Thrive Art School - Philosophy. Seattle Art Classes for Children, Teens and Adults

Thrive Art School. Art Classes for Children Teens and Adults

Thrive Art School. Seattle Art Classes and Camps for Children Teens and Adults

Theresa knows exactly what first inspired her to found Thrive. "At the age of 25," she says, "I was teaching at an inner-city school, working closely with children who were struggling both emotionally and academically. It took only a handful of art lessons to see that if a child had enough guidance to be successful and enough freedom to be creative then they would thrive. I opened my business to focus full time on empowering children through art."

Before teaching at and owning Thrive, Theresa worked for the Seattle School District, supporting Spanish-speaking students and families through interpreting, translating and individualized instruction. Prior to that she tutored math and English for people with disabilities. Her love of art is closely linked with its potential for confidence building, skills development and empowerment. Like many people, when younger she had been made to feel like she couldn't draw – now, of course, she's passionate about making sure no one else feels that way about themselves.

Since founding Thrive, Theresa has become a proud mother of two boys. The experience has only deepened her love of the school: "Now more than ever I appreciate parents' desire to provide their kids with valuable learning experiences. I'm so happy that Thrive can be a part of that."

Lauren has been with us for over three years – it's impossible to imagine Thrive without her, as she's been involved at every level. We'll share just a few of the phrases her fellow staff members use to describe her: "You go above and beyond", "overwhelming kindness", "total trust", "high quality experience for every family", "professional", "compassionate", and "caring". The affectionate rapport she develops with students, teachers and parents alike is universally engaging – and her Australian accent doesn't hurt, of course.

Before coming to Thrive, Lauren worked in a variety of academic settings, teaching art at secondary schools (7th to 12th grade) in Australia and later at various high schools and elementary schools in the Northwest – and as a freelance graphic designer. She has a BA of Visual Arts from the University of Ballarat and a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education from the University of Melbourne.

Lauren (or Loz, as she was called by her friends in Australia) is just as passionate about Thrive as her coworkers are about her: "What I love about working here is that I always feel supported by staff. I feel like it's a family."

Clare is a professional artist and writer – when not teaching at Thrive, she can be found painting in her studio, installing an exhibition, leading a creative writing workshop, performing at a poetry reading or swimming in Lake Washington to unwind. While being an artist can be a lot of hard work, Clare loves what she does. "So many of my adult students yearn for creative space, but don't know how to make it fit with their work life," she says. "I'm always aware of how valuable that creative time is, I feel really privileged to be able to help people make that happen for themselves."

Her education includes a BA in Visual Art and Creative Writing from Brown University, and a MA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in England, where she lived for several years before returning to Seattle. Clare teaches both children and adults, having worked over the years with all ages from toddlers to people in their 80s.

The curriculum at Thrive "creates a really good balance of structure and freedom," Clare says. "I really believe that people need help learning a visual language, the technique, just like learning to read and write. But I also really believe that the bottom line is once you're comfortable with that, you can do anything. There are tools, but there are absolutely no rules."

Cyndee combines her teaching at Thrive with a private practice as a psychotherapist. Her education includes a BS in Education (Specialty in Art) from Concordia University and a separate MA in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, but for her the fields are uniquely compatible:

"In my therapeutic work I hear people's stories, and in my art classes I see kids' stories too – the deeper levels coming out," she says. "We're empowering them to be more of who they are, because they're learning to see, they're learning about themselves. Bringing that all together is really fulfilling."

Cyndee's love of fly-fishing and hot yoga, her past work as a Spanish/English medical interpreter, and years of living and volunteering in Central America all contribute to her work life. The diversity at Thrive appeals to her because of this: "At Thrive, we all do something else. I think that's really valuable to our program, because it feeds into who we are as teachers. It's a really important outlet for balance of life."

Carah comes from a long line of artists and creative individuals – as a child, she imagined being an art therapist when she grew up (she also harbored dreams of being an orca whale trainer). After earning her degree in Elementary Education from California State University San Marcos, Carah combined a wide variety of teaching experiences with work for a graphic designer. She credits that job with her love of tactile arts – paper arts and paper-cut especially, as well as painting and illustration.

One of the most rewarding things she's noticed at Thrive in particular is when students want to teach new art skills to their parents. "It's an open dialogue," she says, "where everyone is learning." She also loves the moments of laughter she shares with her students: "A lot of children's lives are really structured, and sometimes they can feel a lot of unspoken pressure. When I see they're able to laugh at things I think it's great. One of my favorite things about these art classes is just allowing that."

Tera has worked for a wide variety of local educational organizations, spanning from the arts to environmental stewardship and outdoor leadership. She studied Elementary Education and Art Education at Western Washington University, continuously integrating those fields with her love of the outdoors.

Much of her work has been focused on inclusion and support for diverse learners: working with at-risk youth on the Eagle Rock Challenge Course, providing individualized instruction for skiers with physical and cognitive disabilities, offering creative outlets to artists with a range of disabilities, teaching at a school for homeless and in-transition students, and advising arts educators on adapting programs to maximize inclusion.

Outside of her classes, Tera is drawn to fiber arts, ceramics, book arts, and collaborative projects. She's also active in skiing and rock-climbing, and competes nationally in Ultimate Frisbee. Her team-focused, supportive approach shows through in everything she does at Thrive.

Maria has worked at Thrive for over three years, staying actively involved even in combination with full-time public school teaching jobs in Puyallup and Redmond. She studied at University of Washington for both her K-8 Teaching Certification and her BFA in Painting and Drawing, and has lived in the Northwest her whole life.

Maria has also been a long-time assistant coach for the Roosevelt High School Water Polo team. While she doesn't get to show off her swimming abilities much during art classes, she brings her athletic enthusiasm to our curriculum in many ways – designing lessons inspired by sports and collaborating with Thrive in 2011 to hold a special art class as part of her fundraising triathlon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Working at Thrive is a constant source of fun and surprise for Maria: "When you're talking about art with kids, they'll come out with the most random, amazing thoughts – it keeps me wanting to be with them in class. I love those little moments that you get."

Monica moved to Seattle a few years ago with her husband (they met in a life drawing class in college while she was studying for her BA in Visual Arts Education at Eastern Michigan University). She loves experiencing the Northwest – trying new restaurants, exploring neighborhoods, camping in the Cascades and on the Olympic Peninsula.

She focused on ceramics in college, but now mostly works on watercolor and paper projects. In addition to her classes at Thrive, she also teaches Spanish to pre-schoolers, integrating Spanish language into daily art lessons. Her past classes for after-school and summer programs in Michigan show off her awesome range as a teacher: Watercolor, Drawing, Spanish… but also Altered Photo, Fashion Design, Comic Books and Visual Journaling.

Across all the subjects she teaches, the kids continue to inspire her. "I love the creativity in little minds!" Monica says. "They are so adventurous and brave in their thinking – it's a really rewarding job."

(206) 522 1659