ART CLASSES FOR CHILDREN///

ART FOR CHILDREN …..creating in a good-space!

THE STUDIO IS A CREATIVE SPACE TO BE, A SAFE-PLACE TO BEGIN MAKING DRAWINGS AND PAINTING OF LIFE AS EACH ONE OF US IS SEEING IT. WE TALK AND WE PAINT, WE LAUGH AND SOMETIMES WE SHARE A POEM OR A STORY. WE WORK HARD TO GIVE DIGNITY TO OUR OWN CREATIVE PROCESS, AND TO THE WAYS THAT OTHERS MAKE THEIR ART. WE TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT ARTISTS WHO ARE DEAD MIGHT BE ABLE TO TEACH US EVEN TODAY AS WE LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THEIR WORK. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE SO MUCH ART ALL AROUND US IN BOOKS AND ON-LINE AND IN MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES; BUT WE ARE CAREFUL, AS YOUNG ARTISTS, TO VALUE OUR WORK AS WE GROW AND GAIN SKILLS, AS WE TRY AND TRY SOME MORE. ONE OF THE BIGGEST DELIGHTS THAT HAPPENS IN OUR STUDIO SPACE IS THAT WE LEARN TO SEE DETAILS; WE LEARN TO SEE WELL, AND WE LEARN TO TAKE LONGER SPACES OF TIME TO LOOK.

Recently, (June 2022)- Art for Children was filmed in a documentary as a place we might call THE ATELIER….a work space within a community where human beings come to create. This was an enormous complement, and a dozen roses to the Work I’ve leaned-in to creating for a decade in this studio-space. It is a title that I know pieces of from studying the Reggio Emilia pedagogy in Early Childhood Education options. But I will say with emphasis here, it is not a term I would have chosen to use YET….I would have easily allowed another decade of good-Work before I called this place an atelier. This was something I was AIMING for… gaining the skills of an atelerista in the time it truly takes to bring the pedagogy to life.

“Atelier” means “art studio” or “workshop” in French.

In Reggio Emilia practice, an atelier is a welcoming place that offers a wide variety of natural and man-made materials for artistic expression. An Atelier is an environment as well as “the third teacher’ - quietly promoting knowledge and creativity, prompting questions, and generating evocations. It is the space where the supplies are easily accessed by the hand of the child as she brings her ideas for creating; and some days, it is a space where ‘the missing piece’ for a fully intended project becomes understood, and must be procured before the task can be completed.

“Tools and materials make it possible for children to have experiences in which thinking takes on different forms.” (Dahlberg & Moss, 2010)

Working with paint pigment and brushes, sharpie pens and microns, graphite drawing pencils and sometimes pastels, the young artists who come to the studio begin to form knowledgeable relationships to TOOLS as ways and means for making art. Even very young children form an opinion about the medium that they like best.

Without emphasizing JOURNAL entries this year, I am hoping to encourage a very simple DAILY practice of Mark Making….we will see what happens!

***April is always the month of DUMMY DESIGN….where each young artist has opportunity to create a character with an art dummy. Costume design, fabric details and outlay are a large piece of this month’s work.

STUDIO ART sessions of Painting and Sketching, and paper machè, collage, and BUILDING!

will begin again this FALL SEMESTER 2024

starting on SEPTEMBER 2nd, and we will finish on DECEMBER 18th.

WINTER/ SPRING SEMESTER will begin January 6th, 2024 and finish May 23rd.

Enrollment for 42-available studio-art slots began in JULY as families who attended the studio last year reserved their children’s spot for the Fall of 2024.

I am ALWAYS aware of the length of The Waiting List - it is quite long; however, I am just as sincerely interested in allowing as many young artists who want to come to come, even if it is only for an occasional drop-in session. If you are truly-interested in coming to the studio, contact me. Let me know. Let me put your child’s name on the list, and check-in with me frequently. Squeaky Wheels Get Our Attention Much More Quickly …. I will work with you to make it happen.

Also, signing-up for SUMMER ART CAMPS 2024 on M A R C H 1st is normally a marvelous way to get your feet in the doors. When your child attends Art Camp, I assure you of a reserved spot in the weekly studio sessions.

My class offerings in the art studio this Fall of 2024 are all either P R I V A T E sessions - where one young artist is working here with me, OR- A GROUP of children meeting together, once a week to create and make art.

Classes with 4-10 children:

Cost : $140/ month for weekly 60-minute class

PRIVATE SESSIONS: These are often four or six-week studio sessions created with a specific but gentle-theme as the need for a child experiencing emotional anxiety or grief has occurred. Creating Art has played a vital, restorative-role in my own personal healing as a woman; these sessions are simply a sharing of the ways that I was able to begin saying exactly what I was needing to say because I was painting each day.

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STUDIO ART SESSIONS will be held on MONDAYS, TUESDAYS, & WEDNESDAYS this Fall of 2024 and SPRING of 2025.

The 4 sessions listed below are for small GROUPS of children. (Private sessions are not listed here.)

MONDAY: 3:30-4:30pm

TUESDAY: 4:00 - 5:00pm

WEDNESDAY: 4:00 - 5:00pm

 ~Tuition is due on a MONTHLY basis. Some months allow for four sessions, some for five; and yes, there are some where due to the outlay of days and weeks, we can only meet three times. The tuition remains the same for those months with fewer meetings. Several holidays throughout the year FALL ON MONDAYS - please feel free to make -up a studio session by joining one of the Tuesday/Wednesday classes.

Payments can be made with CASH, CHECKS, VENMO, and/or Charter School Funds from Harvest Ridge School. The Purchase Order from the charter school MUST be created BEFORE THE FIRST ART CLASS ATTENDED.

ALL Supplies in studio art classes are included in these prices for beginner and intermediate students.

Drop-in rate: $25.00….This applies to visiting-friends and siblings who might want to join us for an afternoon.

****** TO SIGN-UP FOR CLASSES: PLEASE CONTACT ME PERSONALLY…..WITH A TEXT 530 305-7912.

WE WILL FOLLOW THE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS SCHEDULE, AND TAKE EVERY LEGAL HOLIDAY PRESCRIBED ON THE CALENDAR.

S U M M E R A R T C A M P - 2024

What Will You Make?

DATES:

JUNE 4-7. JUNE 11-14. JUNE 25-28. JULY 9-12. JULY 16-19. JULY 23-26. JULY 30-AUG 2. AUG 6-9.

THE SPOTS FILL Q U I C K L Y….BUT I AM EAGER TO WORK-WITH YOU….EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR SUMMER PLANS, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND “SAVING A SPOT'“ FOR YOUR CHILD WITH A non-refundable $25-DEPOSIT.

I WILL WORK HARD TO GET YOUR CHILD INTO THE ART CAMP THAT WORKS WELL FOR YOUR FAMILY.

THERE WILL BE 8-WEEKS OF SUMMER ART CAMP SESSIONS. THE ENTHUSIASM IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR THIS PIECE IN THE LIFE OF ART FOR CHILDREN IS SO PRECIOUS TO ME…..THANK YOU! MY GOAL IS FOR EVERY CHILD WHO WANTS TO ATTEND TO HAVE A SPOT…AND YES, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TWO WEEKS, I AM DETERMINED TO HELP YOU MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SUMMER OFFERS US A WIDER, SLOWER, STEADY-SORT OF PLAYTIME…..SO IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN, for creative rhythms….and for adults to watch and see how much PLAY matters in creating.

AS IN YEARS PAST, SUMMER ART CAMP IS AN ARRANGED TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING STUDIO SESSION, BEGINNING AT 9:00AM AND ENDING AT NOON. THE ART PROMPTS EACH DAY ARE OPTIONAL TO THE CHILDREN AS I HOPE THEY WILL BRING THEIR OWN IDEAS TO THE TABLE, AND PERHAPS TRY SOME OF MINE.

COST THIS YEAR IS $225/WEEK….A $25-non-refundable DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT, AS YOU CHOOSE THE WEEK THAT WILL WORK BEST FOR YOU. THE BALANCE MUST BE PAID-IN-FULL ON THE FIRST MORNING OF YOUR CHILD’S ART CAMP WEEK.

WHEN YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE ONE AND/OR TWO WEEKS THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR CHILD ATTEND:

CONTACT ME as soon as possible…

WITH A TEXT MESSAGE —-my phone number: 530 305-7912

OR, AN E-MAIL —-danaross48@gmail.com

TO RESERVE THE DATES YOU DESIRE.

I WILL TAKE ALL OF THE RESERVATION REQUESTS, CREATE A SPREAD SHEET, AND WORK TO GET AS MANY REQUESTS SECURED AS IS POSSIBLE. I WILL CONTACT YOU AS QUICKLY AS I CAN WITH YOUR FINALIZED DATE.