Sawdust gets kids sculpting at TOW

Sawdust Art Festival exhibitor Patti Klingenmeier led Top of the World Elementary students in a clay sculpting workshop on campus Friday night.

The workshop was part of a yearlong series of Sawdust outreach programs.

The festival teamed with the school’s Parent Teacher Assn. on the Sculpt Your Family event, in which about 70 students created clay models of themselves and family members.

The program is designed to offer more art instruction to students after recent school cutbacks, according to a news release.

Workshop organizer and PTA member Christina Shook said in the release that Top of the World has no dedicated art teacher, so Friday’s event was especially important.

“It’s a unique opportunity for families to create art together,” Shook said. “Making art encourages creativity and bonding through the generations.”

Klingenmeier, known for her polymer clay figures, was assisted Friday by Sawdust artists Mary Keating and Rosanne Nitti and five Laguna Beach High School students.

In March, Sawdust artists taught 228 students at Kinoshita Elementary in San Juan Capistrano how to paint a sunflower.

The 49th annual Sawdust Art Festival begins June 26 and runs through Aug. 30. The grounds are at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce