MARY BALDASANO / PVT Claudia Heine (center right) and her supporters open the Busy Bee for children to learn art. Advertisement

Over the years, the curriculum at schools across the nation has been changed drastically. One of the casualties was art, especially for young children. Art teaches coordination, inner thought, and most of all imagination. The Busy Bee, located at 601 S West Street (near Manse Elementary), opened its doors with the help of local artists. Owner, Claudia Heine, plans to give children a place to go to learn how to draw, paint, do scrap booking, bead work, and much more.

Heine came to Pahrump four years ago and had the impression that there needed to be a safe, nurturing and educational environment for children to learn art. She learned that there are numerous places and private art teachers, but she wanted to create a single location where art can be taught by all teachers. The Busy Bee workshop offers beginner and advanced art techniques and other art forms.

Artists Dwayne Webb, Dorothy Slikker, Tommie Durhan, Judy Fitzgerald, as well as others have influenced and assisted Heine in opening the Busy Bee art supply shop and teaching facility.

Webb, well renowned local artist, commented that "Art lessons gave me joy and recognition and helped me throughout my life. Almost every product used today is the result of art used in the design process. Artists have been around for thousands of years." Kids know what art is about. They use it as a form of communication with each other everyday."

Slikker stated, "Creating a concept using color to express happiness, sadness and other emotions as well as projecting personal ideas is very important in life. Life adds dimension to art and every item around you was once a piece of art." She added that, "Art even helps doctors understand human and animal anatomy with diagrams and working copies of various body parts."

Durhan does scrap booking rather than other forms of art, but emphasizes that it "shows children how to use scissors, tape, paste, rulers and other items to organize in a scrapbook that will remind them of their childhood in the future. You just never know when you will want to save the memories created in life."

Fitzgerald agreed with Webb and Durhan saying, "You just never know, art can become very important in life for unforeseen reasons." Heine emphasized that "with direction and instruction children can learn to do anything, and that's what I hope to accomplish. I also want to capture home schoolers to help them learn art and recognize talents they may not know they have. All of this is done with the emphasis on going green; a way to have art, but help save the environment as well."

Between the artists and Heine over 30 years of experience is captured in the Busy Bee. Any child would benefit greatly from their contributions.

To get a copy of the schedule and make your child a 'busy bee' contact Heine at 775-751-9595. Right now ceramics are taught on Wednesdays, drawing and art 101 on Thursdays, scrap booking and art 102 on Fridays, and big stick pens, ceramics, and drawing on Saturdays.