Greetings from Robin Thibodeau and the Inspiration Studio Academy of Fine Art!
Art classes produce confident, creative and calm kids.
Photo cred: Amir Said​
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Robin Thibodeau opened the Inspiration Studio Academy of Fine Art back in 2007 to give teens somewhere to continue their artistic journeys. Thibodeau was working with the art gallery at the time and was finding that kids were aging out with nowhere to go, so she figured she’d offer some classes. Today, the Okotoks studio runs after-school programs every day of the week for children as young as seven and recently added Portfolio Art Club 2.0 for those 16-plus.
“I just started finding that more and more parents wanted to put their kids in something that wasn't going to be graded, something that was going to allow themselves to be themselves and express themselves in their own unique way without any real parameters,” she says.
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Ted Murphy May 3, 2025
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See students' artwork on display and for sale at the local Elks Community Hall. These youth artists create artwork under the guidance of Robin Thibodeau throughout the year during afterschool art lessons.
Thibodeau believes in giving her students access to an expansive collection of art makin tools and techniques. Guests to her Youth Markets can expect to see everything from fabric art, jewelry, sculpture, printmaking, calligraphy, painting, design, drawing, upcycling
and so much more.
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Amir Said Dec 16, 2024
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GALLERY: Feline Fun at Halloween
Youth Market
Students from the Inspiration Studio Academy of Fine Art will have all kinds of cat-related work for sale at two-day market in Olde Towne Okotoks inside the back room of Mainstreet Market (formerly Spotted Sage)
Academy founder Robin Thibodeau, an admitted animal lover, said black cats often get a bad rap so she wanted to counter that by
showcasing them at the show.
“Black cats are not bad luck, they actually have a lot of good qualities,” Thibodeau said. Her students, ranging in age from eight to 16, are creating all kinds of cat-related art, from toys and scratchers to masks, collectibles and paper mâché cats.
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Ted Murphy Oct 22, 2024
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
Christmas Murals Celebrating Geek Culture
Art teacher Robin Thibodeau and her students offer a unique perspective for the 12 days of Christmas. A dozen teens helped to paint 12 windows on the east end of the municipal centre the past three weeks, creating their own take on the 12 days of Christmas from the perspective of geek culture. The depictions include Harry Potter, Pokémon, Norse mythology, Chinese folklore and dragons, among others.
“I like murals and I love doing things with kids,” said Thibodeau. “It gets kids involved in community events. It’s great for the students to be in the public and get recognized for their skills outside of the house.”
Tammy Rollie Nov 19, 2019
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
Faces of the Foothills
Robin Thibodeau
Anybody who wandered into the Elks Lodge during the Wizarding World of Okotoks event on Oct. 28 would have seen local artist Robin Thibodeau furiously folding maps to keep up with demand, but she has played a much greater role in both the event and the town’s arts
scene over the years.
Born in High River and having lived in Okotoks most of her life, Thibodeau has taken a place at the centre of Okotoks’ art community. She has been a member of the Okotoks Arts Council since 2003 and teaches art classes regularly at the Okotoks Art Gallery. She said she focuses on enabling youth to create, and described herself as being on “a crusade to fill the Earth with more artists.”
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Brent Calver Nov 2, 2017
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Listen to more Interviews on my Youth Window Murals
