In the heart of the Lynn Valley neighbourhood of North Vancouver, Kudzu Studio offers scheduled art classes for children aged 4 to 13 and older teen classes by request. Kudzu Studio boasts small class sizes (maximum eight), where age gaps are kept to a minimum and the children have an opportunity to learn a variety of hard and soft skills.
“The children get a real opportunity to try everything, we do everything: textile art, print making, painting, drawing, collage, mixed media sculpture work,” says Jeri Engen, studio owner and art teacher. “They have a real opportunity to try all sorts of different techniques and use different materials.”
Kudzu Studio uses the best materials possible and, under Jeri’s encouraging direction, children learn techniques that they can recreate at home. Jeri works hard to develop her students’ observational skills, and is a firm believer that mistakes are really just learning opportunities.
“Teaching is something I’m really passionate about, and I had the space available, so why not,” says Jeri, who has been teaching art classes to young people since 2000. Within a year of opening her in-home studio in 2013, a number of her students were awarded scholarships.
