The CAMROSE BOOSTER, March 1, 2022 – Page 8
Budding artists take to the easel By Lori Larsen
The City of Camrose Discovery Kids program taps into the skills and talents of Camrose youth through a variety of programs including Youth Art Class and Teen Art Class hosted by the Chuck MacLean Arts Centre. The classes are instructed by City of Camrose Recreation and Culture employee and art teacher Jayda Calon. Calon grew up just outside of Camrose and after attending high school at Camrose Composite High School, she attended University of Alberta Augustana Campus for two years, earning her fine arts degree, then onto the main campus of the U of A to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2021. Jayda spent summers working for the City of Camrose as a seasonal employee, working in the Parks and Recreation and Culture departments. “I worked with the flower crew tending to all the many flowerbeds in Camrose and did a little push mowing (which was my favourite) on the side,” said Calon. “I loved working with the friendly parks
crew and being outside all summer.” Now, as an employee for the City’s Recreation and Culture Department, part of her duties include teaching art to all ages. “What I love about teaching is lifting my students up and witnessing their pride in finished works. It’s easy to get down on your own work and it’s hard not to compare to others, but that’s the beauty of making art–each work is individual. I keep reminding my students of this until they believe it. “I also love teaching and seeing the growth that happens in not only the detail of work, but also in the creative thinking that happens over the span of these sessions.” Calon has also shared her own talents with the City by designing the Discovery Kids logo (see above insert). “I wanted to create a logo that encapsulates the many wonderful types of programming we offer at the Arts Centre. I have experienced firsthand leading and being a part of these creative and diverse activities. I reflected on some of our programs like
YOUNG AT ART
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster
City of Camrose Recreation and Culture art teacher Jayda Calon provides instruction to Youth Art Class participants, left to right, eight-year-old Paulette Velaquez Arroyo and seven-year-old Ariadni Georganteli.
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our kids’ camps, birthday parties and art classes, and on future programs we are currently cooking up.” Calon said she knows how much fun these programs are and how passionate the staff are about offering a variety of opportunities to Camrose youth. “This logo demonstrates that there is lots to discover here at the Chuck Maclean Arts Centre.” With the goal of encouraging youth and children to explore their artistic interests and talents, the City offers Youth and Teen Art Classes either on-line or in person through the Chuck MacLean Arts Centre. Youth Art Class (for ages seven to 12) runs Tuesday nights from 5 until 7 p.m., and covers a variety of styles of art and art mediums. Teen Art Class (for ages 13 to 16) runs Monday and Wednesday nights from 5 until 7 p.m., and develops the participants’ skills and interests while providing a social outlet for other like-minded teens. “Art can inspire youth and teens to explore their creative sides and find different ways to express themselves. Through the exploration of media, artists, and art movements, students can start to develop various skills and learn more about the visual art world. This is important as youth can begin to understand which types of art inspires them to make individualized artwork. It is also the perfect way to meet like-minded youth, which makes for a great environment in the classroom and a fun/safe space to create.” For more information on the Discovery Kids art classes, visit the City of Camrose website at www. c a m r o s e . c a /p r o g r a m s , email at recreation@ camrose.ca or telephone 780-672-9949.
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Queen has all the power By Laurel Nadon
A few weeks ago, my husband was taking our two sons ice fishing with Grandma and Grandpa. For my 12-year-old daughter and I, this was literally the last thing we wanted to do with our day. My daughter suggested that we spend the time learning how to play chess. I have learned a bit of the game over the years, but not enough to play confidently. We were excited at the prospect of learning a new game. On a family trip to Mexico right before Covid struck, there was a chess game with large pieces at the resort and I had thought then that it would have been fun to know how to play. My daughter and I found a website that taught us the name of each piece, what moves they can do, how to promote pawns and how to end the game. I thought of how chess is described in the Harry Potter books, with each piece a live creature that moves around the board. We quickly figured out the game and noticed one interesting subtlety. Even though the game seems to be about the king, because his death is what determines the end of the game, it is truly the queen who has the most power based on mobility, as she moves any amount of squares in any direction. The king is resigned to one square at a time. Seems to be a case of behind any great man is a great woman? I looked up the background of the game and discovered that the origins are unclear and disputed. Some historians believe the game was invented in China around 200 BC by commander Hán Xin to represent a particular battle. Soon after the battle, the game was forgotten and then resurfaced in the seventh century AD with several new rules. Other sources claim that early forms of chess like the game chaturanga originated in India around the sixth century AD. The names of the pieces and appearances were later changed by Europeans to resemble the English court. Some chess historians believe that the queen was originally known as the advisor and could only move one space diagonally at a time. In the 15th century, chess moved into European countries, coinciding with a rise in female monarchs. The advisor piece was changed to a queen with powers of both the bishop and rook. The one undisputed fact I found was that the first World Chess Championship was held in 1886. As soon as my two sons returned home, we taught the game to them as well, and since then, there have been lively chess matches almost daily. Our Christmas poinsettia that refused to die has been removed from the oak chest so that we could have at least two chess boards set up at all times. I decided to look up the best strategies for the game. I read tips like get the knights and bishops out, watch your back, castle early (swapping the rook and king to protect the king) and lose pieces wisely. Sometimes we would get so excited to kill an opponent’s piece that we wouldn’t notice our piece would be taken in return. One website stressed advancing only one or two pawns in the chess opening and then developing the other pieces. Another said the keys to the game are to control the centre, focus on developing knights and bishops, protect the king by moving him away from the centre, move each piece only once at the beginning, and don’t bring out the queen too early. In short, there is a lot going on. I am sure it takes years to truly be a skilled chess player, but that’s okay. We have reached a stage with our children in the past few years where they suddenly need us a lot less. I remember a time when it was an enormous production to get three children outside to play in the winter. Then one day, they swished out the door on their own without needing a single thing. We quickly went from that stage to trying to pry our oldest, who already seems suspiciously like a teenager, out of her room. (We find that tempting her with food and board games is the best strategy.) If chess is one more trick up my sleeve to spend quality time together as my kids get older, I’ll take it. Now if I can just figure out how to win a game of chess against my husband…
