Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Walls are being painted bright red, orange, and purple inside the storefront at 4709 42nd Ave SW (vacated by SIMA Martial Arts, which moved to The Triangle), and some walls can be drawn on with multi-colored chalk. This space is becoming home to Young at Art, an art workshop that will be open to kids and adults to learn and play with arts and crafts.
Owner Theresa Anderson tells WSB that the space will be a combination workshop and artist’s studio, with art wor kstations positioned around the space and focusing on particular mediums.
One station may have painting supplies, while another will have collage materials, and other stations will hold different kinds of art and craft supplies allowing kids to move from one station to another. The space will be broken out by age range as well, so younger kids will be offered supplies and crafts appropriate to them and the older kids will get to play with the messier stuff. Anderson says, “We’ll be able to accommodate all age ranges all the time, so parents can come in and relax with their coffee while the kids are doing art in their areas.”
There will also be a space for adults to work in, where Anderson and her business partner Andrea Watterson will provide art classes such as stained glass, pottery and jewelry-making.
If Anderson and Watterson’s names sound familiar to you, you may have a child attending their after-school art program at Schmitz Park Elementary. That program, along with a summer art camp Anderson did in her home this year, inspired them to create a space dedicated to providing access to the arts and crafts year-round.
Open hours at the workshop will cater to the school district’s off-hours, so kids and parents have something to do while schools are on break, or have an early out day. Artists who need studio space will be able to rent the space during the workshop’s closed hours. The workshop will stay open for future West Seattle Art Walks and will feature both art from kids and adult artists.
Anderson says the workshop will be open in time for Trick-or-Treating in the Junction – October 29th, 1-3 pm – where they’ll be handing out Trick-or-Treat kits “with masks that the kids can bring back and decorate!”
Though prices haven’t been finalized, Anderson guesses that workshop attendance will be around $20-$25 per child per workshop, and open studio costs will be around $5-$8 per hour. The space will also be available to rent for birthday parties, and Anderson says they’ll provide art supplies and goodie bags.
To learn more about the workshop, pick up one of the informational flyers that will be available at Young at Art by next week.
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