A new art studio from a Greenpoint local opened earlier this month. ARTUDIO (4 Diamond St.) is a vibrant process art studio that offers daily open studio hours and a variety of classes.
ARTUDIO was founded by Greenpoint native Aleks Derlatka, the daughter of two Polish immigrants, who told Greenpointers that she learned to rollerblade and ride her bike in McGolrick Park. Derlatka competed in ballroom and Latin dance for 15 years and coincidentally opened ARTUDIO in a space that was once home to a ballroom dance studio.
“Opening my first business for children here truly feels like a full circle,” Derlatka said of her new space in her hometown of Greenpoint.
“I created ARTUDIO as a creative third space for children, their caregivers and adults, to step away from the technology that seems to be taking us away from each other,” Derlatka continued.
“Our studio focuses on process art versus product art, which is what is usually taught in schools. Process art on the other hand, allows for freedom in creativity and decision making, ultimately building confidence in personal choices,” she explained, calling ARTUDIO a “true space of yes.”
ARTUDIO’s team of instructors have strong art and educational backgrounds and believe in the power of child-led art. These instructors currently teach classes for children up to 9-years-old, which are divided into three age groups. The Petites group is for those who are 18-months-old to 3-years-old, the Smalls group is for 3 to 5-year-olds, and the Bigs group is for 6 to 9-year-olds. The classes take place at a variety of times throughout the week.
Derlatka hopes to launch classes for tweens and adults in the spring. Plus, ARTUDIO will offer summer activities for all ages.
In addition to classes, ARTUDIO offers birthday parties and private events, plus daily Open Studio hours for artists of all ages, including adults.
Throughout Open Studio hours, locals can drop in and craft on their own time for $25 an hour. Open Studio hours are typically from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. on weekdays, and are first come, first serve.
During open studio hours, artists can create art with a range of supplies like recycled materials, watercolors, clay and dough, graphite and charcoal, beads and textiles. The studio also has printmaking and sensory stations like a rice grind table, a light table, and block building, plus a wall of books about artists.
“We like to think of ourselves like an indoor playground, but for art,” Derlatka told Greenpointers. She explained that open studio time is not available in many other art studios and felt that it was something “lacking in the community.”