Tickets now on sale for:

AVENUE BEE: The First Annual Avenue Road Spelling Bee - A Musical Revue Performed by ARAS Musical Theatre Company

Friday, January 19, 2007, 8:00 pm at the Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Avenue

Tickets: adults, $15 & children (12 and under), $10

See all the details and order tickets online

CHANGES - Performed by ARAS Young Drama Company

Friday, February 23, 2007, 7:30 pm at the George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place

Tickets: adults, $15 & children (12 and under), $10

See all the details and order tickets online

For two Avenue Road Arts School students, planning their Bat Mitzvah marked more than their passage from childhood into adulthood. The events have become opportunities to give back to the community. Longtime students, Ariella Minden (student since 1997) and Dylan Kerdman (student since 2002), requested that their guests make donations to ARAS' Arts Scholarship Fund, instead of giving them gifts. The Arts Scholarship Fund was a natural choice for both girls. They wanted kids, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend the School, to have the same experiences and training that they themselves have enjoyed. Due to their combined generosity and selflessness, we expect at least 30 new students to be able to attend the Arts School on scholarship for a year. For the scholarship recipients it will be a life changing opportunity. And for these two incredible young women it means something special as well. As Ariella put it, "you wouldn't believe how good it makes you feel to raise money for other kids." The Arts School thanks both girls and their families.

For two years in a row, ARAS has been working with Sick Kids' Hospital to make the play areas a little more friendly. Under the guidance and direction of instructor, Rachel McQuillan, students from the Friday Drawing & Painting class painted well known cartoon character murals, making the hospital a little less intimidating for the kids.

Singer, Author, Founder of Child Honouring, Raffi Cavoukian made a visit to the Avenue Road Arts School this past November. Raffi toured the school and visited the various classes (seen below with ARAS Founding Director, Lola Rasminsky). Visit www.raffinews.com to learn about Raffi's projects.

The staff and faculty of the Avenue Road Arts School wish you all the best for the holiday season.

For Susie Whaley, a dedicated artist, educator, wife and mother, the arts have always been a way to reach out to those around her; making her new position, as Outreach Coordinator at the Avenue Road Arts School, a natural fit. With both Susie's parents being successful classical musicians, her exposure to the arts at an early age shaped her appreciation for artistic exploration and development. Though a visual artist by training, Susie's love of all art forms shines in the Kinder Arts and Mixed Media classes she continues to teach at the School.

The phrase "I can't" does not exist as part of Susie's personal vocabulary. She passes that philosophy on to her young students, encouraging them to use the words "I'll try" instead. Susie believes that "everyone has creativity inside them, it's just a case of opening the right drawer and letting it out." A dynamic presence at the School for the last 12 years, it is not uncommon to see Susie riding her bike to work in all types of weather, singing and dancing in the halls and creating her own artwork as a student in an adult art class.

Susie's commitment, to both her family and her own personal development, has shaped her growth as an artist. When her niece was found to be deaf, Susie took it upon herself to learn American Sign Language and has since been able to lead art classes for hearing impaired children, while also incorporating sign language into her classes for hearing children as an alternate means of communication. Susie also designs and manufactures three-dimensional sculpted hands representing various words and symbols in ASL. She is currently working on a commission for the Deaf Children's Society of British Columbia.

Susie believes that the Avenue Road Arts School and its group of artists/educators "make people feel safe to try out their creativity." The duality of being both a student and faculty member at the School has provided Susie with a great perspective in designing and executing Outreach Workshops that are accessible to those who have had limited exposure to the arts. At 85 years old, Susie's father took up drawing and painting at the School. For her, this reinforced the idea that one must always keep learning – "as soon as you think you know it all, you've closed a very important door."

In meeting Susie Whaley, it is abundantly clear that she is excited about learning, whether for herself or those around her. An avid swimmer, hiker, skier, canoeist and photographer, Susie's passion for new experiences extends far beyond the doors of the Avenue Road Arts School. It is with this same energy and enthusiasm that she hopes to launch adults and children into a lifelong relationship with the arts through her new role as Outreach Coordinator.

If you'd asked me, when I was in my 30s, if I thought of myself as an entrepreneur, I would have laughed. I was an introverted music teacher, daughter of an Ottawa public servant, dutiful wife and mother – and business was the furthest thing from my mind – or my heart.

Wanting to stay home with my boys as they were growing up, I started a Fine Arts Kindergarten in my basement. I taught music, and my friend, who was a trained kindergarten teacher, taught art and drama. We started with six students. After 14 years, our kindergarten had grown to 100 students every week – with more on a waiting list.

Zoning problems gave me no choice but to give up the homey, non-institutional environment that I had created for my little school. I found 460 Avenue Road, a building that had originally been a family home. It was properly zoned and had the right atmosphere – fireplaces in every room, beautiful stained glass windows, and a warm intimate feeling. I mortgaged my house, borrowed money from the bank and quickly converted it into five arts studios.

When the doors to the Avenue Road Arts School opened in September of 1993, we had 200 students. I had figured out that it would take 900 to reach the break-even point. These were scary times: people were telling me that I didn't know what I was getting myself into. They were right. I didn't! That was the lucky part, because had I known, I never would have tried. I was naïve and idealistic, driven by a dream of creating a warm congenial environment where people could discover talents they never knew they had. I was also obsessed with the idea that it was important to engage the imagination because that was an empowering place where we are all free to make choices. It was an idea that had somehow grabbed me and held me hostage.

The first year was chaotic. As well as running the school, I taught music to our preschool students and made lunch for the teachers once a week. I had no business background, no systems knowledge, and no proper computer database. I knew nothing about marketing, accounting, HR, business plans, strategic planning. I didn't even know how to read a balance sheet. I worked at least 16 hours a day, trying to keep afloat. It was a crazy time - exciting and very challenging. I attended our Broadway Showtunes class for stress relief, serving wine to all the singing enthusiasts. To top it all off, we were broken into twice in the first year. All the computers, office equipment, cameras, even children's art were stolen. At that point, I was tempted to walk away. My naïve dream kept me on course.

And now it's 13 years later and more than 1,000 students attend classes each semester. The school would not be what it is today were it not for the commitment and hard work of its staff and faculty who share my vision of offering students high quality art programs in a supportive environment. Liana Del Mastro Vicente, the present Director, has been with us since the day we opened and has contributed as much as I have to its success. I am proud that so many of our artist/instructors have been making the school and its students 'shine' for more than ten years. My husband, Bob Presner, has been my tireless ally through the past 11 years. They all know how grateful I am to them for everything they do and how much I admire their exceptional abilities.

I have always been buoyed up by seeing the wonderful glow on the faces of the children and adults who leave their classes feeling delighted to have unleashed their creative energy. Many are tapping into a deep well of creativity in themselves that hasn't been touched in many years. Thank you to both students and staff for being my partners in creating our remarkable little school.

Lola Rasminsky, Founding Director

This past October, eleven artists, who also happen to be students of the Avenue Road Arts School's Advanced Landscape class, showed their work at the Edward Day Gallery on Queen Street West. The exhibit entitled 'see' was curated by master painter and ARAS instructor Daniel Hughes. It was well attended and the work was impressive. Congratulations to the artists for their accomplishments and a special thanks to Daniel for organizing the exhibit and providing a wonderful opportunity for his students.