Robyn Brooks brings her ‘teacher’s heart’ to Breckenridge Fine Arts Center as new director
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
After almost 30 years as a teacher, Robyn Brooks is taking on a new role, that of the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center director.
Previous director Rhonda Crawford left the position to pursue another job opportunity, and Brooks started her new job on Jan. 2.
Brooks has jumped in enthusiastically, working on projects that were already in the works and starting to put her own spin on upcoming events, such as the Art for All — Family Day, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14.
“I love working with kids, which is why I’m excited about the family art day,” she said. “I really want to get a lot of kids programs (planned) and get families involved more. I just think art is so helpful. I think kids need to be exposed to art in all forms, because I think it’s very good for your mental health and it’s good for your brain development to be exposed to art. That’s just my personal take on it.”
Brooks taught reading when she was a teacher and says she’s an amateur artist, adding that her daughter is an artist, as was her grandmother. She recently painted the murals at Soggy Dog Wine and Brew and is working on a series of flower paintings.
“Right now, I’m trying to learn how to do better florals. I’m painting a flower a day until I get really good at florals,” she said.
Some events were already on the schedule when Brooks started to work at the BFAC, such as the current exhibit, “Shared Roots, Separate Strokes,” which features the work of mother-and-daughter artists Bonnie and Sabrina Siebert of Woodson, as well as the upcoming Casino Night fundraiser and the annual juried show. But, she has her own ideas and hopes to implement them soon.
“I’ve got the teacher’s heart,” Brooks said. “I want to offer classes…more classes…that involve the community, so that they can learn something that they can take home and apply at home. And maybe they won’t finish a painting or maybe they won’t finish a sculpture while they’re here, but they can go home and have all the skills they need to be able to finish it. Family events are kind of my big ideas right now.”
The Art for All – Family Day at the Fine Arts Center is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14. The come-and-go event will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will be free and open to the public.
It will be “a welcoming day designed especially for families with children of all ages and abilities,” Brooks said online.
Attendees at Art for All — Family Day can expect:
- Storytime with local guest readers
- Interactive gallery tours (with an I-Spy guide)
- Hands-on art activities
- A relaxed, welcoming environment — no art experience needed
Brooks said the art activities will be set up at stations around the BFAC’s classroom area. Rather than a structured class, the activities will have some assistance but will be mostly self-guided by the families, so that kids of all ages can take part.
“We want it to be something that the whole family can enjoy, even if they’re a two-year-old or a 30-year-old,” she said. “So we have activities planned that they can do together. … I think it’ll be really fun and be really neat. Hopefully a lot of people show up.”
The BFAC is located at 207 N. Breckenridge Ave. and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, visit the website www.breckenridgefineart.org or call the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center at 254-559-6602.
Cutline, top photo: Robyn Brooks is the new director of the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center. After many years as a school teacher, she is bringing her love of art and of teaching to the position. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
