Are you an artist looking for a creative outlet, artistic community, or the chance to work with expensive art materials for free? Let us introduce you to the Naropa University Free Art Studio. In collaboration with SEEN, Creativity Alive, and the Sanctuary Art Gallery, Naropa University has recently opened a creative studio for teens in the Boulder area. Located at the First United Methodist Church, just a block away from Pearl Street, offering drop-in sessions to teen artists of any skill level from 4:30 to 6:30 every Thursday. 

As amateur artists ourselves, we decided to pay the art studio a visit. When we arrived, one of the friendly coordinators of the program let us into the church and led us to the studio, located in an art room upstairs. The handful of studio coordinators are first-year art therapy students at Naropa, and welcomed us warmly to the space. The first thing that struck us was the incredible variety and volume of materials, ranging from pottery wheels to paint and pastels.

Upon our arrival, one of the coordinators, Adelaide, offered us free pizza and snacks before inviting us to explore the cabinets of art materials provided for us. Many of the materials, such as Posca paint pens and professional quality pastels and pencils, which are usually quite expensive, are entirely covered by Naropa’s funding. The creative space provides a multitude of materials for any project you can imagine. As we sat down at the central table to craft, the group of artists chattered and gossiped with us while we worked individually on our projects. One artist even worked at a pottery wheel in the corner while talking with the group.

The art studio is a drop-in and it’s not necessary to stay the whole time, but we found that it was a fun experience and the two hours passed quickly. At the end of the session, we all shared what we had created during the time, and projects ranged from paintings and collages to sculptures and pots. 

Upon leaving, Amalie showed us the gigantic art gallery in progress in the chapel of the church. The work of both professional and teen artists fill the walls of the enormous space, representing all mediums of work from textiles to drawings.

If this sounds like a fun experience, check out the art studio this Thursday, at First United Methodist, 1421 Spruce Street.