A lifelong resident of North Louisiana, Russell Pirkle has held many different positions in the art community. One look at his contributions and it is easy to see how important education is to him. Russell holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Louisiana Tech in Studio Art and is currently pursuing his Masters degree is Secondary education. In addition to expanding his own knowledge, he has worked as a GRE tutor, an instructor in the Young Masters Workshop, and was a teaching assistant in last years Summer Arts Camp. It won’t be hard to find Russell behind the scenes of many shows and exhibits as he has also served as a stage prep assistant, and installed many pieces for their openings. Currently Russell works as the Gallery assistant at the Masur Museum of Art, and is an ever-present volunteer for NCLAC. Looking forward to this year’s Camp, Russell holds, “If I could teach children only one thing through the study and practice of art, it would be how to engage creatively and actively with the world around them. This is what art taught me - How to notice and process the stuff around me, and use it to create new stuff; how to communicate; how to think through doing. Research shows that the arts are the best way to improve higher order thinking skills (critical thinking). Through art, children learn the habits of creative activity that they need in every aspect of their lives, whether it is academic, social, or introspective.” Early registration for this years camps is now available. Interested participants can register by calling 318-255-1450 or picking up a form from the Dixie Center for the Arts (212 N. Vienna, Ruston, LA).

A portion of the Summer Arts Camp is sponsored by a grant from Entergy as well as donations from NCLAC’s Pick Your Picasso campaign. PYP is a campaign that provides scholarships to twenty-five students to attend the arts camp in their parish for free.