Cultivate Creativity at Middle School Camp

Teens and tweens may work on visual art, music,
journaling or poetry at Artists in the Gardens camp.
Photo by Kavanah Anderson.

By Sheon Wilson

Camper Sonata squatted down to look into Duke Gardens’ Millstone Pond for signs of turtles, her braided hair falling over the collar of her cartoon bear raincoat. She concentrated intensely.

“Do you see it, Sonata?” Nature Adventures Camp counselor Hope Wilder asked, as a dozen other grade school students craned their necks to see. “Its little head is rising over the water.”

Sonata, her eyes glistening, smiled and nodded excitedly.

Those 10 minutes spent sharpening their powers of observation enhanced the artwork the campers would create later that week, including nature journals, drawings and craft projects. Teens and tweens entering grades six through eight will get a similar opportunity to explore the relationship between art and science in Duke Gardens’ Artists in the Gardens day camp that runs from Aug. 7 to 11.

“It’s my philosophy to give them a choice and see what they make,” Wilder says. “The idea is that the same observation skills that apply to science apply to art. We provide the materials and the framework, but what the kids do with it is up to them.”

Picking their own materials and type of art is part of the fun. Campers might use mixed-media, sculpture, music, poetry or drawing for their art project. In addition to learning about the formal elements of art, campers will experience the way garden design affects what they observe during their garden explorations.

During Sonata's camp in June for children entering third through fifth grade, the children walked along a stream near the Iris Bridge in the Historic Gardens, clutching small nets and craning their necks to see whether tiny fish or tadpoles would swim by.

“Don’t fall in ‘accidentally on purpose,’ because the point is to keep the animals safe,” Wilder said, after passing out plastic containers that the children would use to hold what they caught. “If you catch these little creatures, please keep them for only 10 minutes, because there isn’t enough air for them to breathe longer than that.”

A camper named Anna stared into the water for a couple of minutes before declaring, “We can’t see to the bottom. There are no fishes here.”

“It takes time to find them,” Wilder said, knowing that the more the children embrace stillness, the more they will notice all the wonders of the world around them. “The fish like to hide in the bushes and grasses so you can’t get them. You have to be patient until they are ready to come out.”

Teen campers will also have ample chance to deeply explore Duke Gardens. Then as they delve into artwork in their choice of media, their observations about nature’s beauty, logic and mysteries will further inform their art.

“The goal is for teens to be immersed in this process that encourages their creativity,” says education program coordinator Kavanah Anderson. “Art is the basket that holds all the elements of the camp.”

REGISTER NOW: Artists in the Gardens camp will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. August 7 to 11. There is no after-care for this camp, but we will offer an afternoon Citizen Science program for middle-school students. For more information about Duke Gardens’ themed Nature Adventures Camp summer and spring break camp series, or to register for the teen camp, please see our camps web page.

Blogger Sheon Wilson is Duke Gardens’ publications coordinator.

Photo Class Preview: The 12 Elements of Better Image Making

"In the Hands of the Potter," by Paul Wingler.

By Orla Swift
Director of Marketing & Communications

With mobile phones and photo apps making photography as ubiquitous as the written word, it’s easier than ever to capture our lives in pictures. But to do so with artistry, style and assuredness takes more than a tap on a cellphone screen. With the proper skills and techniques, and a keen eye, any photographer—from amateur to professional, using DSLRs or point and shoot cameras—can turn a snapshot opportunity into a memorable artistic statement.

Paul Wingler

Award-winning photographer Paul Wingler loves helping others develop their style and technique in classes such as his forthcoming three-workshop series at Duke Gardens, “The 12 Elements of Better Image Making.”

The series is divided into three sections. The first, on Oct. 15 & 16, will focus on impact, creativity, technical excellence and subject matter. The second, on Nov. 12 & 13, will tackle composition, lines, shapes, framing devices, lighting and style. Update: The November class has been canceled. The third, on Dec. 3 and 4, will zoom in on color, color balance, value, space, center of interest and print presentation.

An Indiana native who lived for 40 years in northern Durham but recently moved to Florida, Paul discussed his photographic philosophy via email in the following Q&A. You can also read his impressive biography and see more of his photos at his website.

By Paul Wingler

Of the “12 elements” you’ll teach in this series, which few do you feel are most undervalued by the average photographer?

"Monet's Pastels," by Paul Wingler.

Probably technical excellence. I believe that there are many who either have not learned how to get proper exposure or they don’t see the importance of it.  Having the correct exposure or a good grasp of the quality of the final print depends on good exposure. The weakness of the exposure or the underexposure causing muddiness greatly takes away the impact of the subject or story, which can confuse the viewers or turn them off.  If the photographer/artist doesn’t make a strong effort to achieve technical excellence, then that photographer will merely be a “picture taker.” The ability to hit a high standard of excellence enhances the level of respect by the viewer/audience.

What has teaching taught you or improved with regard to your own photographic approach?

To be more aware of my surroundings. I would, many times, miss an opportunity to see beyond the obvious. As I tried to instill that in my students, it only made me aware of how I was missing the mark—that I would sometimes have to slow down and take in all that was around me.

Have your professional assignments in culturally varied places such as Asia and Central America made you view North Carolina and other familiar surroundings differently? 

Yes. Unfortunately, I used to take my environment or surroundings for granted.  As I would travel around N.C., I would be looking but not seeing what was around me. I would get too busy doing business, going from point A to point B and missing everything in between. It didn’t mean I didn’t do good work, but I realized I wasn’t seeing beyond the obvious. I would miss the heart and soul of the subject, the ability to see the real story of what I was capturing.

"Crossing the River," by Paul Wingler.

When I went to Honduras, for example, I was taken out of my normal environment, or my comfort zone.  I was forced to see more than a person or a landscape or foods or construction of buildings/homes, etc. It made me take pause and point out to myself that we have people of interest here in N.C.  We have different cultures and foods, styles of homes, and the list goes on. Traveling through and teaching in various parts of the world has given me a better understanding of the similarities we have here and enabled me to see and appreciate what is around us all.


As a former U.S. Marine Corps Band member, do you feel that your affinity for music also serves you as a photographer?

"Tapestry," by Paul Wingler.

Yes, it does. Music, for me, sets a mood or attitude. Listening to various styles of music could put me in a frame of mind to want to be out in a field of flowers or head to the beach to capture the softness or the strength of the crashing waves.  Or it could move me towards the majesty and power of the mountains.  The pastoral feeling of the sunlight kissing an old barn in a field, or sunbeams reaching down from the sky and illuminating a field of flowers…the list goes on as to the way music has influenced my photography and art.

What aspect of photography do you find continually challenging?

One thing is to keep trying to keep a focus and maintain the highest standard of art I am capable of at that time. I also have the constant challenge of knowing there is so much out there to create in so little time.

"Peaceful Resting Place" (the Frances P. Rollins Overlook
at Duke Gardens), by Paul Wingler.

Paul’s weekend workshops will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Each class will be limited to 12 students. The cost is $225 per weekend section for the general public, or $175 for Duke Gardens members. For multiple workshops in this series, each section will be $210 for the public, $160 for Gardens members. To register, or for more information, please email or call 919-668-1707.

Duke work-study marketing assistant Annie Yang contributed to this report.