Richmond group raising money to expand unique arts program for toddlers and pre-schoolers

In a dimly lit backroom of The Factory Bar, a neighborhood cocktail and beer spot in Richmond, Maria Tuttle and her life partner, Ana Gutierrez, set up prizes and Lotería cards on a small table in the back corner with a banner that bears the name of Tuttle’s organization, Children’s Art Studio Richmond.

A year ago, the organization opened and began providing free art classes in English and Spanish to young children, ages 2 to 5 years old, in Richmond. On Friday night, there was a celebration and a Noche de Lotería fundraiser for the organization’s future. 

Patrons paid $10 to receive a Lotería board — a Mexican game similar to bingo that uses pictures instead of numbers — and to have a chance to win donated giveaway items from Origin Brewer, El Agave Azul, East Brother Beer, Catahoula Coffee, PicklesNSmoke and The Factory Bar. 

Dominic Arnold, a father of three who attended the fundraiser, said he learned about the importance of the first five years of a child’s life through various books he had read in college. 

“The first five years of a child’s life determines who they are, their personality, their study habits, everything,” said Arnold. “And so it’s so important to be so in tune with that because that first five years is going to determine the rest of their life.”

A visual artist and educator who has worked with marginalized communities for 10 years, Tuttle moved with Gutierrez to Richmond from Oakland during the pandemic. Eager to learn more about the community, she dove into the archives of the Richmond Museum of History & Culture. 

“I was really seeing myself as, ‘What can I contribute to this community that would lift it up? Where is there a gap?’” Tuttle said. 

This is where she learned about the history of child care centers in Richmond and how art classes were used in early childhood development.

‘We can do it’

In 1943, while World War II was raging on the other side of the world, Rosie the Riveter posters emblazoned with the words, “We can do it” recruited millions of women from their traditional roles at home and to twar-time production lines in Richmond.  

Maritime Child Development Center became one of the federally funded child care centers in Richmond to support these working women. It pioneered a curriculum that prioritizes creativity and aids children’s social and mental development.

This was the torch that Tuttle wanted to carry forward while expanding free access to low-income, bilingual children in Richmond.  

While other art studios in the area serve the community, none exclusively serves families with children under 6 years old for free, she said. Tuttle’s unique focus has made her organization an anchor in the community, said Richmond Arts and Culture Commissioner BK Williams.

“We’re just looking forward to bringing the Children’s Art Studio in with the other organizations and making art happen in Richmond for all of the ages that we have,” Williams said. 

Children’s Art Studio is a project of the San Francisco-based nonprofit Independent Arts & Media, enabling its donations to be tax deductible. The project operates on a “shoestring budget” of less than $50,000 in its first year, Tuttle said. Over 90 families have participated in programs, which include more than 30 workshops. The goal is to grow funding by 20% and double the families served next year. 

The mission is personal to Tuttle, who was around 4-years-old when she immigrated to the United States from Colombia. Without any English literacy, she found safety in the arts. 

“I found art — in particular, painting — to be a safe space for me and a place for me to build confidence,” she said. 

Her studio works in partnership with West County First 5, part of the statewide First 5 Network that funds early childhood programs through the Proposition 10 tobacco tax. It also recently partnered with the Richmond Museum of History & Culture on an art exhibition that ran from May through July. 

On the exhibit’s opening day, Tuttle was driven to tears watching her students run up to their art and exclaim to their families with pride, “That’s mine!”

Tuttle said during early childhood, art helps children develop their sense of self and teamwork, which are critical skills to have when they enter school. She hopes to partner with organizations to track the children’s progress once they enter the public school system.

“Children are really capable of more than you think,” Tuttle said. “And I think it’s for us as adults to pay attention, to provide space, and to let them learn that you would be surprised how incredibly strong, resilient, intelligent children are.”

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