Mothers, Mentors, & Masterpieces
May 2025
Dearest NoCo Family,
There is so much this team has to be thankful for, from the precious interactions we have with our students each week, to the beautiful connections we make during our community events. It is pure joy to be a part of God’s kingdom, watching in awe as He takes our meager offerings & multiplies them to bless many people. We are especially grateful for all the amazing support we’ve had on this journey so far. In every season, God sends us amazing volunteers, artists, teachers, donors, vendors, & others who contribute so much to the vision & mission of The Novelty Collective. This ministry is what we have hoped it would be all along—a collective. We never know how long our paths will continue to intersect, but the time we get to spend in partnership with these individuals has immense eternal value.
“For as in one body we have many members, & the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, & individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…”
– Romans 12:4-6
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory & dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
– I Peter 4:10-11
None of us is meant to go it alone. Each of us has so much to offer one another! While your own abilities might seem small or limited to you, your personality, your experience, & your unique gifts are all invaluable assets to the kingdom in the hands of a loving God. We are better together!
The COVE: Afterschool
This season of Afterschool has been tremendous. Since we began in September, our team has approached each program day with fervent prayer & joyful expectancy that our students would feel safe, unburdened, & inspired to create at The COVE. As our time with them comes to a close for the summer, we can look back & say with confidence that our prayers were truly answered! Not only have our kids had tons of fun & made awesome works of art, but they have also been deeply engaged with our Bible studies.
Filled With the Fullness
We are almost through the Book of Ephesians now, & it has been exciting to teach the students about all the riches of God’s love & the goodness we get to experience in our life with Christ, as well as all the things He enables us to do through the power & authority of His Spirit. Please pray that each student would increase in wisdom & their understanding of God’s Word as we wrap up our lessons with them for the school year. It is our greatest desire that they leave better equipped to walk with Jesus & face all of life’s challenges in close relationship with Him.
God’s Masterpiece
The COVE: Afterschool program officially ends for the summer on Thursday, May 29; however, before we say farewell to our students until next September, we are putting on a Student Art Showcase in our space—& you’re invited! We would love for you to stop by to see all the Ephesians-inspired art the kids created throughout the school year. This an Open House, & it’s great opportunity to see The COVE Art Center for the first time if you haven’t visited yet!
The Afterschool Student Art Showcase will take place on May 30 from 4pm - 7pm.
This is a drop-in style event, so come when you can! Light refreshments will be provided.
Please RSVP on our Facebook Event Page if you plan on attending!
After Afterschool…
In 2022, The Novelty Collective held two weeks of summer day camp at The COVE Art Center for our Afterschool students, & it was such an awesome success, that we have eagerly awaited the day we could bring it back ever since. That day has finally come.
Summer Arts Day Camp will return in July 2025! This opportunity is available for students in grades 7-12. Unlike Afterschool, Day Camp runs on a block schedule. Students will be able to choose to participate in up to two classes per week, each taught by a professional artist from the NoCo community! Classes run from 2:30pm - 3:30pm, & 4:00pm - 5:00pm.
Week One: Performing Arts – July 14-18
Week Two: Visual Arts – July 21-25
Classes TBA
We are still looking for art teachers! If you or someone you know would be interested in teaching an art class for a week of Summer Arts Day Camp, please tap the link below to find a more detailed description of the position on our application. Feel free to reach out & ask for more information about camp (or any of our programming at The COVE) as you navigate through the application.
If have a child who would love the chance to learn a new skill from one of our instructors this summer, please send us a message with interest. We will announce which classes are available & when they will occur in a future newsletter. Stay tuned!
Mother’s Day Art Market
This past weekend was a blast. Meaningful connections & happy memories were made at our second annual Mother’s Day Art Market, as thirteen artists came together to share their beautiful gifts & joyful presence with the local community. Six of our vendors are new to NoCo, & it was a huge honor getting to host them here for the first time! If you were not able to make it to the event, you can still support these intrepid small business owners by following them on social media. Here are all our vendors with instagram accounts:
Whether you can make it to our events in person or celebrate the results with us through these reports from afar, you contribute to our mission by supporting the artists we serve. Participating in internet communities like Instagram, Facebook, & Threads actually goes further than you might imagine, especially when you take the next step in networking to generate simple leads for self-employed artists. If you are personally looking for the kind of support we are talking about, please reach out so we can do the same for you!
Open Studios
Don’t miss out on this wonderful chance to create in community! We are here at The COVE Art Center every fourth Saturday of the month to facilitate your next art project. Open Studios is a casual, no-pressure drop-in program. On occasion we bring in artists to lead attendees in workshops, but it’s all optional. A light lunch is always provided.
Personally, I could not ask for a better environment to hang out, socialize, & create in. Check us out! I’m certain you won’t regret it. You can add the next Open Studios date to your preferred digital calendar by following the link below:
If you missed Mother’s Day Art Market, & you aren’t able to attend Open Studios this month, there will still be plenty of other opportunities to join us, & you are always free to reach out & schedule a visit! Definitely try to make it for The Novelty Collective Music & Arts Festival this November. It keeps getting better & better each year, so look out for the official event announcement this summer for dates & mark your calendars. Thanks for reading!
Blessings,
The NoCo Team
Article written by Jordan A. King
