thefarmartscamp

We don't want to give too much away, but here is a sneak peek at some of the art that will be on display at the upcoming Art Exhibition!

Many unique pieces from the ceramics studio will be making an appearance in the show. In the last few days, Farm Arts campers have been spending time putting the final touches on their artwork so that it can be fired and ready to present. One project that several campers have been working on is the creation of clay pieces inspired by food, which has resulted in artwork ranging from corn to Oreo cookies.



Other campers have devoted their time to sculpting animals of all sizes, from fish with glimmering scales to a giraffe over a foot tall!





In addition to the art from the ceramic studio, we expect to see some amazing silk screen artwork at the exhibit. The designs pictured here are but a few that our campers have invented over the course of the last few weeks. We can't wait to see the shirts and bags that they end up on!

This week, Farm Arts campers took their papers, utensils, and their creativity down to the garden beds! The artists each chose a place in the garden to sit, and from here they drew inspiration for their drawings.



Tonka K. got comfortable in the watermelon patch, where the unique shape of the leaves made them perfect subjects.



Meanwhile, Luc E. chose to draw from a different perspective by sitting little further from the beds.

Check back soon for photos of our upcoming art exhibition -- it will be our final art presentation of the session and of the summer!

As the end of summer draws nearer, it's hard not to look back and see the ways in which we've grown as a camp and as a community. Ballibay is a place that is defined and redefined by the people who arrive and the energy that they bring, and this summer we were once again amazed and thrilled by how this environment fostered such creativity, beauty and growth. But let's not forget one very important type of growth... I'm talking about vegetables!

We couldn't resist posting one more photo shoot of our garden in full bloom. From the silk in the corn stalks to the vibrant color of the squash to the fullness of the watermelons, we hope you can enjoy looking at our crops as much as we've enjoyed growing (and eating) them!

Yesterday morning, Farm Arts campers were all tied up with a project that took them out of the art barn and into the woods around camp. This project, called "natural weaving," required the campers to wind string in and around tree trunks and branches to create a tight web. Objects from nature, such as leaves and twigs, were then woven into the web as the artists saw fit. Here, Alaura G. begins to create a small section of her own natural weaving.



In other news, we have been busy taking loads of vegetables from the garden to the kitchen! On Monday we harvested nearly a dozen cucumbers and, with the help of Jade E., they all made their way into the salad bar.



The most recent batch of mixed greens from the garden were not only served in the salad bar, but were also cooked up by some of our youngest chefs! Emily L. and Cindy L. made a delightful batch of kale chips using oil, salt, pepper, and a bunch of garden-fresh kale.

As we near the end of the second session of the Ballibay camp, we say goodbye to a host of talented artists and celebrate all the work they have done in the past days, weeks, and months. One of the last projects in the Farm Arts camp, a collection of work on canvases, was presented today at the Five O'Clock Special.



These pieces were created with a combination of paints and fabric. In the process of making them, many campers learned a new skill as they attempted sewing for the first time. This journey also pushed the artists to search for deeper meaning in their work, as each artist was asked to present his or her canvas to fellow campers and explain the meaning and inspiration behind it. Pictured here with their artwork are Emily L., who envisioned the Pac-man video game with a carnival twist, and Cindy L., who chose to express happiness.



The closing of this second session also means saying our goodbyes to a wonderful group of gardeners. On Wednesday, many campers came out to the garden to help weed and clean up the garden. On the day of their departure, they will be given small tokens of appreciation in the form of these small clay leaves. Thomas R. was one of the artists who helped to sculpt, carve, and paint these pieces.





Thank you to all of our amazing campers who have made Ballibay such a great place to be, and thank you to the families who shared them with us!

We couldn't have said it better ourselves!



The ceramics studio has been busy lately as pieces like Ada Z.'s and Lilian C.'s are fired and glazed alongside a myriad of mugs, bowls, plates, pendants, and other clay creations.

But even with all the things to do in the art barn, the campers of G2, G3, and G5 weren't too busy to enjoy a wonderful summer cookout! At the camp's biggest cookout yet, the girls grilled their own burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs.

Once again, we have proven that the Rock Farm isn't the only camp that knows how to jam. Another exciting and successful jam night occurred on Wednesday night, with activities and events in the kitchen, rock garage, theater, music building, and art barn!

In the kitchen, a group of 25 campers gathered to reinvent our traditional Jam Bar recipe. Instead of using jam, we substituted in a layer of raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon, and the butter in the crumb topping was replaced by oil. The campers-turned-chefs worked in teams to mix together all the ingredients and spread out the layers into their pans, and we weren't surprised that the bars were as attractive and delicious as ever!

Meanwhile, the art barn was bustling with activity. Many campers chose to make pieces which were inspired by Navajo sand art. They painted a thin layer of glue onto their canvas, and poured a mixture of sand over the top. The sand, which was dyed to create a beautiful array of colors, formed unique designs and patterns after it was shaken off. Here, Laurene C. shows off her work in progress.

We now have reason to believe that dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes have been wandering through the garden at Camp Ballibay (with acrylic paint on their feet)!



These bold and beautifully painted shale pieces were just recently completed and taken down to the garden, and Matthew H. worked diligently to arrange and install them in the main pathway.



In other news, we are continuing to harvest new vegetables daily! Recently, enough zucchini was harvested for our campers to make five loaves of delicious zucchini bread, which we ate for afternoon snack. The mint leaves from the garden have been used for peppermint tea, cucumber couscous salad, and a special yogurt dip that will be unveiled at afternoon snack tomorrow!

There has been a lot going on at the Farm Arts Camp lately! In the garden, we have been harvesting bucket after bucket of greens like arugula, mizuna, kale, lettuce, and spinach.



But the focus hasn't been entirely on the vegetables. Thanks to some inspiration from our campers, the art and creativity in the garden has also been thriving! Courtney H. helped to install a stop motion camera to capture scenes in and around the garden throughout the day.



Other campers like Ava V. are bringing a little bit of color and imagination to the garden with these dinosaur footprints. Dozens of stones have been painted in shades of blue, red, yellow, and green and are almost ready to be placed around the garden pathways!



Be sure to check back for updates and photos of our new additions to the garden!

then you're probably not at Ballibay. We have been all about beets lately, from harvesting them to eating them to sowing new rows of them!

It all started when Mandy M. came down to the garden and found all the biggest and best that the beet bed had to offer. She picked at least a dozen, and left the smaller ones for another day's harvest.



Then, Angela D. came into the kitchen and helped wash all of the fresh veggies. We first cut off the root end and then cut the leaves off to put into a separate bowl. The leaves, which are called beet greens, were chopped up and served in the salad bar for lunch.



But we still weren't satisfied... something had to be done with those beets! This is where Bridget R. and Lily M. stepped in to cook up a delicious batch of Roasted Balsamic Beets. The girls chopped up the beets and dressed them with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, salt, olive oil, and a touch of maple syrup. They tasted great, and we are already busy thinking about what we can do with the next batch from the garden.