Archive of Articles, News, Events

Click to visit these articles!

• Chalk4Peace Event at Bijou, September 2010!q

• Courhouse Silk Banners - Permanent Installation
June 2009

• Collage Art - Taught by Anne Thennes

• Fruit Smoothies - Taught by Kit Night!



March 2010 News from the Director
If you have been noticing more BATS showing up around Tahoe, it has to be the BATS program and the support of more than 100 volunteers.

In just two months, we have displayed artwork from three schools at the El Dorado County Library, and these children love the attention. This program will continue throughout the school year, so stop by today and experience their creativity.
Click to read more.

Bijou Art Board Displays - March 2010

February 2010 News from the Director
With our increased numbers of volunteers and our new volunteer
training, BATS is taking flight! Click to read more..

Art classes for volunteers, led by Gina Stowell

January 2010 News from the Director
The BATS program began the 2009/2010 school year with new art supplies for each school, and new volunteers eager to bring art into each classroom. The majority of volunteers are parents who have little or no art background. Our goal is to offer much needed support for these parents. Click to read more..

June 2010 Article and Photos!

BATS Tales: End of the Year "Guano"
by Penny Shrawder

Every year the BATS program grows stronger and the BATS Cave gets bigger. With the enthusiastic vision of Joy Rogers, BATS Director, this year more than 100 volunteers offered new art projects, supported new community efforts, and doubled the number of Lake Tahoe Community College Haldan Gallery field trips.

This year we were able to offer a new Visiting Artist Program where Tahoe Art League artists share their special art talents. This year, Kit Night, accompanied by Dixie Murnane, and
Ann Thennes taught their unique art techniques to classes at Bijou. This was quite popular and we will definitely give it the BATS' "echo" next year! If you are interested in joining this new program, contact Joy Rogers.

As part of each school's Open House in May, BATS sets up art shows displaying art created during the school year by the more than 1800 children. This year, the shows were fabulous! Check our website, BATSart.org, for photos. BATS art also can be viewed at the El Dorado County Library throughout the school year, so be sure to look for the shows next year!

This year's LTCC Haldan Gallery field trip program far exceeded our expectations! With school bus funding by BATS, Joy Rogers was able to organize field trips and conduct presentations for more than 700 children in May and June. As part of the field trip, each child created a work of art, which were Sun Prints this year. With this many children we couldn't have achieved all we did without help. We want to give special acknowledgement and gratitude to Mollie Mason, who is a new Tahoe Art League member, and employee of the LTCC Art Department, who assisted Joy with the field trips and worked so well with the children on their projects. Thank you, Mollie! Also, we want to give special recognition to Phyllis Shafer, Director of the LTCC Art Department, for funding art supplies and compensating Mollie for her assistance with the art projects and field trips. We appreciate Phyllis's continuous support. See our website for photos!

In addition to the 700 Elementary School children, Joy Rogers also offered her Haldan Gallery Docent expertise to the Middle School classes, and, surprisingly to a group of local Fire Fighters, as this show was titled, "Fire" by artist Peter Goin. Joy sure had her BATS wings flapping energetically this spring!

To stay up on the latest BATS activity, be sure to visit our website often! BATSart.org.

All of this is possible because of the generous grants and donations. As our program reaches out to more children, our funding needs grow, too. We appreciate your help.

Hoping you will join our BATS colony next year. Please email or call Joy Rogers today! billjoytahoe@sbcglobal.net or
530-573-1657.

Mollie Mason helping an artist with his Sun Print

Children enjoying another exhibit at the LTCC campus

April 2010 News from the Director
Kit Knight, our newest Art Instructor, along with Dixie Murnane, really caught the children's attention this month with the topic of healthy fruit drinks, such as kiwi strawberry, blueberry, orange and lemon. As you can see by the examples below, the kids really went for this lesson!

March 2010 News from Joy Rogers, Director

If you have been noticing more BATS showing up around Tahoe, it has to be the BATS program and the support of more than 100 volunteers.

In just two months, we have displayed artwork from three schools at the El Dorado County Library, and these children love the attention. This program will continue throughout the school year, so stop by today and experience their creativity.

Good art comes with good training and that's just what BATS is offering all volunteers. Already BATS has offered two free art lessons this year and more to come. They are a lot of fun and energizing. If you are curious about the BATS program, come join us at our next art training class, supplies are included. See Calendar for upcoming dates.

For a little more excitement, we have just added this year a Visiting Artist Program, where Tahoe Art League artists visit the classroom and share their special art talents. Both Ann Thennes and Kit Night have begun this year at Bijou School, and the school teachers are eagerly signing up around town. Come and join this growing program. Please contact me for more information, 530-573-1657.

We are able to offer these programs and training because of the grants and private donations that we receive. We would like to thank the El Dorado Arts Council, Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe and the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra for their generous donations in February.

We have a lot of ideas for the BATS program, to keep it growing and energized. Please join our fun group today and make an art-filled difference for the children. Thank you!

February 2010 News from Joy Rogers, Director

We are happy to report an increase in volunteers this month, which means more art for our children. Also, we have had the opportunity to offer two additional volunteer art training sessions, led by Gina Stowell. As you can see in the photo below, volunteers enjoy this time to be creative and learn new art techniques to pass on to the classrooms.

All volunteers are given help and ideas to get started, so if you would like to volunteer, please call Joy Rogers, Director, 530-573-1657 today.

We are very grateful for grant funding we have received this year for art supplies, and would like to thank the El Dorado Arts Council, Soroptimists International of South Lake Tahoe, and Soroptimists International of Tahoe Sierra for their generous support.

January 2010 News from Joy Rogers, Director

The BATS program began the 2009/2010 school year with new art supplies for each school, and new volunteers eager to bring art into each classroom. The majority of volunteers are parents who have little or no art background. Our goal is to offer much needed support for these parents.

In December we had our first training/art class for volunteers. The two-hour class included a lesson on watercolor, rintmaking, and how to work with air-dry clay. Volunteers from each of the five elementary schools attended, and they were delighted with the class. We will do this on a regular basis, as it was very successful!

This fall BATS received a grant form El Dorado Community Foundation South Lake Tahoe Area Fund – Joan Rochelle Fund. This grant will cover the cost of supplying books, videos, and continuing classes to enrich the knowledge of our volunteers. The more resources and support they have, the more committed they become to making the program better each year.

Matt Kauffmann and I met with the principal at Bijou School to start planning a mural project for that school. A space was selected, and Matt will submit design ideas to the principal, and we will get started as soon as possible!

BATS had a fundraiser at Chevys on December 3. We had excellent support from the Art League, newspaper, elementary schools, and radio for this event. The results are not in yet, but we had a good turn out and THANK YOU everyone!!!!!!!

June 3, 2009 News from Joy Rogers, Director

Haldan Gallery Field Trips and the Buses Program
We have also coordinated efforts with Phyllis Shafer, Director, Art Dept at LTCC to organize field trips to the Haldan Gallery. During the field trip, Phyllis presents art projects for the children to create at the Gallery relating to the current exhibit. This program offers children the opportunity to experience culture first hand in our home town. We would like to thank Phyllis Shafer for her enthusiasm and efforts.

In order to get the children to and from the Haldan Gallery, we thank Ernie Claudio, who, had a vision of using LTUSD buses during their off time to transport children from their schools to the Haldan to experience art. His untiring efforts to collect donations has really paid off and children now have the opportunity to experience artwork in a Gallery setting!

Library Art Exhibit
During scheduled times, childrens' artwork is displayed at our local Library, so be sure to stop in during our next exhibit. The children are so proud to have their work showing a public venue!

New Art Mediums
This year promises a lot more excitement as we will be adding a few other new mediums to the repertoire of art projects, such as air-dry clay, to introduce more 3-D art into the program, and various types of printmaking projects. The ideas are galore, so we will keep you posted!

In Appreciation
Since September 2008, the BATS program has had a successful beginning and we couldn't have made such progress without Dr. Forrest Patin's generous donation, and Georgiana Barton's generous help of writing grants, which were awarded this fall and winter. We give them each our heartfelt gratitude! Our thanks also go to our local organizations that awarded us grants: Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra, Soroptimists of South Lake Tahoe, and Kiwanis, El Dorado Community Foundation, and El Dorado Education Foundation.

Also, we appreciate all of the volunteers who helped to keep all of Tahoe's 1800 children excited in art in 2008, however, we are in need of more help to keep the program strong and growing in 2009.

If you would like to join our growing program, please contact Joy Rogers at 573-1657 today. If you aren't sure about volunteering and want more information, read our article, "Are You Afraid of Bats?" by Penny Shrawder

We hope you will find a few hours to help our Tahoe children. We thank all of you for your generous help.