The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Culture OC. The information provided has been written by the submitting organization and not by the writers at Culture OC. We include this on our site in the spirit of sharing information about the arts and culture community in Orange County.
The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) Foundation will host its inaugural OCSA Connects Community Arts Festival at the school’s campus on Jan. 13, 2024. In partnership with Revive Santa Ana, the Max H. Gluck Foundation and many others, the festival offers children ages 5-11 a fun day of play and arts exploration through a variety of activities.
Families attending the free festival will check in at The Callero Family Foundation Plaza where they will immediately be able to watch live performances by OCSA dancers and musicians, as well as performers from El Sol Academy, Relampago Del Cielo, and the Dragon Kim Foundation Music Program.
From there, visitors will begin their journey through the festival by exploring the 12 available Arts Experiences and Arts Play Areas in nearby classrooms, as well as arts and crafts and family games.
The festival’s Arts Experiences were designed to be enjoyed in small groups every 15-25 minutes. Through these activities, kids are able to learn fundamental arts skills in various disciplines. Some of these experiences include:
The Culinary Arts Experience – a hands-on cooking demonstration with OCSA’s Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory students and instructors.
The Night at the Museum Experience – an opportunity for kids to learn beginning painting techniques to create their own works of art. In this activity kids can also dabble in art history and fashion design.
The Green Screen Experience – students can explore being both in front of the camera and behind it to see first-hand how this game-changing film tool works.
Additional experiences allow attendees to learn skills in music, dance and animation.
The festival’s Arts Play areas were designed for free play and can be visited at any time throughout the festival. At these play areas, kids can discover the artistry of gardening, hear childhood stories told by OCSA’s Thespian Group in collaboration with the Santa Ana Public Library, learn Ballet Folklórico dance steps and more.
Children of all abilities will be able to benefit from the festival with accommodations like the festival’s Quiet Room and a sensory friendly hour from 9-10 a.m., before the start of the event. The sensory friendly hour allows kids with higher sensitivities to sound, movement, interaction and other stimuli, to comfortably explore everything the festival has to offer.
“I hope we provide a day of fun for kids in our community. I want them to explore something they’ve never done before and participate in something they thought they wouldn’t be able to do. I hope they get to be silly with other kids and find an area of the festival that has the kind of art form that speaks to them. Above all else, I want kids to leave the festival knowing that they can do art anywhere and that their journey can start at any time,” said Brian Stevens, OCSA’s director of community engagement.
The festival will take place on Jan. 13, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on OCSA’s campus at 1010 N. Main St., Santa Ana, Calif. 92701. Families can rsvp or learn more about the event at ocsarts.net/CommunityFestival.
