There is a fun new edition to the Eden Prairie area: Kidcreate Studio, which is an art studio and retail store for children.  I recently had the opportunity to talk to Lara and Cindy, Kidcreate’s founder and marketing director.  

When I first walked into Kidcreate, I immediately felt happier.  The space is bright and cheerful.  I was also greeted by not only Lara and Cindy, but also by Arty, their pet parakeet.  

Lara’s inspiration for Kidcreate Studio came from her two children, now five and eight years old. At the time, her son was struggling with reading and becoming more and more frustrated with school.  She saw how “art made him come alive”, how proud he was of his projects, and knew he needed more art in his life.  Frustrated with the limited amount of art at school, she began to look for supplemental art classes for her kids.  

Finding art classes for her kids proved to be a difficult task.  The classes she found were not conveniently located, or the class times did not work for her busy family. She had hoped to find art classes in facilities designed just for kids, in a location that was close to places she needed to go like shopping and the gym. 

She wondered “why can’t there be a quality art education program that’s convenient for families?”.  That is the question that started it all and from which Kidcreate Studio was born.   

After a lot of thinking, planning, and consulting with family, friends, and professionals Kidcreate Studio “all came together”.  Lara opened the studio this past June.  The studio offers art classes, camps, birthday parties, mommy time, date nights and great retail items.  The studio’s curriculum and teachers are also available in a portable format through Kidcreate on the go Studio.  Kidcreate on the go Studio goes out into the community and sets up art classes at daycares, after school programs, community centers, private homes or anywhere groups of young artists can be found.

Lara runs Kidcreate Studio with her sister Cindy.  The two sisters grew up in Bloomington and both women have a creative background.  Lara graduated from Mankato State after studying interior design, while Cindy graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in advertising.  

Lara and Cindy love a lot of things about their jobs.  Who wouldn’t love going to work and getting to play with kids and art everyday?  Lara “loves seeing kids so proud of their art.”  She said it’s very rewarding to see the sense of accomplishment on their faces.  

I spoke with Colleen Chaplan, whose kids have attended art classes at the studio.  Colleen said Kidcreate is “a great experience because it is very hip.”  Lara and Cindy apply things the kids love like: “Hannah Montana and High School Musical to what they are doing to make the classes really fun” for the kids.  Colleen’s five year old Matthew said he liked Kidcreate because “it’s a really fun place.”  Matthew said the “painting was fun because [he] just likes to paint.”  

I also got the chance to talk with two year old Isabella, who said she liked Kidcreate because “[she] loves Lara and Arty the bird.”  

Art is such an important thing for children to be exposed to because it teaches creativity and it taps into a child’s natural imagination.  With so many schools dropping their art programs because of budget cuts, it’s nice to have Kidcreate Studio in the community.

Like they say at the studio “making a mess is the best”!