Instead of cavorting poolside or chasing lazy fly balls, more than 200 area youths between the ages of 6 and 16 are expanding their creative talents this month through SEMO Council on the Arts summer workshops.

Beverly Strohmeyer, director of the council, said classes will be held throughout the month covering drawing, painting and sculpture.

This week students are participating in "Dream & Draw," where they explore a variety of two-dimensional materials and artistic media.

Carol Horst, an art instructor in the Jackson School District, and Brenda Seyer, an artist from Cape Girardeau, teach the classes, which are held at the art building on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

On Wednesday Bill Needle, a retired art professor at the university, was teaching the students ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

"It's really neat how interested they are in ancient Egyptian things," Needle said. "They hear stories, and it's all kind of magical to them. They learn quickly, I think, because it's something new and different."

Needle who taught art and art history for 38 years, including 21 at Southeast said summer art programs are important to spawn interest in the arts among youngsters.

"It's a great way to really learn to enjoy art for a lifetime," he said. "I think summer programs are very important. "It offers an opportunity for students who may or may not be interested in taking art in school."

Needle is finding real talent among the students. "Teaching hieroglyphics, I was walking around the room and I could read the messages the students were writing. There really are some good art students here."

Strohmeyer said the summer art program has been around for more than a decade, and many students return year after year.

"We feel that it is really important for the kids to be able to really develop their art ability, or to experience things that they don't get in the school curriculum because they don't get the time," she said. "They can really get more in depth into what they're doing."

Strohmeyer said the summer classes begin with art history before moving on to various techniques and, of course, practical application through projects.

From July 12-16, the arts council will sponsor "The Wonderful Worlds of Color," which will teach students the use of watercolor, tempera and acrylic paints. The July 19-23 class is titled "Adventures in Sculpture," adding three-dimensional shape and form to budding artists' repertoires.

The last week in July will combine drawing, painting and sculpture. Strohmeyer said there are openings for the morning classes throughout the remainder of the month.

She said the summer program is an opportunity for skilled, young artists to develop their craft and for the untested to explore the arts.

"There are some children whose parents want their children exposed to that," Strohmeyer said. "Then they find out they have an interest or talent that they didn't know was there.

"A lot of children who show real talent, there are not a lot of places for them to go."

The SEMO Council on the Arts is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation that promotes the arts and encourages participation in and enjoyment of the arts, including visual, theater, music and dance.

The council also sponsors concerts and various exhibits at its downtown gallery, Gallery 100.