An Art Camp for Special Kids

JUST FOR EXTRAORDINARY KIDS summerARTSedona

THE FRESHLY BUZZED HAIRCUT, HIS OVERSIZE PURPLE AND LIME-GREEN SHIRT, AND CLEAN WHITE ATHLETIC SHOES UNTIED, OF COURSE CLEARLY MARKED HIM AS ONE COOL DUDE. HE WALKED CONFIDENTLY FROM THE DUSTY PARKING LOT INTO summer camp, holding his mom's hand. As he neared the other kids, he discreetly turned loose of his mom's hand, but his steps gradually lost their bounce and became tentative. His brave face, the face of every eightyear-old camper anticipating his first week away from home, became a little unsure. His eyes gave him away. They took in every face, including that of his mom, who had stepped back, giving him some space. Then his toe found a loose flagstone in the walk, and he concentrated on that loose flagstone with all his might. Probably to keep from cryingthat would definitely be uncool.

Eve knew his kind. The eight year old wanted to be here, to model the clay, to chase the other kids with ice, and to tell scary stories at bedtime. But he also desperately wanted to go back home to familiar surroundings. So she took it slow, and it worked.

"Hi. Wanna model some clay with us?"

The flagstone had his full attention.

"We're making some great stuff out of clay. You'll like the way the clay feels."

The flagstone was still more fascinating than Eve's gentle face or the other kids who were modeling snakes, lizards, and birds' nests. Eve, the camp nurse and potter (which earned her the nickname "Nurse Potter"), backed off. She took time to moderate a dispute over whose clay lizard looked most like the one that hung on the nearby wall. She turned back to the newest arrival and asked his opinion the real lizard had justshown up for a modeling appearance. The boy withheld his opinion, but he grinned. Just a little bit.

That was his mom's cue. She gave him a kiss, and he did the obligatory eight-yearold thing by squirming and making a face. She handed his envelope of spending money and his medicine to Eve, and told her that his hands get really dry when he plays with clay. She dug some hand lotion from her purse and included it with the rest of his stuff. She walked back to the parking lot, casting a hurried glance over her shoulder. An observer suspected she was as reluctant to leave as he was to stay.

Eve ventured an opinion.

"You know, it's okay to be a little bit scared until you get to know us."

The little boy bit his lip

and shook his head, protesting a little too much. He kept his eyes on the flagstone, and if anybody noticed the tear that darkened the dusty rock, they had enough respect for their new compatriot to ignore it. An hour later, the camper had modeled his own lizard, participated in a tiny water fight, and found a best friend among the other campers. By the end of the week, he was instigating the water fights, telling stories, playing musical instruments, and making S'mores. And his mama's hand lotion was nowhere to be found.

What's so unusual about this boy's experience at summer camp? Nothing. And that's why he enjoyed it so much.

The Phoenix boy and his fellow campers are deaf and hearing-impaired. Here they're campers. They get tummy aches from a combination of excitement and S'mores; they get major crushes on their counselors; and they lose their socks. They complain about the food-complaining is part of a camper's job - but they eat it anyway. They learn all kinds of new stuff, and they make new friendships that they swear will last a lifetime. Homesickness sneaks up on them during a quiet moment, and they learn to turn to their new friends for comfort and diversion.How did this ordinary little camping experience come about for some extraordinary kids? A lot of hard work, determination, and imagination on the part of many adults. Their ringleader is Marjorie Timms, Ph.D. Dr. Marjorie is the "mother" of the camp in more ways than one. She's camp director, but she's also the force that gets the camp organized and funded.

"All children deserve a summer camping experience," she says. "They enjoy it; they learn from it. And we all grow from the experience. Every person involved, including those who help us raise funds and who donate goods and services, is committed to making it happen. I just keep it all organized." She's also the master of understatement.SummerARTSedona is a camp designed to help deaf and hearing-impaired students experience the arts in a summer camp setting. Southwest Arts in Action, Inc., (SWAIA), a nonprofit organization focused on access to the arts and cultural life of the community, sponsors the camp. SWAIA grew from an affiliate with Arts in Action, Inc., a national coalition of artists and educators encouraging development of the arts for children.

Patricia Cowles, a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, notes that her group took the camp on as its state project. Cowles, who has family and friends who are deaf, researched the situation and found that thecamp fills a need in Arizona. "We support it because it makes a difference in children's lives. Deaf and hearing-impaired kids enjoy summer camp like all kids. They come up here, and they're just regular kids. They also learn to express themselves through the arts, and, while that's important to all children, we feel it's especially important to these kids because their communication and self-expression are sometimes hampered by their lack of opportunity." Marjorie Timms agrees. "Our faculty of professional deaf and hearing guest artists uses drama, music, and other art forms to teach the children self-awareness, build self-esteem, and increase their communication and social skills. Sometimes through the arts, we can express feelings that we're not comfortable expressing any other way," she says.

The faculty of the camp is an impressive one, bringing to the campers expertise in dance, music, storytelling, poetry, mime, crafts, drama, and the visual arts. Many of the faculty members are themselves deaf or hearing-impaired. Actor Mike Lamitola, who traveled to Sedona from his home in Connecticut, is a teacher with the National Theatre of the Deaf. Deaf himself, Mike has traveled all over the world as an actor, and he says "this camp is just one of four theater arts programs for deaf children in the U.S." Why does Mike spend his time with the Arizona youngsters? "If I can plant just one seed in one kid, it's worth every minute I