Hi! I’m Claudia Brauer and I’m so happy you’re joining me here! I’m an arts educator, art therapist, occasional preschool teacher and former special education therapist. I’m excited to bring art to your home and hope to inspire other educators and parents to nurture childhood creativity.
I care deeply about children’s art education and believe that creative experiences offer many benefits to a child’s healthy development, cognitive abilities, and life skills. Over the last 15 years, with my background and BA in Art Therapy and Special Education Therapy from the University of Applied Sciences Freiburg in Germany, I’ve designed and taught various art programs, after school art and full day art workshops in preschools, kindergartens, elementary schools, several art organizations and the children’s museum in Crested Butte, CO. When moving to Ridgway, CO in 2018 I’ve decided to start WonderBar as an in-home art enrichment program for toddlers to young adults. I offer private art classes, Kids Art Kits, and share some Pre-K art teaching ideas on my blog.
Why “Wonderbar”?
Wonderbar is a German expression meaning “wonderful” or “full of wonder”. Since I’m German and seek to inspire wonder, creativity and imagination, “Wonderbar” seemed like a fitting name.
My Approach
Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences. – Brian Eno
My genuine interest is to support children in the process of developing strong, resourceful personalities. I believe that art offers many wonderful opportunities to nurture imagination, self awareness, inner confidence, innovative thinking, problem solving, creative self reliance as well as opportunities to work independently and collectively – skills that extend well beyond the art room and serve as foundation for children to succeed in school and in life! When offering art I emphasize the process of creating with an attitude of play and discovery and encourage children to follow their own ideas, make their own choices, take risks and experiment with different materials and techniques to suggested topics and projects.
Benefits of Arts Education
The true purpose of arts education is not necessarily to create more professional dancers or artists. It’s to create more complete human beings who are critical thinkers, who have curious minds, who can lead productive lives. – Kelly Pollock
The arts motivate and engage children in learning, stimulate memory and facilitate understanding, promote relationships, and provide an avenue for building competence. – Young Children and the Arts: Making Creative Connections, The Task Force on Children’s Learning and the Arts, 1998
Creative activity is a source of joy and wonder, while it bids its students to touch, taste, hear, and see the world. Children are powerfully affected by storytelling, music, dance, and the visual arts. They often construct their understanding of the world around musical games, imaginative dramas and drawing. – Theories and Research That Support Art Instruction for Instrumental Outcomes, Hamblen, Karen A., 1993
Creativity at its core is all about making connections, either with ourselves, our ideas, or those around us. – Meri Cherry
Contact
Please e-mail me if you have any further questions or want to sign up for a class.