MISSION Founded in 2009, the Children's Art Studio Inc. is located at The Artscape Wychwood Barns. We offer a friendly and safe environment for kids to learn about art-making. Our cozy little studio is a wonderful place for young people to explore their creativity, experiment and make new friends.

PROGRAMMING Our Early Art Program combines literature with art. We begin the session with an age-appropriate story and then make art about the story. Our School Age Art Programs introduce students to both historical and contemporary artists and their practices. For all age groups, we use a variety or materials and methods including painting, collage, sculpture, and print-making; our teaching style is open-ended and experimental. 

Studio Sessions are divided into Fall, Winter and Spring. We also offer Winter, March Break, Passover and Summer Art Camps. In addition to the Studio Sessions, we provide creative programming for the TDSB and private schools in Toronto. We also offer Pop-up Events for special events here at the Artscape Wychwood Barns, and other locations in Toronto. 

WHO WE ARE All of our teachers and staff are professional artists and educators, with a vast amount of experience and expertise in the field. Our Visiting Artist Program includes highly acclaimed Canadian artists including Governor General’s Award winner Cybèle Young, and Toronto's legendary Jamie Shannon, creator of the children's t.v. puppet show, Nanalan. Our Volunteer and Co-op Placement Programs are highly regarded and offer students an opportunity to gain real teaching and art-making experiences. 

PHILOSOPHY Our students will not spend their time with us making reproductions of famous art. Instead, we will teach them to understand art-making. We help students to develop their creativity and confidence so that they are able to create their own masterpieces. Most importantly, we will teach them how to steer their own creative direction.

STAFF & TEACHING ARTISTS

Lynn Jackson - Director

Artist Lynn Jackson is the founder and Managing Director of the Children's Art Studio Inc. She has been teaching art education to both kids and adults for over 18yrs with a current focus on children and youth. In addition to her teaching practice, Lynn has been exhibiting her own art work for over twenty five years in Canada and the UK.

For more information please view her website at: lynnjackson.ca/bio

Tamara Reay - Curriculum Director

Originally from Chicago, Tamara Reay moved to Toronto in 2011. A proud graduate of the University of Illinois, Tamara earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Visual Art Education, where she specialized in Visual Culture theory and integrated pedagogy. During her studies Tamara worked on various academic manuscripts including her thesis and a co-authored paper presented at the 2010 National Art Education Association conference. Following her university studies Tamara practiced her craft at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School teaching Art History and Ceramics classes for grades 9-12. Outside the role of teacher, Tamara continues her own art practice that includes a passion for photography and painting.

Janice Liu - Teaching Artist

Janice Liu is an artist and illustrator who grew up in Hong Kong. Her illustrations have been published in The Varsity magazine, The Beacon, and Solidarity magazine, and her work has been exhibited in Guangdong, China. Having taken classes at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and the Maryland Institute College of Art, she has a strong background in drawing.

Her main interest is in the human form, and she participates in life drawing sessions regularly to continue her exploration on this subject. Janice is also familiar with creating artwork digitally, and has advanced experience in Photoshop, OpenCanvas and other graphics programs, which she has been using for the past 8 years. Janice moved to Toronto in 2011, and has fallen in love with this vastly multicultural and creative city.

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