Little Artistas
The seed for Little Artistas was planted when I was in graduate school. As I was writing my thesis on the use of the arts as a tool for empowerment in marginalized communities, I kept coming across study after study that showed the link between robust arts education programs and high overall academic perfomance. I started thinking about ways in which the arts and language could be used to learn about other subjects that children may not find as stimulating. Unfortunately, even though exposure to arts and language programs positively impact cognitive abilities, they are usually the first to be cut when school budgets need to be slashed, leaving an arts education vacuum.
Little Artistas will be a San Francisco-based arts, crafts and language studio for kids with a focus on creativity, self-expression and fun!. The program will be a super workout for the children's brains without them even knowing! Hopefully, Little Artistas will be opening in the fall of 2013 (Fingers crossed!).
The startup costs for Little Artistas will be approximately $20,000:
- Furniture (long table and 10 tiny chairs, rug, storage unit): $1,500
- Equipment (Projector, scanner, printer, microwave): $500
- Office Supplies: $500
- First and second month's rent and deposit: $6,000
- Website and Logo: $1,000
- Legal and Accounting fees (not as fun as glitter but crucial): $2,000
- Art supplies (paint, brushes, aprons, glue, etc.): $2,500
- Insurance: $1,500
- Signage: $1,000
- Shatter-proof reinforcement glass for the storefront (safety first!): $3,000
- Paint and rollers (for walls): $250
- Business licenses and registration: $1,000
- Salaries/Professional Fees for first month: $1,000
Perks:
- $25- An acknowledgement on Little Artistas' website and my ETERNAL GRATITUDE!
- $75- The perks listed above and a Little Artistas sticker
- $150- The perks listed above and a Little Artistas tote bag
- $300- The perks above and a custom-made poem by the Poetry Store
- $700- All the perks above and a spot in an art class for a child of your choosing or a scholarship for a child this fall in your name
- $1,000- All the perks above plus an invitation to a special reception celebrating Little Artistas' grand opening
San Francisco has the lowest percentage of children of any major US metropolis and is often considered to not be very child-friendly. Little Artistas will, in a small way, make a contribution to making the city more family oriented. I plan to run Little Artistas as a for-purpose business, making sure that it's grounded in the community and a welcoming space for creativity. In addition to the regular class schedule, I plan to host new parents who want to meet other new parents and hold weekend workshops and events on a range of topics (poetry writing, scarf making, photography, etc.).
If you are unable to contribute but would still like to help, please help spread the word by sharing with your networks via email, Facebook, Twitter, snail mail, message dove, etc. Or if you know families who might be interested you can refer them to Little Artistas. It all helps! Thank you!!
With eternal gratitude,
Anna
