BEVERLY — Bonnie Rynkowski isn't particularly thrilled her 8-year-old son gets 45 minutes of art and music a week at his elementary school.
"I don't think that's enough," she said. So she's starting an after-school program to bring more culture into kids' lives.
The North of Boston Arts Center aims to open in September with classes in art, music, dance, chorus and drama, which will be aimed at kids in kindergarten through fifth grade.
As more schools slash their budgets and cut extracurricular activities, Rynkowski said she hopes her center can provide a place for students interested in art and music to thrive, and she is looking to open it in Beverly because the city has voiced a desire to become more of an arts-based community.
She is still looking for a building to house the operation, seeking grants and corporate sponsorships, and working toward nonprofit status. Last week, elementary kids around the city brought home in their backpacks fliers advertising the upcoming program, which Rynkowski said she is committed to getting off the ground.
Although conceptual at this point, she plans to have a location by June and will hold a six-week preview course on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays over the summer. Registration is $75, and classes, which would normally be between $25 for two hours and $40 for a four-hour day during the school year, will be free.
The preview course ends with a performance at Lynch Park during the city's Homecoming week in the summer and will also involve acts from other arts organizations in the community, like a senior tap-dancing class, to increase awareness.
Eventually, Rynkowski hopes to hold monthly performances, develop preschool and adult enrichment classes, and create a program devoted to opera, which she sings.
For now, she's focusing on the after-school program to kick off the center.
"Art and music provide inspiration and communication," Rynkowski said. "I think children are too involved in computer games and TV, and this way they can get involved and learn about their own potential instead of living their lives through watching media."
For more information, call Bonnie Rynkowski at 508-331-2733 or visit www.northofbostonartscenter.org.
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