Description: As the scenic designer for my church’s week-long VBS kids’ day camp, I worked closely with the children’s ministry director to create a fun and colorful set that reflected the themes of the week. To keep a low budget, I had to be very resourceful and utilized a lot of cardboard and butcher paper. I conducted research, compiled a mood board, facilities manager, skit writer, lighting designer, and custodians, drew a rendering and ground plan, created technical drawings, elevations, paint elevations, and instructions for how to build each piece, gathered and managed a team of volunteers to help with construction, and taught volunteers painting and construction skills. My favorite part about this project was getting to challenge and grow my scenic painting skills and being able use my gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ.

Concept: As the “world” for a week-long kids’ day camp, I wanted the set to entice kids to come back the next day and live in their imagination. The theme of the camp this year was “Wonder Junction—Marvel at Jessus, Live for His Glory” by AnswersVBS. It was an old-timey western train town theme that explored the fact that when we learn about Jesus’s life and death, we are only left to marvel at and praise Him for what He has done for us. One of the best ways we can praise Him is by living a life that is honoring and glorifying to Him. With this in mind, I designed the set to be an old western town that included locations such as the Train Depot, Sheriff’s Office, General Store, Bank, Hotel, & Mine to best fit the locations needed for our skit, which questioned and explained the lesson for that week. Living in Arizona, I took a lot of inspiration from Cave Creek Road, which is a road that goes through a lot of old buildings and small businesses that naturally have a western, desert look to them. To keep budget costs low, I used a lot of cardboard and relied heavily on painting to create depth and texture.