Description
Creative FALL art afterschool in the studio, 2024!
Wednesday + Thursday Art Afterschool!
Time: 3:30 – 5:15pm
Ages: 6 – 12
September, October, November: You sign up for the month!
This is it if you want a super creative, tended + curated, engaged, calm, and fun space with non-stop art mediums!
Our mixed-age after-school workshop series for kids is a great way to support the young artist with playful, fun, independent, and guided time in the studio. This fall, we are offering our very special art afterschool again on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
Each month, we will bring in new ideas, art mediums, themes, and guiding creative questions! We create our curriculum guided by the interests of the children (often shifting as we go with emergent curriculum), the time we are living in, and greater questions that connect to co-creating a better world for all. A range of traditional and also natural or post-consumer materials, craft, sculpture, installation, 2-D work (painting and drawing), and more will be explored. We make a lot of art! Some processes, some crafts, all art – we mix it up intentionally and also integrate time for collaborative creative choice, looking at our amazing books, and always some play choice for younger children. We also always work on one special larger collaborative public project that seems to bring the children lots of joy and models the possibility of what happens when we work together. For sibling discount, please enter the code: sibling10
Each month, on the last meeting time, will close with a mini exhibition! You will get to celebrate their creativity and see the Artwork your children have created! We are so excited to integrate this into our weeks again, children are always so proud, and it’s a great way to reflect as a community. Children will present their work to the grown-ups picking them up, and then you can take all the work home.
September
Wednesdays: 3:30 – 5:15 $150
11th, 18th, 25th
(or)
Thursdays: 3:30 – 5:15 $150
12th, 19th, 26th
Oct
Wednesdays: 3:30 – 5:15 $250
2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
(or)
Thursdays: 3:30 – 5:15 $200
3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th
Nov
Wednesdays: 3:30 – 5:15 $150
6th, 13th, 20th
(or)
Thursdays: 3:30 – 5:15 $150
7th, 14th, 21st
what to expect Each afternoon, children come right into an engaging, meditative art activity with beautiful materials at the big tables! When you arrive – quiet music on, the children take off shoes, put things away in a cubby (we put their name up each time), wash their hands at the art sink – and then are ready and can get right to work at the big long table! After that, some free choice until all are ready and we gather up for a caring welcome on the circle sun rug to welcome the afternoon and sometimes a bit of singing, talking about an artist or method, thematic movement/yoga, go over the projects for the day (usually 3 at different stations) and the children keep at it! It’s a busy and fun time for them, and they seem to really respond to all the individual choices and creative freedom. We set up our projects, and the studio, to empower them to grow in their creative thinking and skill level, all the while also following their lead to shift and add to projects and artists. At the end of each month we set up a little art show and the children show you their work, then take it home after!
teachers Lead teachers include Christina Bechstein with the creative art assistant teaching team and visiting artists. We always have 2 teachers, and sometimes even 3! As teachers, we all work together and are trained to create a respectful, fun environment. As artists, art teachers, creatives, and art therapists, we are invested in creating safe nurturing, whole-heart, joyful spaces for children. We are skilled in many pedagogies and have years of teaching experience in private and public schools and college-level. We work to set up a caring and super creative environment, and see it as a complete honor to support the individual voice and creativity of your children!
*extra info
before afterschool starts!
> We will send you a welcome email before your art afterschool, reminding you of anything you need to remember or bring.
> Each parent/guardian must sign our online forms (including media form, release form, and other important info).
> Come ready to have fun and become a part of the studio! It’s always good to wear clothes it’s OK to get dirty too. We will detail all of this in our welcome email.
> A reminder of a few things: please no nuts in the studio, no devices for children in the studio (or if you need to keep in backpack), and if you don’t feel good that day healthy wise or there is bad weather don’t worry we will have make-up classes. If we will cancel due to weather, you will receive an email and also a text and have make-up options.
waiting list
Please make sure to view our waiting list inquiry form on our contact page and submit your afterschool choices if you would like to be on our waiting list! We also will continue to add in 1-time workshops, so get on that list!
healthy community
For the safety and health of all, we have a robust Covid process, which we will need everyone to adhere to in order to have a safe community. Currently, we are not wearing masks in the studio, but we encourage our community to test frequently and wear them if any sickness. We ask that everyone work with us to make sure your children come healthy to the studio. We will revisit our Covid and healthy community policy as we go. We do run an air filter and are super into hand washing. We also have children’s masks – if you ever need one, don’t hesitate to ask.
our space
Our space, Love Lab Studio, is fun and joyful, bright and renovated. The design is thoughtfully curated for the needs of children. We are located at 26 Brackett Street, a mixed residential and retail neighborhood in the West End of Portland, next to the cute cafe Smalls. Street parking is free, and we are here to make your drop-off and pick-up as easy as possible.
some of our values
With backgrounds as studio/craft/public artists and designers, certified art teachers, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf inspired/trained, advanced degrees, service learning, college teaching experience, contemporary art education pedagogy of all kinds, and more. Some of our values include:
* The whole child: social and emotional development and inclusion within a deeply caring and welcoming community. We integrate trauma-informed and expressive arts practices into the studio and reflect and refine this as we go to do our very best for your children.
* Child as a communicator + poet: language development through participation, listening, art
* Child as co-creator: project-based, hands-on, individual learning and collaboration
* Child as informed citizen: community member, global + ecological participant. We care for each other and work to develop our ability to do that better all the time.
* Child as artist: centering arts, creativity, imagination, joy + healing in all we do!
We look forward to seeing you at the studio! – Christina