ARCH Program
In the Summer closing our Bridges season, we are offering a set of three-day summer camp intensive sessions in poetry, dance, and storytelling. In the ARCH (Artistically Raising Children Higher) Program, kids ages 9-15 will learn 24 hours worth of intensive camp instruction by award-winning performers. Whether your child is new to these disciplines or has years of experience, they will gain valuable knowledge from these creative professionals. Each camp will end with a video, showcasing the participants’ achievements.
Program Details
Dates: Three Sessions - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Session 1: Poetry with Nathan Richardson - Tuesday, June 22 - Thursday, June 24
Session 2: Storytelling with Stephanie “Steph Love” Lask - Tuesday, June 29 - Thursday, July 1
Session 3: Dance with Joppa Whitehead - Tuesday, July 6 - Thursday, July 8
Times: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center (In-Person Only)
Cost: $50 per session
Register for all three sessions by June 15th for only $140
Ages: 9-15 years old
Registration Deadline(s): Varies by Session
Session 1 (Poetry) and Discounted Registration Deadline: June 15
Session 2 (Storytelling) Registration Deadline: June 22
Session 3 (Dance) Registration Deadline: June 29
Camp Director: James Cooper
Instructors: Nathan Richardson, Stephanie Lask, and Joppa Whitehead
Additional Details:
Bring bagged lunch. Morning and mid-day snack provided. Registration includes a camp t-shirt.
About the Instructor:
Nathan Richardson
A native of Suffolk, Virginia, Nathan M. Richardson is an accomplished performance poet and published author. His published collections are "Likeness of Being", "Twenty-one Imaginary T-shirts" and "The 7 Last Poems of an Unarmed Citizen". His work has been widely re-published in anthologies, magazines, and newspapers such as the Channel Marker, The Cupola, Coastal Virginia Magazine, and the Washington Post. Nathan has been a featured author at the following writers’ conferences/festivals; The James River Writers Festival, The Christopher Newport University Writers Conference, The PDCCC Literary Festival, the NSU William Carroll Literary Festival & the Hampton Roads Writers Writers Conference.
For the past 15 years, Nathan has been the organizer and host of the Poetry, Prose & Pizza Open Mic Series. These quarterly open mics are syndicated in the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Prince George, Virginia. Nathan teaches a variety of workshops for emerging writers. Three of his most popular workshops are "Paint Me a Poem" "Words Beyond Walls" and "The Business of Becoming a Published Author". Nathan has more than 20 years of activism mainly within the youth community as a mentor and poetry coach for the youth empowerment organization -Teens with a Purpose.
Nationally, Nathan's poetry has been commissioned to accent major art exhibits at the Delaware Museum of Art, the New Mexico Holocaust Museum, and the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA. Since 2014 he has been the Resident Creative Writing Instructor for the Artistic Verses Creative Writing Program sponsored by Newport News Public High Schools and the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (PFAC). His past residencies include creative writing instructor for the Camp Rise Summer Arts Program which was awarded the 2012 National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award from The White House.