I’m Anna Wetzel Artz, an artist, mom and K-8 art teacher. I’ve been teaching at Lakeridge for 10 years, and now split my time between Lakeridge and Islander Middle School. I started After-School Artists in 2023, in response to so many parents asking where their child could find more outlets for creative expression. I decided, why not start my own program for after-school?
Teaching art in public schools is my dream job, and I’m proud of the program and art community I’ve built at Lakeridge. Furthermore, we are fortunate to have visual art instruction at Lakeridge at all (did you know that’s a rarity in western WA elementary schools?). However, the school-day schedule, class sizes, and once-per-week frequency do place limitations on what we can accomplish artistically. My goal for After-School Artists has been to provide a space with:
Lower student:teacher ratios (12-14:1 versus 24+:1)
Longer sessions for experimentation and flow (1 hr versus 35 min.)
A mix of young artists from different classes and grade levels (K-2 and 2-5 options)
Laughter, camaraderie, and low-stakes creative exploration (SEL games and art center choices)
Though I offer guidance at each session to complete a specific whole-group project, After-School Artists is designed to be more process-oriented than product-oriented. Young artists bring home finished artworks that may in fact be beautiful, but my emphasis is always more on developing our Studio Habits of Mind (link) than on any specific outcome.
In addition to the emphasis on process and exploration, we work on building a creative and safe community together. Kids will have time to connect and get to know each other through quick social-emotional activities, and my hope is that After-School Artists can be a cozy space for everyone to have fun artistically!
