04/17/2026
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In February, The Arts Bus and Rutland Public Schools piloted our first WINTER CAMP and it was truly EPIC! Middle Schoolers used their creativity with principles of S.T.E.A.M. (science-technology-engineering-art-math) over the course of the week to create resin forms, ice and snow dyed fibers, and participate in an ice sculpting workshop with Tony Perham!
PART I
We kicked off winter camp with exploration of epoxy resin, combining two chemical reactive liquids to bond and harden. The kids and teachers created one-of-a-kind keepsakes, dice, runes, pendants & keychains. They designed each piece thoughtfully, swirling in pigments, glow-in-the-dark powder, glitter, seashells, gemstones, dried flowers, and even their own photographs!
PART II
Ice dying is so 🆒! Teens learned how to use powdered fiber-reactive dyes sprinkled over ice on animal and plant fibers. First, they used alpaca wool yarn, created designs & weaves, soaked it in citric acid, then used snow with temperature activated specialty dyes. Second, they were given a cotton bucket hat, covered it in ice, then sprinkled it with soda ash and the dye mix. 24 hours later, we had colorful, one-of-a-kind creations!
PART III
On our last day at Rutland Epic, professional sculptor Tony Perham joined us for an ice sculpting workshop and demonstration. The teens assisted Tony in carving a snowflake out of a solid block of ice over 3ft square! They also learned that one of the most useful tools in ice sculpting is the heat from their hands and a little bit of teamwork passing the cubes around and smoothing them into perfect spheres. We added school spirit red spotlights to the snowflake and celebrated all the fun of the week with a boba bubble bar & fruit-flavored sparkling fizzy drinks!
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Rutland Middle School Turrell Fund Vermont Crafts Council The Vermont Arts Council Vermont Afterschool Downtown Rutland, Vermont Rutland City Public Schools Vermont Children's Trust Foundation
