About us
What began as one, after-school art class taught from my home studio has grown into a thriving creative community for children, their parents and teachers. artKids developed out of my passion for the creative process and how best to reclaim it in adults and nurture it in young children.
artKids is a small business, sharing our small-but-dedicated team's love of art-making with your children.
All artKids Art Tutors have current Working With Vulnerable People cards and First Aid certification. Find out more about our fabulous team below.
Our Art Tutors
Robyn Thurecht
Robyn believes everyone is creative - they just have to be given the time, the space and the encouragement to re-discover the joys of creating. Teaching art and art-related subjects over the past 15 years, Robyn founded artKids with a focus on building skills and confidence in creativity while insisting on the fun element at all times. She loves that there is no one 'right' way to draw. As a writer in a previous life, Robyn also encourages the children to develop the story behind what they draw on their page. She lives by the statement: "There are no flops in art, only flopportunities!"
@robynthurecht_art
Akka Ballenger
Akka Ballenger is an artist who loves mixing old and new, traditional and contemporary, digital and analogue. Akka has over 20 years’ experience in photography and alternate processes, including drawing, mixed media, printmaking and spoken words. After a successful Artist in Residence at Playing Fields Studios last year, Akka enjoys printmaking and writing poetry, in between raising two children of her own. She is passionate about making art accessible to everyone through community workshops and she volunteers her expertise to several local organisations and charities.
@akka_ballenger_constantin
Jenna Poore
Before joining artKids, Jenna worked in ACT public schools, specialising in K-Yr 2. She discovered her love of art and took leave to study full time at the ANU. While completing her Fine Arts Degree in Drawing and Printmedia, she has been sharing her passion and skills with artKids students.
@jenna.poore.artist
Christian Fietz
Christian Fietz strongly agrees with our artKids belief that learning art should be fun and inclusive. With a lifelong love of drawing, particularly cartoons and works inspired by movies and TV shows, painting and drama, Christian believes that expressing individuality and being inclusive are essential. He encourages students at artKids to find their own artistic style and learn at their own pace. Christian is currently studying at ANU with the aim of becoming a teacher as he enjoys sharing what he has learned and watching students reach their full potential.
Peter Gedeon
Studying Design at ANU, artKids was a natural fit for Peter. He loves working with kids and volunteered in many school-related activities over the years. His love of and participation in Drama has helped in building his rapport with the children.
Peter enjoys the hands-on learning process of artKids and enjoys facilitating the art experience for children.