ArtBeast Manifesto

The ArtBeast Manifesto

• ArtBeast promotes a free range childhood.
• We believe discovering who you are is usually messy and loud.
• But quiet and methodical are just fine too.
• We believe that every child needs space and materials and the quieting of adult voices to make their own sense of the world and make their own place in the world.
• We believe that art can never come from precut circles and step by step directions.
• We believe that children need to make green and blue and orange art and not be bothered with learning all the names of every color.
• We believe children can create so much more than a painted handprint.
• We believe that the best way to keep a child safe is to keep a close eye AND give them the world with all its tiny bits and sharp edges.
• We believe children deserve space to explore every art before choosing one to master.
• We believe that if you fill a child’s life with stories and opportunities to build and play and discovery, you will not be able to hold them back from reading and science and learning.
• We believe children will take the risks they are ready for.
• We believe children must know stories of beauty and truth before they learn the letters that record them.
• We believe the act of creating is more important than the art piece created.
• We believe children have an aesthetic.
• We believe children need at least one place where it’s the adults whose bodies aren’t quite the right size.
• We believe children would rather tell people about their painting than have it proclaimed nice or good.
• We believe the look on a child’s face when they are concentrated on creation is sacred.