Children can explore sculptures with MAC’s Artventure on Aug. 17

“Drekar” on Main Street will be on of six sculptures on the Artventure tour, sponsored by Madison Arts Council. (RECORD PHOTO/GREGG PARKER)

MADISON – Madison Arts Council (MAC) is planning an adventure in art for children, just before they return to the classroom grind.

MAC will present the SPACES Sculpture Trail “Artventure” on Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. Madison Parks and Recreation also is sponsoring Artventure.

During Artventure, “100 upcoming kindergartners through sixth-graders will take a hands-on journey exploring our outdoor sculptures, beginning with the three in historic downtown Madison,” MAC president Beth Ridgeway said. Those pieces are “Drekar” by Mark Connelley, “The Owl and the Falcon” by Glenn Zweygardt and “Erratic Union” by Hoss Haley.

The interactive tour then will go to Madison Municipal Complex. The youngsters will view “Prism Arc VII” by Carl Billingsley.

At Dublin Park, the tour will investigate two types of sculptures. At Dublin’s entrance, the large sculpture “Horizon Gate IV” was created by Jim Gallucci. Two placements of “Whisper Bench,” also by Gallucci, incorporate the sense of sound so the youngsters can experiment with its ‘tubular communication.’

At each sculpture, children will learn the sculptor’s description of the piece and “incorporate one of the following items: drawing, dancing, pottery, photography, music or writing,” Ridgeway said.

Isom’s Orchard will provide a mid-morning snack.  For lunch, MAC will serve a ham or turkey sandwich, chips, a treat from Whistle Stop Sweet Shop and a Sundrop beverage.

Artventure is open to 100 children in grades K-6 and is free. This is not a drop-off event, and parents will need to provide transportation to each sculpture. “Artventure registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so sign up today,” Ridgeway said. To register, visit artsmadison.org/spaces-artventure.

In 2012, MAC partnered with The Arts Council Inc. and elected officials to place SPACES sculptures in Madison.

Along with Ridgeway, MAC board members are vice president Steve Lilly, treasurer Laura Pope, secretary Beth Pierce, Shrail Heinrich, Bliss Bowman and ex-officio member Allison Dillon-Jauken, executive director of The Arts Council.

MAC’s mailing address is P.O. Box 1929, Madison, AL 35758. For more information, email to info@artsmadison.org.