Photo and story by Catherine Stachowiak
The Kern River Valley Art Association (KRVAA) recently met with staff from the school regarding inviting teens to volunteer at the art center and participate in classes taught at the Art Center.
Thursday, May 30, the president of the KRVAA, Christopher Buffalo Folsom told the Kern Valley Sun, “We already have a student, who has been our best blacksmith student, who has never missed a class, and is 12 years old.”
Folsom said that the 12-year-old’s brother, who is high school age, 16 was also participating at the Art Center.
“As far as we know the middle school wants us to do things for the middle school. We had a really good meeting with them and that’s a major bonus,” said Folsom.
According to Buffalo, students participating at the Art Center could attain credit for community involvement from the middle school. “Actually if they help us, it’s considered community credit, which they get for volunteering hours, so not only do they get credit for taking the classes but they get it for community hours if they help out as well.”
Currently the KRVAA, as a nonprofit, is seeking volunteers to help out at its coffee kiosk, which is slated to become a coffee house and eventually a bookstore, and at the Art Gallery.
Folsom thinks transportation could be a problem for some students. He said, “If I was to give an issue that would solve a lot of problems in this valley, it would be a bike path around this valley, that isn’t in the road. Right now you can’t ride from Wofford Heights to Isabella without it being a major problem for your life. It’s pretty crazy. So that would solve a lot of problems in this area if they did that. But I don’t think they’re going to, at least not soon, anyway.”
Black smithing, pottery, stained glass, as well as the many other courses would be great classes for students to take according to Folsom. He also thinks the ceramics classes would probably start within the next month.
“I think that the students would be pleasantly surprised no matter what they did. There isn’t a class that they wouldn’t enjoy. It’s absolutely true that every student would love any of the classes that they actually took.”
Folsom hopes that once students become involved in volunteering at the kiosk, which would give them work experience, it would become a catalyst for getting students involved with other activities at the art center.
