ANACONDA, Mont. - For over a hundred years, Anaconda has been known as one of Montana's primary mining towns. But times have changed, and so has Anaconda. Perhaps the instrument of choice has gone from the shovel to the paintbrush.

This week, Anaconda children are discovering the joys of art. A three-day program at the Copper Village Museum & Art Center hands them a brush and some watercolors, and says, "use your imagination!"

In turn, the kids are making some beautiful creations and, most importantly, potentially finding a passion where they can thrive.

"Not all kids can do football, basketball, whatever," art instructor Cheryl Eamon said. "Kids have their own little niche, and they need to learn to enjoy it and love it. And these kids that are here today love it."

These classes are just the latest in a trend of artistic talent building in Anaconda.

It was just in July that the town hosted hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors for the annual Art in the Park event. Meanwhile, the museum currently houses an exhibit from a local nature photographer dedicated in early August.

And there's plenty more in the works.

"There's been some new artists moving into town," Eamon said. "We want to support them 110%."

"We're going to have a wildlife expo, which has around 60 artists--top-notch artists from all over the country," Eamon continued. "And it's building up, building up all the time."

As for the kids, the art classes continue Thursday with a lesson in pop art, before diving into acrylic paints on Friday, with a showcase to follow, as they present their parents a week of wonderful work.

Originally published on montanarightnow.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.

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