At The Children’s Art Centre, Wednesday afternoons are something truly special. Our Foundation Phase extra mural program has become a joyful gathering space where young learners from our local community and across Cape Town come together to share, learn from one another, and express themselves freely through art.
Our group is growing, and it’s been wonderful to welcome new faces into our small but vibrant community. While there is no charge for these classes, we are deeply grateful for the generous donations from parents who choose to support the Centre and its purpose of serving the broader community. That spirit of kindness and appreciation is felt in every session.
Creativity flourishes as our young artists experiment with both 2D and 3D work. Painting is always a favourite! Recently, we explored symmetry and pattern by creating beautifully coloured butterflies.The excitement around colour mixing is contagious, especially when discovering complementary colours through a vibrant sun painting inspired by the collage illustrations of Eric Carle.
Our projects often celebrate culture and storytelling. An African figure inspired by colourful Maasai patterns led to expressive paintings of a lady carrying a basket.
Mixed media work is always a highlight — from tactile tissue paper flowers arranged in a vase, to a layered lighthouse scene with boats and gulls.These projects allow learners to experiment with different techniques while constructing one meaningful artwork.
Last year, we had the opportunity to work with clay, creating marine-themed relief pieces featuring turtles swimming around coral reefs. Clay work is wonderfully tactile — young fingers become the most important tools, shaping and forming ideas into reality.
We began this year by designing personalised sketchbook covers with self-portraits. The sketchbooks travel between home and class, encouraging learners to keep drawing and to share their ideas with one another. Garden outdoor scenes proved to be a favourite background choice!
Currently, we are busy with an exciting mixed media tiger-in-the-jungle collage, experimenting with resist techniques and oil pastels. Next on our creative journey is printmaking.
In addition to our Foundation Phase class, the Art Centre offers an Intermediate session on Wednesday Afternoons and a Saturday morning Art Club, catering to a broad age range in a fun, supportive space where creativity can thrive.
Wednesday afternoon classes remind us that art is not just about making pictures — it’s about building confidence, connection, and community. And we can’t wait to see what our young artists create next.
“”All views or opinions expressed in this electronic message and its attachments are the view of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Western Cape Government (the WCG). No employee of the WCG is entitled to conclude a binding contract on behalf of the WCG unless he/she is an accounting officer of the WCG, or his or her authorized representative. The information contained in this message and its attachments may be confidential or privileged and is for the use of the named recipient only, except where the sender specifically states otherwise. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not copy or deliver this message to anyone.”