There was a line up out the door last week in front of the Bradford Art School. It was the first “normal” open house the art school had hosted in multiple years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The school was abuzz with energy as families took in the art children had spent weeks working on. Bright, eye-popping paintings covered almost every piece of open space on nearly a dozen tables in the building on John Street.
“Tonight, this is really all about the kids, especially after the pandemic we decided it was time to come back with a big bang,” said owner Lindsay Mucci-Provenzano.
The strong turnout to the open house is a testament to the hard work of the kids who Mucci-Provenzano says need happy events like this to feel normal again.
“It’s pretty overwhelming,” she said. “When you see the smiles on their faces, it’s pretty awesome. It’s all about them tonight.
"Everybody is here for these guys and my staff has been just so incredible. As much as everybody went through a change in the last few years, the kids were impacted so dramatically. This is where I said to myself, we need to do something. It’s not about awards or being the best, it’s about showcasing what these kids have done and are capable of doing so we can really honour them tonight.”
With students ranging from ages four to adult, Mucci-Provenzano and the staff instruct a wide range of ages and abilities.
“We made sure our curriculum selection had a little bit everything,” she said. “The five pieces we work on are pen and ink, pencil crayon, oil pastel, water colour, and acrylic paint.”
A term at the Bradford Art School consists of multiple weeks, where students work on a new piece focising on a different art form.
“Each piece takes about two to three classes to work on,” Mucci-Provenzano explained. “Students come here once a week for about an hour and a half and they’re instructed and guided. Everything is done by hand, and nothing is traced and our teachers don’t help with the actual piece. The only help we give is the positive artistic feedback and breakdown the steps and colour theory with them. We really try to take them into the beauty of the art and help them understand what to do.”
Opened in 2013, the school focuses on teaching kid's fine arts and offer weekly classes, summer programs, March Break programs, paint night events, and workshops in schools.
“The inspiration was teaching art, loving art, and just being passionate about it,” said Mucci-Provenzano. “I taught through the school board and then decided it was time to move onto the next chapter.”
