By Sarah Raff, Rosh Omanut We have been so busy in Omanut! All of the eidot have been hard at work making all sorts of art projects to bring home and make our camp more beautiful.
The last two weeks have been especially busy. Artist-in-residence Lilach Schrag worked with campers to make outdoor murals inspired by both a famous artist and our camp experience. Another artist-in-residence, Abby Maeir, is now working campers on glass fusing and metal work. It’s so fun to learn from these talented artists!
In their text class Garinim learned about blessings and as a final project made a plaque that is now hanging next to the fruit bowl with the blessing, העץ פרי בורא, which is said before eating fruit. The campers added their thumbprints in paint to the plaque. They mixed colors and got a bit messy adding their own fruit creations to the piece. They even had the chance to give a hand to the maintenance crew when they put it up.
Part of what I love about camp is bringing different parts of the experience together to make something special, and this is a great example of that. With guidance from the Yahadut (Jewish studies) teachers and a little help from Omanut, the Garinim made something that will be a part of our camp landscape for years to come. This is the first of what I’m sure will be many projects they will create for camp in the years to come.
Also this week was the Tikvah Arts Festival, a culmination of the work our Tikvah and Machon campers have been doing the past month in our art programs. This year our theme was praise and in Omanut we talked about giving ourselves a “Yashar Koach” or pat on the back for something we are proud to have accomplished. In addition to creating beautiful decorations for the festival space, the chanichim each made a handprint in plaster representing their personal yasher koach. The Tikvah and Machon campers also took upon themselves to work with Nagarut, woodshop, and create a coat rack for the new Moadon Tikvah that is decorated with our handprints to show our appreciation and praise of camp as a space where we can all, both literally and figuratively hang out coats.
There is a lot more going on in Omanut and a lot more to come with our new Halutzim and Kochavim campers. I look forward to all the amazing creations we make together.
