The owners of Backyartists Art Studio, an art studio for children, invite the public to a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, August 22nd at 10 a.m.
The studio is located at 8 Medford St. in the Arlington Center and is aimed at children ages 18 months to 7 years. It is the first time the studio has had its own retail space, but the store itself opened about four years earlier.
After opening at 10 a.m., the studio will be open for activities until noon. Light refreshments will be served and there will be free gifts for the first 20 children who arrive, according to a press release.
Nicole Werther and Rachel Miller / Photo courtesy
Rachel Miller and Nicole Werther, the studio’s owners, opened the business in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, originally delivering art kits to families to use at home during quarantine. When kids went back to school, they began offering in-person classes outdoors and then began sharing the space with another studio owner. For the past three years, they taught on a limited schedule until their dream of owning their own studio finally came true.
Owning their own studio gives Miller and Werther the flexibility to offer a broader program and a wider age range, they say. Both owners have master’s degrees, Werther in education and Miller in early childhood education, and they have a combined 30 years of teaching experience.
Process art, sensory play
The studio offers process art and sensory play activities. Process art focuses on the process of making art and exploring materials rather than the finished product. It is child-led and each child’s creation is different and unique. Sensory play is play that involves the senses (touch, smell, sight, hearing, and even taste).
The business owners say it is important for children to understand their world as they grow and learn, and that both process arts and sensory play build confidence, spatial awareness, and fine and gross motor skills, and also help lay the foundation for future academic learning.
The Backyartists Art Studio offers open art and sensory activities on weekly themes. Registration for the fall classes (expected to begin the week of September 10th) is now open on the website. Morning and afternoon classes are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; the studio hosts birthday parties on weekends and drop-in classes during the holiday season. Early bird pricing is available for those who register by August 22nd.
Classes include Sensory Fun for children ages 18 months to 3 years, Creative Kids for children ages 3 to 5 years and Afternoon Art Explorers for children ages 4 to 7 years. Morning classes for children ages 18 months to 5 years require a carer to be present. Afternoon classes allow children ages 4 to 7 to be dropped off and picked up, but a carer can stay if needed.
For further information please email [email protected].
This press release was published on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 and is based on information provided by Rachel Miller and Nicole Werther of Backyartists Art Studio.
