The New Year saw The ARTree guiding 5^th and 6^th grade students in a series of classes at the Old Town Newhall Library. Starting in January and continuing on the first and second Friday of each month through May, this activity will have the young artists create sculptures and banners from recycled materials. The activities are designed by Dianne Foderaro, education chair, and Melissa Lackman, Treasurer.The first art project created a sculpture made from cardboard and recycled calendars, with the students placing cards stating their hopes and resolutions for 2013. The scale of each group art piece will allow it to be displayed prominently in the library. There are also plans to photograph them to create bookmarks for library patrons. You can also view the finished projects at www.theartree.org.

While the classes are open to all 5^th and 6^th grade students, most of the participants have come from nearby Newhall Elementary School. This project was organized at the request of the Old Town Newhall Library staff, and The ARTree is pleased to be able to create a project that embraces the missions of both learning and creativity for users of this wonderful new library.

After various locations and an irregular schedule, The ARTree General Meeting has now settled in a permanent home and has a regular calendar. The “buds” will gather on the third Wednesday of every month from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the Community Room at the Old Town Newhall Library. Bob Hernandez, President, given the opportunity to being the general meetings to the library shortly after the library’s grand opening, and was happy to accept. The October, November and December general meetings were held in this open, bright, and inviting space.Join us for our next meeting, January 16, at 6:30pm, which will be hosted by Treasurer Melissa Lackman. In addition to reviewing past activities, January’s meeting will have a peek of our City of Santa Clarita grant proposal for an exciting project planned for South Fork Trail. Join us this Wednesday and the third Wednesday of every month.

The ARTree, with proceeds from a grant from the City of Santa Clarita, is embarking on its first project in the art form of video production. The program, designed for teens, will produce a documentary on an aspect of life in Santa Clarita that will be selected by the participants themselves.In a departure from The ARTree’s usual process, class participants must submit a written application and commit to attending all eight weekly sessions. Held on Thursdays at 4:30 to 6pm at the Newhall Community Center with two Saturday sessions, the 8-person team will work on every aspect of video production, from writing and filming, to editing and final assembly.

Dianne Foderaro will be conducting the course, using grant money to purchase the camera and editing software needed for the project. Screening and distribution of the documentary are still to be determined, so stay tuned in the coming months for updates on this unique ARTree project.

January 31 marks the last day to pick up the 2013 ARTree Calendar. Featuring works from young artists who participated in our summer and fall classes at the Newhall Community Center and Activity Center, the calendar is a colorful, compact and practical reminder of what our program is all about – bringing art to the young people of Santa Clarita. It’s a bargain for a $5 donation, and makes a great gift for anyone, especially the young artists in your family.And, since the production and printing cost were paid for by our generous sponsors, every dollar raised from the calendar goes directly to our arts education programs. Contact Bob Hernandez at (818) 634-4180 or visit our website (www.theartree.org) to get your calendar today.