A Bay Ridge art school is now offering Brooklyn kids a chance to fuel their imaginations during the days of social distancing with a range of at-home art kits.
“We wanted to stay engaged in the community, give kids a creative break from screen time and keep them creating during the quarantine,” said Leigh Holliday Brannan, owner of the Art Room NYC. “We truly believe that self-expression has never been more important and this gives kids the opportunity to expand on that.”
Would-be Picassos can order a do-it-yourself art kit — which includes everything from tools to paint-your-own protective face masks to collage-making, said Brannan.
“The Art Room NYC carefully curates boxed Art Kits that are sure to delight any young artist, and bring The Art Room into the comfort of home,” Brannan said. “Each Art Kit is complete with step-by-step instructions and all the materials needed for a young artist to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art!”
The pandemic forced the art school to shutter its brick-and-mortar location on Third Avenue and bring their various art courses online — and on June 29, they announced the changes would be permanent.
“After much deliberation and careful consideration, we have decided to close our studio on Third Avenue,” said the email announcing the changes. “The safety of our students, along with the trust and confidence of parents & guardians, has always been our #1 concern.”
While operating “on the road,” the organization will continue most of its regular offering virtually including one-on-one art instruction, group classes, and art parties with more remote experiences in the works.
“For the past few months, we have been finding new ways to turn lemons into lemonade by taking our show on the road and into your living room,” the announcement read. “As various COVID-19 restrictions become the new way of doing things, we plan to continue educating and developing The Art Room to adapt.”
And looking ahead, the Art Room NYC will search for a larger studio with outdoor space in Bay Ridge to reopen safely in a setting that allows for social distancing.
Even though we will miss the hands-on learning experience in a classroom setting, for now, we look forward to our studio growing in a new capacity during this new reality,” read the announcement. “In addition, we eventually will look for a new, bigger location with outdoor space in Bay Ridge – so stay tuned!”
This article first appeared on BrooklynPaper.com
