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Children had the opportunity to harness their inner Monet, Van Gogh or Mondrian this week when Albert Lea Art Center hosted their first ever Kids Kamp.

“We are having a workshop for kids,” said Beth Tostenson, artistic director at the center. “…We wanted to be able to teach them the basics of art.”

The center actually planned to do something similar a few years ago before the pandemic forced a change in plans.

“Kids need an outlet and some are involved in other things — music or sports — and some are artistic,” she said. “They need an outlet, they need some of the basics to learn how to get better.”

Each day different teachers, including Tostenson, Bonnie Broitzman, Carolyn Reeder, Nicole Morrison and Darlyne Paulson taught different classes with different students and subjects.

Classes were scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. Students entering first through third grades were slated to have classes Tuesday and Thursday, while older students entering fourth through sixth grades were scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Teachers were allowed to choose their own subjects, and classes included acrylics, landscapes and collage, among others.

All members of the Albert Lea Art Center, some instructors have previous teaching experience, so it made sense for Tostenson and her team to ask them.

Broitzman worked Monday, where she taught students how valuable colors could be. She also taught them how to run a palette, when to use a flat brush and when to use a round brush.

“[The board] wanted to do something special for students,” she said.

Tostenson said 25 kids participated, though some participated on more than one day.

“A lot of kids aren’t involved in sports or other things and their interest is more in the arts, and so we wanted to be able to offer this to them so they could get the basics and hopefully continue on in the arts,” she said.

Carolyn Reeder taught students about Pete Mondrian, a painter from the Netherlands, on Tuesday.

“I thought for the littles it might be the easiest thing for them to do,” she said. “… I taught them about primary colors, and I taught them about abstract painting.”

Besides the Art Center, Reeder occasionally volunteers to teach classes in Northwood.

“I was an elementary teacher and I always promoted art, so it’s easy for me to get involved in this,” she said.

Celia Domke came from Shakopee after her grandmother, who lives in the area, paid for a Monday lesson as an Easter gift.

“I like to paint a lot, and she knows me really well,” Domke said.

It wasn’t just students who were enjoying the class either.

“It’s a really wonderful thing if they learn how to handle the brushes and the paint,” said Broitzman, who taught elementary school. “They set up their own little station at home, and if they manage their paint so that they’re not messing up the house, they can paint all summer long.”