Mission

MessArts is a community minded visual arts education program for all ages. We facilitate a collaborative studio environment which balances rigor and play. MessArts teaching makes fine arts and craft  approachable in order to enrich and challenge our understanding of art.

Vision

MessArts creates a space for learners of all ages to develop an individual and collaborative art practice. We utilize art making as a common language to learn and grow together as a community.

Core Values

Art 

Our arts curriculum is a blend of fine arts and craft derived from Mahala and Ness’s own art practices. MessArts programs span many specialized mediums. We offer courses based on working within a certain medium and courses that take a mixed media approach to a particular concept. In both formats, we approach making art with a balance of rigor and play, believing one does not cancel out the other. 

We believe our position as teachers is to guide learners to meet their own goals, offering knowledge and techniques along the way. Learners are encouraged to spend time in the process of making through research and experimentation. We value sharing art from people of varied backgrounds and trying out new methods. Here, the creative process is as important and beautiful as the final product! 

Our teaching studio is set up to be an educational tool. It is filled with real equipment and materials used by artists, as well as resources to educate and inspire learners. We believe working in the environment of the studio elevates learners' work and provides greater context to view their work within. Everything in the studio serves the purpose of making art!

Accessibility 

Accessibility is at the core of our teaching approach as well as a tenant of our organization. In the studio, we aim to demystify art making methods that are often kept exclusive and allow learners of all ages to experience the real deal. We value looking at and taking reference from artists and makers of all backgrounds. In the MessArts studio, a drawing made by a 6 year old learner is seen through the same eyes as a renaissance oil painting. 

  We structure our programs to be as accessible as possible. At Mess Arts anyone who wants to take a class can, regardless of socioeconomic status, age, race, gender, sexuality, and ability. All of our classes are offered on a sliding scale as well as having scholarship options available. 

Self- Expression 

Self-Expression is both integral to making art and a valuable outcome for art learners. We celebrate exploration of unique identities and ideas. We focus on providing a space where learners feel seen and heard. Our teaching philosophy stresses self-determined concepts within our skill-based curriculums. We want to serve as a guide to fulfill learners' visions and promote ownership of their artwork. Additionally, we center learner’s ideas in how we utilize the space and what courses we offer. 

Community 

Participation in MessArts is an invitation into a communal learning studio.We believe learning from each other is just as important as learning from an instructor. We seek to facilitate an environment of co-learning that is not defined by traditional hierarchies. All learners are able to collaborate in the utilization of the studio. 

Outside of our typical course offerings, MessArts also serves as a place for gatherings related to the arts. We include and highlight community members to share their artistic practices through artist talks and workshops. We seek to be mindful of communities we operate within and respond to their needs. 

Get Messy! 

For MessArts, mess means play, exploration, and collaboration. A playful environment encourages the exchange of ideas and makes individuals feel safer to be themselves. Exploration is like research; we follow and answer all of the “what if?’s” we encounter along the creative process. Collaboration generates new concepts and provides avenues for non-hierarchical learning.  

The mess comes naturally to our younger learners, so our role is to shepherd their ideas and offer teaching in service of their visions. For older learners, we create a space that challenges them to relinquish product-driven ideals and instead spend time enjoying the process. We believe all learners should get a little messy!