PIKE ROAD, Ala. — The Pike Road Arts Council has an exciting opportunity for young artists to explore their creativity this summer. Residents still have the chance to enroll their children in a week-long summer art work class, hosted and instructed by Daralyn McColl, an active member of the Pike Road Arts Council and art instructor at Pike Road Junior High School.
The centerpiece of this initiative is a series of age-appropriate, hands-on art sessions designed to foster creativity and critical thinking. For a registration fee of $55 per student, participants will enjoy small-group instruction, with all materials included. The classes are scheduled to take place at the Pike Road Arts Center (also known as the Waterhouse Gallery) from Monday, July 13 through Friday, July 17, 2026.
For Mrs. McColl, the summer program represents a vital extension of the arts education she provides during the school year.
“My objective is to assist the Pike Road Art Council in offering more opportunities for the Pike Road community in visual arts,” explained Mrs. McColl. “We have a huge amount of talented kids, because I work at the Pike Road Junior High School, and so I’m seeing them. I’m seeing what these kids have to offer, and I love the skills that they come with, and their ideas.”
“In the summer, we don’t have many opportunities at school, so this is my opportunity to offer it here at the Waterhouse Gallery, which is fantastic,” McColl said.
The program features three distinct sessions tailored to different age groups, each capped at 10 students. The 5 to 8-year-old session (9:00–10:30 a.m.) will integrate literature, allowing students to read an art-related book that encourages critical thinking as they create their artwork. The 8 to 11-year-old session (12:00–1:30 p.m.) focuses on “action art,” utilizing unconventional tools beyond the traditional paintbrush. Finally, the 12 to 16-year-old session (2:00–3:30 p.m.) offers a mentorship approach.
“These students usually come with their own set of ideas on what they’ve already been working on, and so I hope to mentor and ask them more questions about what they wanna get better at doing and what they might be struggling with,” McColl noted. “We’ll gear that around to just kinda mentoring them to achieve and make success for the week.”
To culminate the week of creativity, Mrs. McColl plans to host a special showcase. “What I would love to have is, from 3:30 to about 4:30, is have a little art show. And we invite their parents to come in for all sessions to see the work that the students have, and then they go home with everything.”
Registration for the 2026 Summer Art Work Class is open now. For those seeking additional details or to secure a spot for their young artist, more information can be found on the Town of Pike Road’s event page.
This is an exceptional opportunity for Pike Road youth to build new skills, express their imagination, and create one-of-a-kind artwork in a supportive and fun studio setting.