The Art Workshop, Inc.

The Art Workshop in Hyde Park offers a variety of art classes, workshops, and camps to help ignite and foster creativity for local kiddos.

Located just behind the Hyde Park Plaza, the building shared with Queen City Clay offers a well-lit space with a ceramics area and kiln, a wide variety of materials, and an art library to inspire creativity in patrons.

The objectives of The Art Workshop, according to owner Nancy Kopp, are to “teach the language, elements, principles and techniques of art; foster the desire for discovery and experimentation of art materials; encourage creativity and imagination in making art; develop confidence, clarity and individuality in self expression; and promote an appreciation for all forms of art through Art History and personal experience.”

At The Art Workshop, patrons can draw, paint, hand build with clay, experience throwing on the pottery wheel, do art with their child, learn art history, print, create cartoons or comics, sculpt, or do crafts. The various classes cater to children ages two to 12, teenagers, home schooled children, families, and adults. Options for children include pottery wheel classes, drawing classes, holiday workshops, custom birthday parties, and summer camps. Adults who want to introduce art to their children or get in touch with their own creative sides can also choose from numerous options including drawing classes, Mom and Me classes, and art therapy.

Kopp founded The Art Workshop in her basement in the 1980s. She graduated from Bowling Green University with a Bachelor of Science degree in art education and initially taught art in public schools in Toledo and Cincinnati, but even though she loved teaching art to kids, she eventually became “disillusioned with the public school system.” She also noticed that her neighborhood had no art studio for the kids, so she created one in her basement, and The Art Workshop took off quickly due to Kopp’s focus on individual needs and ability to engage with students.

“At first, I taught only the neighborhood kids,” Kopp says. “As word spread about my classes, I developed a waiting list. Parents started asking me if I could teach them to draw, so I added adult classes.” As demand grew, Kopp moved her studio in 1996 to the Fine Arts Center in Wyoming.

Fifteen years later, The Art Workshop moved to its present location. Success stories of The Art Workshop, as listed on the website, include graphic designer Caleb Halter, who worked on Katy Perry’s Prismatic Tour, and Brian Greenwood, who founded his own creative services agency in Columbus, and others. The Art Workshop, Inc. is located at 3130 Wasson Road in Hyde Park.

To learn more, visit http://theartworkshopinc.net.