DURANGO KIDS
Photos Courtesy of Seed Studio
Seed Studio Blooms into 12th Year by Joy Martin
Kids at Durango’s Seed Studio find a greenhouse of possibility, from crafting papier mache dragons to suiting up for an impromptu snowball fight and doing what they do best: being themselves. This summer, the Seed Studio celebrates the power of paint, paper, and imagination as it blooms into its 12th year at the Smiley Building. “It’s a wild world out there,” said Heidi Craw, Seed Studio director and longtime local art teacher. “It feels basic, but teaching kindness and encouraging collaboration over competition is important. If we can nurture that in the beginning years, we’re on track to help create global citizens. We’re planting those seeds.” A studio art graduate of Fort Lewis College, Craw has taught art in Durango for more than two decades. She started Seed Studio with a friend in 2011 and has grown myriad art-focused programs, from Seedlings Playshops for pre-k and kinder-
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garten ages to Art Labs for middle school students. A few times a season, she welcomes adults to participate in workshops. With a mission grounded in fine-art principles, the nonprofit offers something for everyone, from a three-year-old learning how to hold a paintbrush to a grownup eager to stretch the right side of their brain. Craw and the other teachers share introductions to art methods, techniques, and materials, including Seed’s latest addition, a ceramic kiln for students to practice
hand-building with clay. “We provide the skills, environment, inspiration, and guidance to help ideas come to life,” Craw said. “The root of it is just sharing what you love to do with others. When you do that, it’s received as joy.” While after-school programs fill a much-needed, affordable niche throughout the school year, Seed’s summer camps are where the magic happens. Kids can choose from Seed’s classic offerings, like Lotus Girls and DEVO, or animated themes like Raptors, Fossils & Fangs, Under the Sea, or Seed + Soil. Seed + Soil sprang up as Seed’s latest partnership with the SOIL Learning Lab at the Riverview Community Gardens. “Our base is always about unplugging from our devices and checking in with ourselves and other people,” Craw said. “We realize that kids need to root into the present moment and reconnect with dirt.” Fourteen-year-old Charlee Bourdon participated in Seed’s summer art and yoga program, Lotus Girls, for three years. Besides the calm space created by Seed’s mindful teachers, Bourdon said her best memories are “just hanging out with friends doing art.” “[Seed Studio] definitely helped me stick with my art, but creativity comes in all different forms,” Bourdon said. “It’s