The Teen Room in the new Shepherdstown Public Library building will be the location for the Teen Art Club. Ainsley Hall

SHEPHERDSTOWN — This Tuesday, a new, weekly Teen Art Club held its first meeting in the Shepherdstown Public Library’s Teen Room, from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

According to Youth Services Assistant Librarian Rachel Heller, teenagers who attend this club will be able to experience a relaxing environment to create art and meet other teenagers with a similar love for art in the community.

The Teen Art Club started when 16-year-old Emma Glennon asked Heller if she could put together a laid back art group, after attending art classes held at the library. Glennon, who is a homeschooled student, wanted a less-structured time to get together with like-minded children around her own age and create art together.

Heller thought it was a great idea and immediately started working on developing the idea with Glennon, who was later appointed president of the club.

“It’s all about teens sharing art,” Heller said, mentioning she ran a number of programs similar to this one in her previous role as a middle school librarian. “It’s by teens for teens. I run most of the clubs here, but this one is mostly headed by the teens. If they want to work on something specific, like studying a particular art style, they can do that, or it can just be a relaxed environment where everyone can do their own thing.”

Heller

Teenagers between the ages of 13-to-18 can “drop-in” at any time and create art with the supplies provided, or continue working on their own projects and bring their own supplies along to the meeting. The library will provide water colors, paint, colored pencils, collage materials and more for those interested in participating.

“You don’t need to bring your own supplies,” Heller said. “If you have your own supplies or a project you are working on that you want to bring, that’s fine, but it’s not required. You don’t have to be a professional artist. You don’t have to be crazy good. All that matters that you enjoy art.”

The new Shepherdstown Public Library building, located at145 Higbee Lane, has only been open for five months, so many of its events, classes and clubs are still changing. The Teen Art Club is open to new ideas, so that Shepherdstown’s artistically inclined teenagers can fine-tune the experience to suit their needs and desires.

“The most important thing is to have more activities for teens in the area,” Heller said. “We want to bring young artists together. Having this space allows them to come meet other artists. It’s also just a great extracurricular activity.”

Ever since the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, many teenagers have struggled to find opportunities to meet others and have fun. The Teen Art Club is designed to help attendees meet new people who share similar interests.

“It’s one of those things that if you don’t know anyone, it’s okay,” Heller said. “It’s not like a sports game or party, but a place where everyone shares the same interest. So, I would encourage teens to come out, try it and see how it goes.”

To learn more, visit the Shepherdstown Public Library or call 304-876-2783.