Whether you’re seeking a way to beat the heat or get your creativity in full gear, the Northwest Colorado Arts Council has a spot for you.

The arts council is hosting multiple activities during the summer months and beyond as it seeks to inspire artists of all ages.

The group’s Articulture space in Suite 203 of the Yampa Building offers a free teen open art studio from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Fridays through August.

The free sessions are open to about 15 students at a time who want to flex their creative muscles, whether they wish to do their own thing or learn more about working in a new medium.

“Most of the time we let kids do what they want to do, but sometimes we have more guided activities with local artists who want to come in and teach workshops,” board president Ariane Caldwell said.

Caldwell has instructed kids in charcoal, while other members have guided students in oil paintings and ceramics to name a few. Some sessions have been offered on Saturdays as well, if kids need more time.

“Their stuff is safe here, so they can pick it up or leave it whenever they want to,” Caldwell said.

The program is intended for middle school and high school, though younger siblings have also attended.

“It’s easier for a studio for kids that age since they’re more self-guided, whereas with little kids we might have to plan out more guided activities,” Caldwell said. “So this allows us to keep more of an open studio.”

Eowyn Phelps recently graduated from Moffat County High School, but has been sitting in at the studio, most recently putting together a clay figure as taught by David Morris.

“The instructor had us gathered around and told us to try and make something out of a cone shape and just go wild and create something interesting,” Phelps said. “He’s kind of an original character of mine, he’s a thief. He’s a wolf, his name is Honor.”

Phelps said she is also working on an oil painting of a fox, a new undertaking after mostly working in pencil and paper, and forms of digital art.

Still, experimenting with different styles is important to her.

“I really enjoy doing stuff like this,” Phelps said. “Art is honestly my favorite thing. Ever since I was a small child, I took all the art classes I could. It’s really relaxing and very satisfying to create something. It gives me a good sense of fulfillment when I’m done.”

Phelps also joined Northwest Colorado Arts Council members this week in an open studio for adults.

Similarly to the weekly teen event, anyone is welcome to attend the studio, which started last month and will be available free of charge from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the third Wednesday of every month.

“Lately we’ve been wanting to get our members together to come and create and inspire each other as artists and do what we do best,” Caldwell said.

Phelps has been taking advantage of both studio sessions.

“It’s a really good opportunity and nice that there are people here who have experience and can guide you a little bit,” Phelps said.

The Arts Council currently has a display of local photographers in the Yampa Building, as well as a Black & White gallery exhibition available since April.

The group was previously housed downtown, but has found the current spot to have good energy and flow.

“It’s great to be centralized with some other businesses in town and also have a gallery space that’s separate from our maker space,” Caldwell said. “It’s a nice area to lay our stuff out and display the stuff our artists provide. It’s easy for our members to kind of bop up and down and co-mingle.”

A new quarterly gallery will be unveiled in mid-August, with artists also showing works at The Barrel Cathedral. The end of the summer will also see teens who came to the open studio showcase their stuff.

“Last year’s show was awesome, and every kid sold a piece at the gallery reception,” Caldwell said. “We try to give them an authentic experience of what they will go through in the real art world. They have to submit an application, have their artwork juried and it has to be hang-ready in a frame, so we try to give them that authentic procedure. We’re super-excited to get some more local work up.”

Caldwell said the Council also plans to have further events in October and is looking to bolster its numbers.

“If we could come up with more momentum, we would love to do more as time progresses and we’re always looking for volunteers for that,” Caldwell said. “The more we can get, the more we can offer. We like to say that everybody’s an artist whether they think they are or not, so if you do anything in the creative realm, we’d love to have you with our group.”

For more information about Northwest Colorado Arts Council’s offerings, visit nwcartscouncil.com.