Kids are not only being encouraged to read by the Albert Lea Public Library this summer, they’re also being urged to be creative.

The library has launched a new partnership with the Albert Lea Art Center known as Art Zone Studio.

The studio produces artwork to be displayed in the stairwells at City Hall that are used by employees and in other employee stairwells and hallways throughout the city.

Library Director Peggy Havener said the idea came out of an employee meeting about the Blue Zones/AARP Vitality Project.

“We were talking about ways to get people to use the stairwells more and studies have shown one way to do that is to put art in them,” Havener said. “With the theme for this year’s summer reading program being ‘Be Creative,’ we thought this would be a great project for children to create art for the city stairwells.”

The Albert Lea Art Center is supplying an artist every Wednesday to instruct and assist the budding artists. Beth Tostenson was the first artist on June 17. Teenage artists were also on hand to help.

“I’m very pleased with the turnout,” Tostenson said. There were nearly 20 children at the first session. With plastic garbage bags as smocks to protect their clothing, they eagerly went to work putting images on the blank canvases. They could make whatever they wanted.

Staci Waltman of Albert Lea brought her son, Jack, to the first session. “I liked the idea we could paint here,” Waltman said. “We do a lot of drawing at home.”

She said she’d definitely bring her son back to the Art Zone Studio. “Since we found out we could create whatever we want, we’ll be looking for things throughout the week,” she added.

The artwork is done on a hardboard canvas with acrylic paints, paint pens and other material. The finished artwork will be preserved with a protective sealer and hung in Art Zone Galleries (stairwells, hallways and breakrooms) throughout the city.

“At the end of the project, we’ll have an opening event for the Art Zone Gallery,” Havener said.

At the event, Art Zone Galleries locations throughout the city will be identified and the contributing artists will be on hand to lead tours for employees, family and friends.

The city’s Art Zone Galleries will provide a permanent display of the artwork produced during the Albert Lea Public Library 2009 Summer Reading Program, which will serve as a visual reminder of the ongoing commitment to Vitality Project pledges, Havener added.

The funds for the material needed for this project have been provided by the Albert Lea Art Center, Freeborn Lumber, Home Depot, Lou-Rich, Mrs. Gerry’s and Root River Hardwoods Inc. Havener’s husband has been cutting the hardboard and Havener herself has painted the white background on each.

Art Zone Studio takes place each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. through July 22 in the Albert Lea Public Library’s Children’s Room. There is no charge to attend.