Cool Art Classes in Seattle for Kids

A Madrona couple inspires kids to create unique art with Project Ninho

By Seattle Mag July 17, 2014

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This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.

Over the past 10 years, Brazilian native Tininha Silva has owned Tininha’s, a stylish bikini boutique in Fremont; the online Orla Kiely boutique; and her own line of teeny-weeny bikinis (Teu Swimwear). In 2013, while she was pregnant with her second child, Silva and her artist and craftsman husband, Sean Yearian, launched Project Ninho, an art studio for kids in the daylight basement of their modern Madrona home.The couple initially tailored afterschool and school-break camps and classes to interest the peers of her 8-year-old son, Mateo, offering friendship bracelet tutorials, easy sewing projects and simple woodworking. A schedule of summer camps, expanded for ages 4–12, soon followed, with a more general focus on using recyclable materials in unexpected ways. What sounds like standard art camp fare is elevated by Silva’s bohemian bent and commitment to using natural, foraged and salvaged supplies. “I surround myself with ribbons, vintage buttons, yarn and fabrics, and the ideas start to flow,” Silva says. Kids transform these simple items into pieces that surprise parents with their hipness. “I had one mother tell me that she is running out of space to display [what] her kid brings home, because everything is so cool,” says Silva, laughing. She strives for projects that are either wearable (awesome pom-pom necklaces), usable (a rustic modern stool) or interesting (a miniature tepee made out of burlap).Fall brings a lineup of afterschool classes for elementary-age kids, ranging from fiber arts to woodworking, as well as a morning class specifically for the toddler and pre-K crowd, with a focus on exploring many different art mediums, including painting, drawing and collage. Classes are $240 for the entire 12-week session, $100 for a four-week session or $30 for a drop-in class. Project Ninho is also available for birthday parties (from $295 for two hours), and hosts monthly ladies’ nights for crafty gals who like to drink wine and make driftwood-and-succulent centerpieces and other display-worthy things. projectninho.com

 

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