in a community space designed especially for them. For a low membership fee, members of the “Middle School Drop-In Program” gain access to the building and a rotating schedule of activities between 5:30 and 7 PM each weekday throughout the entire school year. Participants in this program are encouraged to take ownership of the space, create a community with their peers, and choose their interests from a variety of available programming.
One of the programs the Club offers to Middle School Drop-In participants is “Art with Amanda,” where members can learn painting and drawing skills from Group Leader Amanda Greenfield. In addition to teaching traditional painting and drawing techniques, “Art with Amanda” includes projects such as bead and jewelry making and paper making, with a focus on learning transferable techniques. This program runs at the Boys & Girls Club on Main Street on Tuesday and select Thursday evenings.
“Art with Amanda” is funded in part by a $5,931 grant awarded by the West Springfield Arts Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. “I'm always so impressed with the West Springfield Boys and Girls Club's ability to expand their arts program, which allows young people to explore, create and engage in new and different forms of expression,” said Patty Murphy, a representative of the West Springfield Arts Council.
For more information about Middle School Drop-In, before & after school care, and other West Springfield Boys & Girls Club programming, please contact West Springfield Boys & Girls Club at (413) 736 1831 or visit their website at www.wsbgclub.org.
