The Tarble Arts Center has begun registration for its summer sessions of the Exploring Arts and Artists program. The program will be broken into three different sections, separating participants based on their age.  

The first session caters to children ages 4 to 6 and will cost $24 for Tarble members and $30 for non-members.  

Kit Morice, the curator for education at the center, said children in the first program will receive a basic multimedia introduction, including the use of clay.  

The first session will meet at 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on June 11 to June 27. 

The second session will be for children ages 7 to 9 and will include art history and three-dimensional media.  

The second session will meet at 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. June 12 to June 28 and will cost $30 for Table members and $36 for non-members. 

The third session is for children ages 10 to 14, and will include work with multimedia and design.  The third session will meet at 1-2:30 p.m. June 12 to June 28. 

The last session offered by the Tarble Arts Center will be a Stop Motion Film Workshop. 

According to the center’s website, the workshop gives participants an opportunity to create three stop-motion claymation films.  

The final session will meet at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 9 to July 13 and will cost $60 for Table members and $75 for non-members. Morice said the center intentionally keeps the class sizes small.

 She said classes usually are between five and 12 children, allowing for “ample one-on-one instruction and education.”  

Morice said the session for children 7 to 9 is usually the largest. 

Morice also said becoming a Tarble member prompts a lot of participation in the programs.  

The center charges each family $50 annually for basic membership, which includes a 20 percent discount for registration and entree fees and 10 percent off at the Tarble gift shop. 

Tarble members also receive all publications from the center, as well as electronic promotions and updates.  

“Most members say that because of the discounts, the membership almost pays for itself,” Morice said. “Anyone interested in our sessions should look into purchasing a membership.” 

Those interested in registering for classes or becoming members should visit the center’s website at http://www.eiu.edu/~tarble/ where they can fill out an online application.  

The registration deadline is June 8.  

John Downen can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].