**Imagination Nation: A Creative Community for Young Artists**

Join us every Wednesday night for Imagination Nation, a supportive artistic gathering designed for young makers ages 11-15. Led by artist Jane Talton, this weekly gathering celebrates the innovative spirit and artistic growth of tweens and teens.

Each session begins with circle time, where participants share the projects they’ve been working on throughout the week. Whether it’s a painting, drawing, story, song, craft, digital art, or any other imaginative endeavor, every project deserves recognition and encouragement. Each young artist presents their work for 5+ minutes, followed by thoughtful questions and positive feedback from the group.

Imagination Nation is more than just show-and-tell—it’s a supportive community where young people can express themselves freely, gain confidence in sharing their work, and connect with peers who understand the joy and challenges of the artistic process. Participants develop presentation skills, learn to give and receive constructive feedback, and build lasting friendships with fellow makers. Every story is celebrated, and every dream becomes a reality.

MEET THE TEACHER:

JANE TALTON (she/her) is a Bywater resident and neighbor of the Tigermen Den. Her imagery is loved by many and reflects much of what it means to live in the Bywater: a place where tongue and cheek humor, theatrics, fine art, rich patterns and fanciful creatures fit right in to the parlors, parades, unexpected pairings and imaginations of those who live here. Jane graduated from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1999 with a degree in Illustration. Jane has worked in many creative niches including; caricature art, book illustration, mural painting, portraiture and she has been a featured artist on the Travel Channel and ABC. Her work has shown in several New Orleans galleries as well as the CAC and Jazz and Heritage Museum. Although still a dedicated painter, she has fallen in love with teaching as it has allowed her to share a passion for art with young artists. Check out Jane’s work!

This class is perfect for students eager to explore visual arts across a variety of mediums. Over the course of the semester, students will work with Art Camp 504 teaching artists to develop skills in illustration, drawing fundamentals, watercolor techniques, mixed media collage, sculpture, and more. Projects include costume pieces, clay figurines and minatures, textured prints and more. Our goal is to nurture a love of art and creativity in our youngest artists! With a small group format, this class allows for individual attention and flexibility—projects are often guided by student interests and feedback to ensure an engaging and personalized experience.

MEET THE TEACHER:

Harley Holiday (they/them) is a multimedia artist who grew up in Bolinas, CA, and has lived in New Orleans for the past five years. Their artistic practice is primarily rooted in ceramics and illustration. They were a studio member at the London Clayworks from 2021 to 2024. Holiday’s paintings, drawings and sculptures have been exhibited locally in two different shows, Tandem at the Front Gallery in 2023 and Queer Comfort at Staple Goods in 2024. They have led several workshops in wheel throwing and handbuilding for youth and adults throughout the city. Garnering inspiration from their work as a farmer and environmental educator, Holiday’s work explores the human/land interface; the interconnections between people, place, and the more-than-human beings they coexist with.

Open to new and advanced players. Dungeons and Dragons presents endless possibilities and allows you to roleplay as a hero in your own story. Players work together as a team to decide how to respond to problems and solve them. D&D is not only fun-- it's a group social activity that teaches teamwork, cooperation, storytelling, problem-solving, and even math. D&D has become one of our most popular classes, we are so excited to introduce a new generation to this timeless and unique game!

MEET THE TEACHER:

SASHA RIVERA KRUGER (she/ her) is a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature and a dual minor in Chinese and Asian Studies. Her journey with teaching began in 2008 when she embarked on a volunteering abroad program to teach English in Zhongshan, China. This shaped her understanding of the importance of inclusive communication, and drove her passion for helping her students embrace the challenges of honest self expression, no matter the language. Her love for collaborative storytelling brought her to the world of TableTop Role Playing games, what started as a desire to spend more time playing with her son has turned into an essential part of her career. When not running her own campaigns, she is preparing to attend various conventions where she runs D&D games and assists vending artists, most recently New York Comicon, Jordancon, Cyphacon, Pax Unplugged and Fanexpo New Orleans.

Open to new and advanced players. Dungeons and Dragons presents endless possibilities and allows you to roleplay as a hero in your own story. Players work together as a team to decide how to respond to problems and solve them. D&D is not only fun-- it's a group social activity that teaches teamwork, cooperation, storytelling, problem-solving, and even math. D&D has become one of our most popular classes, we are so excited to introduce a new generation to this timeless and unique game!

MEET THE DUNGEON MASTER:

MICHAEL BADGER (he/him) has been a fan of fantasy and role playing games since time immemorial. He learned to run Dungeons & Dragons games by listening to actual-play podcasts and DMed his first campaigns for his sister and friends during COVID lockdown. He never really stopped after that, turning him into what is known as a forever DM. He practices improv locally and has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing - using both to write and run home-brew settings for friends and family. He strongly believes that communal story-telling is an incredible way to grow, learn to think creatively, and build strong community.

Family Music Class presented by Blue House Music and Art Camp 504 is an immersive music experience for infant, toddler and Pre-K age children along with their caregivers. The infant and toddler class focuses on early language development, especially phonemic sound, and gross motor development  from crawling and first steps to finger-walking and motoring around. The class teaches eye tracking, attention, and connection with the caregiver. Through singing, movement and instrument play children will experience rich learning in key developmental domains while caregivers gain powerful tools to communicate with their little ones. Blue House Music is an early learning program for children under five that empowers caregivers to actively participate in music making.

Class begins promptly at 4:30pm. Please arrive around 4:15 to get settled before class. We encourage families to play at Markey Park or visit Pizza Delicious after class ends! We love making new friends!

HOW TO JOIN FOR DROP IN DATES: We reserve two drop in spots per class. You must RSVP and pay via venmo to reserve your spot at least 24 hours in advance. Due to building capacity, we do not accept walk-ins without an RSVP.

1. RSVP: Email bluehouseclasses@gmail.com to see if there are spots available for your chosen class
2. SUBMIT PAYMENT: Send payment $30 via venmo to @artcamp504 or cashapp $artcamp504. Your spot is not confirmed until we receive payment for the date

MEET THE TEACHER:

CHRISTOPHER “MR. CHRIS” SHEARD (he/him) is a music teacher and teaching artist with over fifteen years in the field of early childhood music. He has been certified in Music Together, Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts and the Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential. He is the founder of Blue House Music, a direct-to-family early learning music program that serves children under five and their caregivers. He currently works as the lower school music teacher at The McGehee School for Girls and Little Gate. He is a Bywater resident, father of two, and is so excited to join the Art Camp 504 team!

Family Music Class presented by Blue House Music and Art Camp 504 is an immersive music experience for infant, toddler and Pre-K age children along with their caregivers. The infant and toddler class focuses on early language development, especially phonemic sound, and gross motor development  from crawling and first steps to finger-walking and motoring around. The class teaches eye tracking, attention, and connection with the caregiver. Through singing, movement and instrument play children will experience rich learning in key developmental domains while caregivers gain powerful tools to communicate with their little ones. Blue House Music is an early learning program for children under five that empowers caregivers to actively participate in music making.

Class begins promptly at 4:30pm. Please arrive around 4:15 to get settled before class. We encourage families to play at Markey Park or visit Pizza Delicious after class ends! We love making new friends!

HOW TO JOIN FOR DROP IN DATES: We reserve two drop in spots per class. You must RSVP and pay via venmo to reserve your spot at least 24 hours in advance. Due to building capacity, we do not accept walk-ins without an RSVP.

1. RSVP: Email bluehouseclasses@gmail.com to see if there are spots available for your chosen class
2. SUBMIT PAYMENT: Send payment $30 via venmo to @artcamp504 or cashapp $artcamp504. Your spot is not confirmed until we receive payment for the date

MEET THE TEACHER:

CHRISTOPHER “MR. CHRIS” SHEARD (he/him) is a music teacher and teaching artist with over fifteen years in the field of early childhood music. He has been certified in Music Together, Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts and the Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential. He is the founder of Blue House Music, a direct-to-family early learning music program that serves children under five and their caregivers. He currently works as the lower school music teacher at The McGehee School for Girls and Little Gate. He is a Bywater resident, father of two, and is so excited to join the Art Camp 504 team!