Children have the chance to get crafty this summer.

A traveling art studio will make stops at every library in Mower County with a different class each week starting next Monday at the Austin Public Library.

“We’re excited about it,” said Grace Heimsness, education and marketing coordinator at the Austin ArtWorks Center.

According to Heimsness, I.J. Holton Intermediate School art teacher John Sullivan had the idea to take art classes to where people may not have the opportunity to partake in these kinds of activities.

“We want to give them a little bit more of a taste of what art can be,” Heimsness said.

There will be many activities over the course of the program, including: clay, painting, decorating birdhouses and hula hooping.

Two classes will be offered at the libraries each day. One for children ages 6-8, and the other for ages 9-11. The classes will run through Aug. 7.

“It’s an opportunity for kids who wouldn’t have the time usually to engage with the arts,” Heimsness said.

The project stems from a partnership between Austin Area Commission for the Arts — the entity behind the ArtWorks Center and Paramount Theater — and Riverland Community College.

The project is funded by a Legacy grant from the Art and Culture Heritage Fund, and Courtney Wyant, the adult services librarian in Austin, wrote the grant in May.

“[It’s] something we thought would really benefit the community,” Wyant said.

Talks have already begun on bringing the project back next summer and working to expand it to more areas.

“We’re already talking about ways we can expand this project,” Heimsness said.

The classes are free and children must register by calling their local library.

Traveling art studios schedule

Mondays: Austin Public Library, classes at 10 and 11:15 a.m.

Tuesdays: Brownsdale Public Library, classes at 9 and 10:15 a.m.

Tuesdays: Lyle Public Library, classes at 2 and 3:15 p.m.

Wednesdays: LeRoy Public Library, classes at 10 and 11:15 a.m.

Fridays: Grand Meadow Public library, classes at 10 and 11:15 a.m.