Noah Johnson Daily Press Art 2,3,4 - Bonifas Art Center summer helper Lucy Vande Hey laughs with a few kids during Art at the Marketplace in Escanaba. The free event is every Monday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the marketplace until the end of July. To register, call the Bonifas at (906) 786-3833, or register online at www.bonifasarts.org.

ESCANABA – A local art center has a free program for kids and their families to get creative.

The Bonifas Arts Center is hosting Art at the Marketplace each Monday until the end of July.

The Escanaba Downtown Development Authority sponsors the events.

Each Monday, kids and their families are welcome to drop by the Escanaba Marketplace from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., where staffers and volunteers guide youth in a variety of art design and craft-making activities.

The event is free, but registration is recommended so that organizers can ensure they have enough supplies.

The crafts are geared toward kids in kindergarten to fifth grade.

Organizers plan for roughly 30 kids to attend each week.

“It’s kind of just like a fun thing to break up your summer,” said summer helper at the Bonifas Lucy Vande Hey.

Each week is a different theme, with a majority focused on nature.

“The first week we had kind of like a water theme, and last week was more kind of butterflies and trees,” Vande Hey explained.

The day is all about fun and maybe even getting a little messy.

“Kids come and really experience the joy of nature, but also (they are) able to make a mess and have fun,” Vande Hey said.

She said the crafts are simple, but it will make the kids use their brains during the process.

“It’s usually lots of like cutting and gluing, and you usually have like one paint station,” she said.

“It’s kind of like pretty simple little crafts that will be easier to follow, but it also makes them think a little bit more.”

While the event is for the kids, parents and family members are welcome to stick around and join in on the fun.

“It’s good to kind of like have a little thing to break up your summer but also to just take a moment to find joy in something; I think that is very important,” Vande Hey said.

“I feel like often in our world, we’ve kind of lost the ‘awe’ of life. I think just having a little time just to really delight in something; I think is very beautiful.”

To register, call the Bonifas at (906) 786-3833, or register online at www.bonifasarts.org.

“We’re here every Monday if you ever want to stop by,” Vande Hey said.