Shortly after Jaclyn Sporte took her mom, Michelle Hardy, to a wine and painting studio near Detroit, the duo decided to open their own business to bring the fun and relaxation to West Michigan.
"We hadn't been that relaxed in a very long time," Sporte says. "She called me the next week and said, 'I want to do this, will you do this with me?' and I said yes." The mobile version of
Arts & Carafes Studio was born, and the two hired seasoned artists and students from Kendall College of Art & Design who are pursuing art education careers.
Now, after holding classes at local restaurants like
Peppino's,
Brann's, and
Malarkey's, Sporte and Hardy will open a stationary studio in the Ada Hillside Center, 6749 Fulton Street. The studio rounds out the mobile offerings, which will continue, by providing a "go-to" location where kids, teens, and adults can create their own take-home painted masterpiece in just a couple of hours.
The studio has applied for a tavern license, which will allow it to sell beer and wine by the glass during classes.
"This is art as entertainment, and we have art education majors and seasoned artists that take our customers step-by-step through a painting," Sporte says. "We have a calendar on our website that's set by the 15th of the prior month, so you can go to the website to see what painting we're doing, when, and where we'll be located for that class."
All class costs include all supplies. Adults paint a 16-in. x 20-in. acrylic painting for $35. Kids ages seven on up and teens can attend age-specific Saturday classes for $20.
Sporte says the studio donates 10 percent of every class fee paid to a local charity.
You can visit the
website here.
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Arts & Carafes Studio
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