Cornwall.ca — The arts are coming to life at the Benson Centre this fall and winter with the introduction of a new program geared to assist young budding artists.

The Buzzing Bees Art Club will give participants a chance to explore and build on their talents by creating unique three-dimensional paintings as well as clay sculptures. The program will run every second Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm at the Benson Centre under the direction of Paula Beauregard, an art teacher at Bishop Macdonell Catholic School.

Mrs. Beauregard started an art club at her school during the winter months to give budding artists a chance to build their skills and create more detailed pieces of art.

“I wanted to do something besides the art that ends up on the fridge,” she said. “I wanted something that was going to go from the craft room to the wall.”

The program was so successful that she decided to approach the City with the idea of creating a new youth art program that is open to the entire community. The Buzzing Bees Art Club is geared toward youth between the ages of 7 and 13, however those who are outside of the target age are still welcome to touch base about space availability.

“This is a great addition to our line-up of leisure and recreation programs,” said Lorne Taillon, Leisure Arts Coordinator. “There’s been a heightened interested in Cornwall’s arts and culture sector in recent months, and we hope this program will tap into that growing enthusiasm.”

The Buzzing Bees Art Club is being offered in two sessions – fall/Halloween and winter/holidays – and the first session kicks off this Saturday, October 5th. The cost is $70 per session. Participants will get 12 hours of class time during each session.

For more information or to register, please visit the Benson Centre or click here to access a registration form.