'Art Holds The Key' Youth Summer Program Helps Kids Showcase Creativity

A free program offered through Theatre North is giving kids the "key" to unlock their creativity.

It's the fourth and final week of the camp, which is being held at the Rudisill Library.

The free program teaches kids ages 10 to 18 creative writing, performance, and storytelling.

Theatre North executive director Maybelle Wallace said it helps the nonprofit continue its mission that began 45 years ago.

"It was important for the Black people in the community to have an outlet to perform, a place to perform, and a group to perform with," she said.

Instructors with backgrounds in writing, acting, and singing help lead the camp.

"These writings are all about their own lives, about their communities, about their neighborhoods, and their thoughts on the city," said author and poet, Quraysh Ali Lansana.

Natalia Guerro said her mother encouraged her to attend "Art Holds the Key" because she loves to write.

"It has been really fun since the beginning and I am really enjoying it and I am learning a lot from it," she said.

However, she quickly found the improv stage is where she really shines.

"That is the meaning of this camp," she continued saying, "To help your inner self come out."

It is also where a lot of the students see the most growth.

"It is about validation. It is about self-expression. It is about owning your own ideas, and then playing and sharing with others. Art should be messy on its way to something beautiful," Lansana said.

The four-week-long camp culminates with a special showcase Sunday at 3 p.m. at Rudisill Library where the kids can show their families and the community all they have learned.