Hyattsville Students learn book binding from a Free Workshop at Brentwood Arts Exchange

There were six students enrolled in Book Arts and Beyond: Teens Art Workshop at Brentwood Arts Exchange, Saturday February 24, 2012. Brentwood Arts Exchange is a nonprofit organization that reaches out to the youth between the ages of 13-18 years old. Brentwood Arts Exchange offers free programs that uplift students while challenging their listening and comprehension skills and shaping them to be better artists, students, and teenagers.

Saturday’s workshop was taught by instructor Karyn O’ Brown. Brown has been working at Brentwood Arts Exchange for approximately five years. Some of her students are returning students from other schools, workshops, and some found out about the workshop byword of mouth. After a successful career in London, Brazil, Turkey, Brown dedicates her time helping the youth and elderly. Brown’s class level complexity ranges from easy binding book techniques to creating difficult sculptures and portraits at a timely manner. “I’ve been teaching for over 20 years. I was a student at one point and I’ve learned not to be hard on my students because art can be expressed in many ways, there’s no wrong or right way to express yourself in my class,” said Karyn O’ Brown.

The turn out for Karyn’s workshop resulted to only two out of six registered students showed up for Karyn’s workshop. One of the two students arrived 20 minutes late while the other student, Benuegg Leston, arrived 10 minutes early to the 10:30 workshop class.

Benuegg Leston is a 12 year old boy that attends Hyattsville Maryland Middle School. Leston found out about the workshop from his mother. Once his mother told him about the three hour class at Brentwood, Leston was thrilled about the workshop and could not wait to attend Brentwood Arts Exchange workshop. Brenda Leston, son of Benuegg Leston described her son to be very artistic. “My son enjoys painting he has an eye for art, especially when he’s involved in these type of art workshop. This is right up my son’s alley,” said Brenda Leston. Benuegg Leston is currently a member of his school’s Art club at Hyattsville Maryland Middle School. Leston enjoys helping out with his school’s morning announcement, drawing, painting and designing sculpture on his free time. If the seventh grader Benuegg Leston wasn’t at the workshop on Saturday he probably would have been sleeping, taking swimming lesson, or even participating in school sports on his Saturday morning but he chose Brentwood’s Book Arts and Beyond workshop.

Assistant Director of Brentwood Arts Exchange Phil Davis discussed his involvement in Saturday’s day workshop. “Planning this event was simple. We already know our target audience so we just find out what interest students in the Hyattsville area, and once we find that out we start our promotion around the community,” said Davis. Davis works very closely with Administrative Assistant Ashley McDonald who has a degree in marketing from Eastern Michigan University. McDonald is in charge of taking pictures, answering questions about events when people call, and making sure everyone can register for the event online or by phone. Coordinating fliers distribution to high schools, facilitating partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington for community outreach efforts are some of the big responsibilities that McDonald must report back to Assistant Director Phil Davis.
Although the turnout was not as Phil Davis, Karyn O’ Brown and Ashley McDonald expected, they are happy to report March 21 workshop that will contain paint sculptures, snacks, and a brief educational lesson about the history of Art. The workshop target audience is the same from Saturday’s audience 13-18 years old.