Summer art camp students show off their sea monster creations. In this photo: Four children are holding up clothespin sea monsters.
Just like involvement in physical and social activities, it’s important that children have access to creative outlets, too. New Albany’s own Purple Dog Art Studio is providing that outlet.
Erin Scaia is currently the fourth person to own the business and believes that the studio is a great way to promote physical and mental well-being among children.
“I wanted to take up the studio because I wanted to have more fine arts in my life and share my knowledge and passion of the fine arts with others,” she says. “I believe in mindfulness, meditation and taking care of your mental and emotional health, and art is a great way to do that.”
The Purple Dog was founded in 2003 by Angela Powers who ran it out of her house. When it came time to expand, she leased the space at the current location, 28 S. High St., and her vision continues to provide children a well-rounded arts education, enabling them to practice with a variety of mediums and even teaching them about the work of famous artists.
Eleni Johnson displays the wonderful portrait she did of her dog, Zita.
When she teaches, Scaia focuses on helping students to be creative, use art as a form of self-expression and learn critical problem-solving skills. When she realized that schools don’t promote freedom of expression, she actively sought to change that. She says she always tries to give her students more freedom with the creative choices they make in her studio, and doesn’t believe that art has to be structured with each project meaning to end up in a specific way.
Hunter Mrugacz proudly shows his dragon egg project.
“I think of (my students) as my little buddies,” she says. When assigning projects, she makes sure to give her students as much freedom as each individual wants. If a student comes up with an idea they’re really excited about, then they have the opportunity to explore it in any creative way that makes sense to them.
Scaia believes that creating art promotes critical thinking and reduces stress, anxiety and depression. It also gives children the opportunity to explore their feelings and express it in a visual way.
“A lot of times, children may not have the vocabulary to address what’s going on within themselves, but art gives them a safe space to express themselves in a healthy way,” she says.
While art is a great way to promote physical and mental well-being, it is also a great way of promoting commitment and responsibility among children, Scaia adds. It teaches them the importance of putting in effort to hone their skills and achieve results they can be proud of.
Scaia has been practicing art since she was about 3 years old and still has the first drawing she created. Art has been a lifelong love affair for her, which is why she is passionate about helping others practice mindfulness and express their creativity through art.
“It’s a great form of relaxation and gives children a break from everything they have going on in their lives. It gives them time to just slow down, live in the present and focus on what they’re currently doing,” Scaia says.
Sanaya Attari is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
