Art Club Mexico City
I loved designing Art Club CDMX from the ground up. This was a place where curiosity, movement, and big ideas could come alive! Part playground, part community space, part gallery. It all began with Saturday morning sessions at Estudio Roma, thanks to Diego, who kindly opened his space before his own classes started. Back then, I was still teaching English full-time, but those early weekends planted the seed.
After our son was born, I moved fully into running art programs. Navigating the pandemic, I stayed rooted in community by teaching online, delivering art kits like Castle Camp, running outdoor sessions, and eventually opening my own studio in Roma Norte, followed by an art school in Escandón. Each space became more than just a workplace. As a new mum, living in another country and learning the language, opening my studio was how I built community and found my place in Mexico City.
Inside the studio, if I had an idea, I launched it, and the community always showed up. My after-school courses were built around collaboration, experimentation, and the joy of making. I wasn’t interested in crafts or identical copies; I wanted children to explore materials, trust their instincts, and create with confidence. I wanted to share real creative skills: printmaking, sewing, sculpture, safe glue gun use, hammers and nails, colour mixing, and inspire building projects bigger than themselves.
Summers became a highlight. I designed themed weekly camps with art shows every Friday, complete with pizza parties, Taylor Swift sing-alongs, and projections that transformed the studio into a new world every week. We celebrated the process as much as the finished pieces.
As younger children joined, I leaned into Reggio Emilia approaches, treating the environment as the “third teacher.” I designed interactive magnetic boards, light boards, and creative play spaces, launched art playgroups, and even ran a parent-and-toddler summer camp.
Watching my students grow was one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. Their creativity sparked the idea for a Young Entrepreneurs Market, where they sold their handmade work. By the second year, I had developed a full workshop curriculum leading up to the event. It became so popular that several of their schools have since adopted the tradition.
The studio also became a hub for the wider creative community. I collaborated with incredible artists, educators, and makers, especially Din México, with whom I co-designed and built custom studio furniture. Paula understood my vision and helped turn every idea into something functional and beautiful.
Beyond children’s programs, I ran adult workshops, private events, birthday parties, and even led a creative session at Netflix HQ Mexico City.
I built oline connections with other international studios, which inspired me to create a Process Art Retreat for educators. I wanted to bring studio owners and teaching artists together to share ideas, try hands-on workshops, and experience the heart of Mexico City.
I collaborated with local artists, a brilliant chef, workshop leaders, and bilingual drivers, and spent months visiting spaces until I found the perfect accommodation. Every detail was carefully planned so participants felt cared for, from meals and snacks to transport and little moments of surprise. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever organised, and also one of my proudest achievements.
Art Club CDMX began as a studio, and it quickly became a space full of energy, curiosity, and connection. It’s where so many ideas took shape and where I felt rooted in the community. I’ve written more about the projects and the journey over on the blog.
