In The Community

Teaching Art to Students

By Emily La Russa

Emily La Russa

ArtZkids is an excellent art-filled summer camp where your child will be exploring different styles of art and many types of mediums, such as acrylic paint, clay, watercolors, oil pastels, printmaking, and so much more. ArtZkids is owned by Para La Russa and oldest daughter Emily.

Together they teach the importance of art to elementary students. The primary teacher is Para La Russa, and Emily assists in teaching when needed, but primarily focuses on the graphic arts side of the business.

EMILY LA RUSSA

Emily has assisted her mother with summer camps since they started in 2012. As a child, she was constantly surrounded by art and creativity. She was always interested in the arts and was a part of theater from elementary through high school. Going into college, she thought of becoming an elementary school teacher since that is what she grew up with, but she soon learned her heart belonged in a different field. She now has a background in digital content marketing and graphic design. With over four years of experience in the graphic design industry, she has had the privilege of working with various clients, including public institutions, non-profits, and small businesses. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Graphic Communication in December of 2022 at Los Medanos College. She is pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design at the University of the Pacific, with an anticipated graduation date of May 2024. As the president of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) student group at UOP, she is committed to promoting excellence in design while also serving on a design team for the upcoming edition of Calliope, UOP’s Art magazine. She is currently employed at BGG West/BGG Creative and is excited to design for her local community.

PARA LA RUSSA

As a child, Para her Nana, an art teacher, introduced her to art at the age of two. Growing up, she moved around and attended 22 different schools. She had an interesting childhood and didn’t have the opportunity to keep many friends, but she had art. It was this magical world she could create and control and it was her happy place. It was my home. Art gave her the knowledge and strength to overcome life’s challenges.

After finishing college, she worked in the dot-com world for several years, dabbling in web design, logos, and e-greeting cards, before migrating to the bright lights of the movie industry, where she worked at DreamWorks Animation, the studio responsible for blockbusters such as Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and Madagascar. However, her career

ArtZkids owner Para La Russa

objectives changed after becoming a mother to two beautiful girls. She wanted to spend all her time with them and provide them with a stable upbringing. Her devotion to them led her to become a room mother, teacher’s assistant, and eventually, an art teacher.

She became an active member of the National Art Education Foundation member and the California Art Education Association. As an art instructor, she created and taught school-wide art enrichment programs, after-school programs, and seasonal art camps for over 1,000 students for over ten years. She specializes in the education of children with all different experience levels from kindergarten through fifth grade, including the privilege to teach those with learning disabilities.

ArtZkids owner Para (left) with daughter Emily (right).

CLASSROOM AND CAMPS AT ARTZKIDS

In the classroom and during camp, Para uses a story method to incorporate art history in a fun and exciting way so they retain the knowledge. The children will learn, grow, and expand their artistic ability with these easy-to-follow art instructions. They will walk away with newfound capabilities and a strong sense of confidence! Whether you sign your children up for just one camp or multiple, they will learn new and exciting art forms every week. Camp ends with a fantastic art show by the students, a fun art party with treats and prizes, fantastic face painting, and a photo booth. All camps include t-shirts, sketchbooks, personal art packs with markers, colored pencils, erasers, stickers, and more. Daily snacks and fresh lemonade are provided. Full and half-day camps are available.

ArtZkids student artists.

ArtZkids student artists.