By: W.A. Davis, St. Mary’s Arts Council
Our TuesdaySpotlight is shining brightly on Lauren Signorelli of ARTful PLAYhouse!
Our featured Artist of the Week is a mother of three and a small business owner, with a tireless dedication to sharing multi-dimensional art experiences with others. Lauren’s passion for working with children, her love of all things art, and operating a small (but soon to be expanding!) studio are intricately intertwined by threads of colorfulness and creativity.
As a former preschool/kindergarten teacher and certified Early Childhood Education trainer, Lauren’s longtime goals have been to create a positive space where children and their families have the freedom to explore different artistic mediums, enjoy the process of art-making, be plain messy, and experience the power of play. It’s all senses on board for the classes and workshops that Lauren has designed and offered since she opened her studio in May of 2019.
Although the physical location (formerly at Shepherd’s Old Field Market but soon to be at 40955 Merchants Lane, near Subway and Food Lion in Leonardtown) is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus, Lauren has used her imagination and creativity to open other doors. Like many of our local creatives, Mrs. Signorelli has been quick to think outside-of-the-box and redesign her business model in order to create new ways to keep her dreams alive.
During this time of quarantine, Lauren developed the “Art Club Kids Online” program with supply kits shipped safely straight to homes. Also available for delivery are “Playhouse Play & Create Home Kits”, colorful themed collaborations guaranteed to encourage imagination, peak curiosity, and fan the exploration of a wide media of the arts (truck, duck, and dinosaur themes have all been a big hit!).
In addition to these options above, ARTful PLAYhouse offers a wide variety of FREE tutorials, project ideas, and artistic guidance through posts on their Facebook page – all at no charge and incorporating simple materials often easily found throughout the house. To learn more visit their website at: www.artfulplayhouse.com and also on Facebook/ Instagram: @artfulplayhouse
Shine on Lauren, thank you for helping to keep everyone creative during these difficult times! We look forward to visiting you at your new location this summer, hopefully soon!