The Nest

Arts Alive - July/August 2018

Dale Pohl thrives by sharing the joy of making art with children, both in and out of the classroom.
- story by Lisa Monti, photos courtesy Dale Pohl 

Artist and teacher, Dale Pohl, creator of "The Nest."

​Artist and teacher Dale Pohl makes a point of creating a learning experience for her art camp students that’s fun and welcoming. The result: happy campers who soak up art history and art appreciation while creating their own unique artful expressions.
 
Pohl, an art teacher at Waveland Elementary, has been holding art camp sessions for about 10 years. It started in her garage, that quintessential home base for many a creative venture, and has rotated to several locations, including the Mockingbird Cafe during after hours. A year and a half ago, she opened The Nest (“A Comfy Place to Create”) studio across from the Depot duck pond. 

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Mardi Gras bead mosaics

Pohl’s creativity goes hand-in-hand with a full-out fun curriculum she’s tailor-made for kids. The studio-based classes combine art history and appreciation, culture, music, current events and the student’s own interest to inspire creation of projects “that will make your child and your walls happy!”
 
The camps are themed and one memorable year the students became “art ninjas.” With Pohl in the lead, they sneaked around her neighborhood, looking for anything they could gather - from banana peels to seashells - to turn into pieces of art in neighbors’ driveways and on lawns.

​When they were done, Pohl dutifully circled back to clean up the creations so neighbors wouldn’t be inconvenienced. They weren’t. Instead, she said, “People came running out and said ‘No, stop, don’t touch it.’ ” They had become instant fans of the ninja art.
 
During the camps, the students can come up with their own ideas for their creations and revise them again and again until they’re happy with them. “They can explore and I can let them,” Pohl said of the sessions. ​

Pohl’s sessions are designed for ages 5-8 and 9-12. “After that, they want to come back and help,” she said.
 
In the past, Pohl has offered special sessions like the one last Christmas for 7th to 9th graders where they made holiday cards, frames, ornaments and free style pieces. Ladies night out printmaking parties and kid’s birthday parties also are big hits, Pohl said.
 
She’s looking to do more adult workshops as time permits between her family (including the four Pohl children), her school schedule and her own art.
 
Watch for more special art events on The Nest’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thenestbsl/

The Nest student Maddison Scott