The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation is taking applications for its River Kids Program, a free 26-week after-school art program beginning Aug. 22.

The program is open to any child in the first through sixth grade. The program will accept 60 students for the classes, which are held each Thursday from 3:45 to 5 p.m.

It is designed to encourage children to discover and develop their creative talents, and will expose creativity through drawing, painting, crafts, collage, ceramics, sculpture and many more exciting techniques.

Karen Biedenharn and Ashleigh Holliday are set to teach the classes, which are funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts

“The program has been going on for 20 years and we work with a lot of donated materials from businesses,” Biedenharn said. “My job is to expose (the children) to as many different types of media as I can in the 26 times I see them during the year.”

She said the program is divided into two, 13-day segments and the children meet each Thursday.

“We do 13 before Christmas, and 13 after Christmas,” she said. “We do some crafts related to holidays, and they take those projects home immediately. Pretty much everything we save and we put on a little show. They have a Christmas show and a show at the end of the school year.”

Although the program is free, it will require a full semester commitment from the parents, and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

To register, call the Southern Cultural Heritage Center business office at (601) 631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org.