Smartest Artist is not a craft class, it’s a comprehensive art education. Students learn the same foundational concepts professional and formal fine artists study throughout their education, including the Elements of Art, Principles of Design, observational drawing, color theory, composition, perspective, painting techniques, and art history—all taught in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

Our projects are fun and beautiful, but there is always a deeper purpose behind them. Students aren’t simply following steps to recreate a finished product; they’re learning why artists make the choices they do and developing skills they can carry into their own artwork.

Above all, we teach artists to observe- to paint and draw what they see, not simply what they know. The goal isn’t just to make great art in class. It’s to give students the technical foundation, confidence, and visual vocabulary to become capable, independent artists.

Throughout the year, projects are accompanied by Information Sheets that explain what students are studying in clear, parent-friendly language. These may include the Elements of Art and Principles of Design being explored, technical skills and vocabulary, painting or drawing techniques, color theory, art history, artistic movements, cultural connections, and contemporary artists who relate to the lesson.

So when your child brings home a painting, you aren't simply seeing “a beautiful pumpkin” or “an animal portrait.” You can understand that they were studying value and form, identifying a light source, observing highlights and shadows, translating value into color, creating implied texture, or learning about Fauvism.

This is important to us because the finished artwork is only the visible evidence of what your child has learned. Much of an art education happens beneath the surface: learning to observe carefully, understanding why one color changes another, recognizing proportion, controlling a new medium, solving visual problems, making intentional choices, and developing the vocabulary to talk about art.

Our Information Sheets also give families a way to continue the conversation at home. Instead of asking only, “What did you make today?” parents can ask about the artist they studied, the technique they practiced, why they chose certain colors, or how they created the illusion of depth or form.

Over time, these individual lessons build upon one another. Concepts are introduced, revisited, and applied in increasingly sophisticated ways so that students aren't simply accumulating projects—they are building a foundation of artistic knowledge.

We want you to know what your child is learning, why we are teaching it, and what skill is hiding inside every project they bring home.

Not necessarily! Some projects require multiple class periods. We value the artistic process and skill development over rushing to produce a finished project each week.

Because of this, commitment to attendance is important. Of course, things pop up, and we totally get it. But largely, students should attend class as consistently as possible to glean the most out of their education at Smartest Artist .

Absolutely! Art history is woven throughout our curriculum. Students are introduced to influential artists, movements, cultures, and works of art alongside the techniques and concepts they are learning in the studio. We study everyone from the Old Masters and Impressionists to modern and contemporary working artists.

Rather than memorizing names and dates, students learn to recognize visual characteristics, understand why an artwork was important, and make connections between art history and their own work.

Our larger goal is to build visual literacy. We want students to encounter a painting in a museum, a sculpture while traveling, or an image in everyday life and think, “I know what I’m looking at. I recognize that artist, style, technique, or idea.”

Art becomes much more meaningful when you begin to recognize it in the world around you.

Yes! All art supplies and materials are included in tuition. Students do not need to bring their own supplies to class.

Smartest Artist is a working art studio, and students have access to a wide range of artist-quality and age-appropriate materials, including acrylic and watercolor paints, gouache, graphite, charcoal, ink, oil and chalk pastels, colored pencils, printmaking materials, clay, mixed media, specialty papers, and more.

We believe that learning to use real art materials is an important part of an artist’s education. Students learn that different brushes, papers, paints, drawing tools, and surfaces behave differently—and how choosing the right material can affect the outcome of their work.

Materials are selected intentionally for each project based on the technique or concept being taught. Students learn not only how to create artwork, but also how to properly use, care for, and work confidently with the tools of an artist.

There is no separate supply fee and no shopping list for parents. Just send us your artist—we’ll provide the rest.

Acrylic, watercolor, gouache, graphite, charcoal, chalk/oil pastel, ink, mixed media, clay, printmaking, and whatever else inspires us in the moment.

We offer three class groups: Kinder- 2nd grade, 3rd-6th grade, and 7th-12th grade.

We love confident, capable young artist! Most of our students come to Smartest Artist because they are already among the strongest artists in their school or peer group. Being advanced for your age, however, does not automatically mean that an older class is the appropriate placement.

Our classes are intentionally designed to become more sophisticated as students progress. Placement considers not only drawing ability, but also age, maturity, independence, attention span, work pace, ability to follow complex instruction, willingness to accept critique, and readiness for the expectations of the class. Older students work for longer periods with greater independence and are expected to apply foundational concepts with increasingly less teacher direction.

Just as importantly, being one of the strongest artists in an age-appropriate class is not a reason to skip it. Our curriculum is designed to challenge students at multiple ability levels. A technically advanced artist can work within the same lesson while being pushed toward greater accuracy, complexity, craftsmanship, and independent decision-making.

Occasionally, we do recommend moving a student into an older group—but those decisions are made thoughtfully and based on the whole artist, not simply whether a child draws better than most children their age.

Our goal is never to place a student in the most advanced class they can possibly manage. It is to place them in the class where they will learn, be challenged, feel successful, and continue to grow.

Absolutely. Strong artists are some of our favorite students to teach.

Many students arrive at Smartest Artist already recognized as exceptionally talented among their peers. They may draw beautifully, have excellent hand-eye coordination, or have developed an impressive personal style. Those abilities are wonderful, but they are also only the beginning of an artist’s education.

One of the interesting things about becoming proficient at art is that the more you learn, the more you begin to understand how much there is still to learn.

A student may be an accomplished illustrator and have very little experience with composition, perspective, value structure, color theory, observational drawing, figure drawing, paint handling, edge control, or the Principles of Design. There is an enormous world of artistic knowledge beneath the skills that are most immediately visible.

At Smartest Artist, advanced students are not simply given “harder projects.” They are challenged to see more accurately, make more intentional decisions, understand why their artwork succeeds or fails, and develop greater technical independence.

The same project can demand something entirely different from a beginning artist than it does from a highly proficient one.

We also believe that genuine artistic growth requires being willing to become a beginner again. Trying an unfamiliar medium, confronting a weakness, receiving thoughtful critique, or learning a new way of seeing can be wonderfully humbling, even for an exceptionally talented student.

There is no finish line in art. Our goal is to meet strong artists where they are, show them how much larger the world of art really is, and give them the tools to keep exploring it.

Absolutely. In fact, this is often exactly the child who thrives at Smartest Artist.

We believe artistic ability is learned, not something you either have or you don’t. Drawing, painting, color mixing, proportion, perspective, composition, and observation are skills—and skills can be taught, practiced, and strengthened.

One of the most important parts of our studio culture is creating an environment where students feel safe enough to try difficult things. Whitney is a warm, encouraging teacher with high expectations, and she is particularly thoughtful about helping students work through the vulnerable feeling of “I’m not good at this.” Mistakes are treated as part of learning, questions are welcomed, and students receive plenty of individual guidance without having their artwork taken over or “fixed” for them.

We take art seriously, but we never want a child to feel that they have to be impressive in order to belong here. Students are challenged at their individual level, celebrated for genuine growth, and taught how to look at their work thoughtfully rather than simply deciding whether it is “good” or “bad.”

Over time, something wonderful happens: confidence begins to come from competence. Students discover that they can draw something they once thought was impossible, mix the color they were trying to find, understand why a painting wasn’t working, and know what to try next.

The goal isn’t to constantly tell children that everything they make is perfect. It’s to give them the encouragement, instruction, and technical skills to discover how capable they actually are.

Yes. But first we build the technical vocabulary that gives them the ability to make strong artistic choices. Strong individual style develops through experimentation, exposure, practice, and mastery of foundational skills.

Kinder-2nd and 3rd-6th: absolutely not.

7th-12th: foundational skills/prior experience strongly recommended.

Because our curriculum, pacing, and classroom expectations are carefully designed for each developmental level, siblings in different age groups cannot be placed together simply for scheduling convenience. Each student should enroll in the class designated for their age or grade.

Our age divisions aren't arbitrary—the complexity of instruction, pace of work, level of independence, and even the way concepts are taught change significantly as students progress through the program.

We know having siblings in the same class can make family logistics easier, but appropriate placement comes first. We want every artist to be in the environment designed specifically for their stage of development, where they can be appropriately challenged and successful.

Absolutely! Enrollment is ongoing, and students may join at any time when space is available.

Classes are intentionally capped at 20 artists to ensure each artist is recognized as an individual and part of a community.

Tuition is billed monthly on a recurring basis for as long as your student remains enrolled. Your child’s space in class is reserved each month, so there is no need to re-register. Tuition covers 4 classes per month.

Tuition is charged automatically to the payment method on file on the 1st.

Immediately! If you register for a Monday class, for example, your student's first class is the next Monday class following registration.

Jump in anytime! Enrollment is ongoing and month-to-month, rather than semester-based. Once enrolled, your student remains in their class from month to month until you choose to withdraw.

You may cancel enrollment at any time by email or text. Cancellation must be received by the last day of the month to avoid being charged for the following month.

Because class sizes are limited and your student’s space is reserved specifically for them, we’re unable to apply cancellations retroactively after tuition has been processed.

A prospective student may try one class at the rate of ¼ monthly tuition. A trial class must be approved before hand and scheduled ahead of time.

If a class is full, you’re welcome to join the waitlist. Waitlists are maintained in the order families join them, and available spaces are offered in that same order as they become available.

Because our class sizes are intentionally limited, we’re unable to add additional students once a class has reached capacity. As soon as a space opens, we’ll contact the next family on the waitlist with the opportunity to enroll. From there, you will have 2 days to enroll your child before the opportunity goes to the next family on the waitlist.

Additional classes are added as interest arises.

Life happens! If your child needs to miss a class because of illness, travel, a school event, or another conflict, simply let us know.

Missed classes do not reduce or prorate monthly tuition, as your child’s regular class space remains reserved for them. While actively enrolled, students may make up missed classes when space is available in another appropriate class.

Yes! Currently enrolled students may make up missed classes when space is available in another age-appropriate class.

Makeups must be scheduled in advance and are subject to availability. Because class sizes are intentionally limited, we cannot guarantee a particular makeup date or add students to a class that is already at capacity.

Makeup classes are a benefit of active enrollment and must be used while the student remains enrolled, and may not be tacked on to your child’s tenure after registration has been canceled.

This has only happened one time in the six years we’ve been open. Should that ever happen again, tuition for that class will be refunded.

Not necessarily. Smartest Artist operates on its own studio calendar and does not automatically close whenever local schools are closed. Teacher workdays, school holidays, early-out days, and district breaks do not necessarily affect regularly scheduled art classes.

Please refer to the Smartest Artist calendar for studio closures rather than assuming class is cancelled because school is not in session.

While Canyons School District’s breaks are taken into heavy consideration, we have students from districts all over the valley as well as home schooled students.

Smartest Artist follows our own studio calendar, which may differ from local school district calendars. Some holidays and scheduled breaks are observed, while classes may continue normally during others.

Planned studio closures are communicated in advance and listed on our calendar.

When in doubt, please check the Smartest Artist calendar rather than your child’s school calendar.

No. Our weekly classes are designed as an ongoing fine-art education rather than individual drop-in lessons.

The curriculum is intentionally sequential. Skills and concepts introduced in one lesson are revisited, expanded, and applied in future projects, allowing students to develop a genuine understanding of drawing, painting, color theory, composition, technique, and the Elements of Art and Principles of Design over time.

Students also benefit enormously from consistency. As Whitney gets to know each artist, she can identify individual strengths, recognize areas that need development, and continually adjust the level of challenge and instruction for that student.

While every project is engaging in its own right, weekly classes are not intended as one-off activities for students who simply want to make a particular painting or project. The finished artwork is only one part of what students are learning.

For that reason, enrollment is ongoing and individual weekly classes cannot be purchased separately.

Smartest Artist is a studio program, not a drop-in activity.

No. We intentionally teach in small groups because students benefit from working alongside other artists, seeing different solutions to the same problem, and learning in a studio community.