Students Share Artwork, Performance At Final Showcase For 'Project Change'

A summer camp is teaching Tulsa area students the value of the arts in different forms.

Kids got to display their artwork and perform dances at Guthrie Green on Thursday morning.

The camp is all about art, movement, and music. The final showcase is a way for students to show off their new skills.

"My favorite one was movement. I love dancing,” said Kate Castyllo-Cordon, incoming 5th grader at Ochoa Elementary.

Castyllo-Cordon is one of 210 students who were part of the "Project Change."

It's a month-long camp hosted by Gaining Ground, a literacy nonprofit that partners with six Tulsa area schools.

Castyllo-Cordon said there's a special meaning behind her piece of art.

"Two of them represent my family members. This one right here is for my dad, and this one right here represents my great-grandmother,” Castyllo-Cordon said.

Students could explore different types of art from clay to paint, to objects.

Incoming 5th grader Imani Williams said her heritage was her muse.

"I made mine about Black culture and how more people need to impact the world about it,” Williams said.

Gaining Ground Executive Director Lisa Shotts said kids experienced a multitude of activities. Each school group even wrote a song.

"We had artists come into the school every week to teach them a technique, either dancing or some form of art. And then they get to showcase their work at the end,” Shotts said.

Shotts said the camp encouraged students to engage in critical thinking through their projects.

"How we can impact the communities and how we learn about different types of art,” Williams said.

Castyllo-Cordon said through the past few weeks, she learned a valuable lesson.

"To do anything you try, to try your best to achieve your own goals,” Castyllo-Cordon said.

Through art expressions, the camp is encouraging students that the sky's the limit when it comes to creativity.