William Shakespeare wrote, “The object of Art is to give life a shape,” but more so, the value of art is in enabling the artist within each of us to have a voice.
Enter Michelle Giroux, venerable actor of the Stratford Festival who has also appeared on stages from New York to Chicago, on film and on television, and who, as a consummate student of her craft, has launched Flight Studio for the youth of Stratford to pursue their own artistic passions.
Located in the Falstaff Centre, each day at Flight Studio is dedicated to a different artistic discipline: Art Mondays with internationally-acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Kellen Hatanaka; Voice Tuesdays with luminary artist Brooke Dufton; Music Wednesdays with the 'King of Strings,' Eric Lundgren; Drama Thursdays with celebrated arts educator Jane Czarny; and Runway Series Saturdays, featuring workshops aimed at sparking kids’ creativity and connecting them with artists in a variety of disciplines from authors to illustrators, musicians, actors, designers, and more.
The goal is not necessarily performance driven; it’s for the pleasure of the art; an arts-based exploration for exploration's sake. Eight students in each class enjoy six weeks of artistic community in sessions with artists and educators who have followed their own passions. There is a toddler program, a class for students in grades 1 – 3, and a class for students in grades 4 – 7. Students can also invite their family and friends to see their work.
“Artists light me up,” says Giroux. “The arts have intrinsic value and can be transformative. Through artistic expression, kids can learn to share their ideas, think critically, be innovative and build self-esteem.”
The impetus for Giroux was during pandemic-lockdown when she opened herself up to new ideas. Giroux loved school — high school, film school, theatre school — and the camaraderie and spirit of sharing a place of learning with different departments working together, crafting under the same roof, creating a frequency and creative energy together.
Determined to chart a new course, Giroux availed herself to a creative disruptor, and with her entrepreneurial spirit and personal mantra of ‘Do hard things’ she applied for a Starter Business Program in Stratford to help her bring to fruition a dream that had been in her mind for years. Once accepted into the program, Giroux relished the opportunity to ask questions, crystalize her vision, and learn the skills she needed to launch her business.
Energized, her idea took off.
The name ‘Flight Studio’ is something that every child can visualize. It represents movement upwards, and the recognition that thoughts, ideas and possibilities have no limit.
Every child is a Picasso and a Dali, and then they learn geometry, proportionality, how things are supposed to look, and they begin to self-censor. Through Flight Studio, Giroux is providing space and opportunity to keep that creative window open. With the guidance and collaboration of instructors whose passion is to give flight to the aspirations of budding young creators, the sky’s the limit!
One exciting upcoming endeavour at the Flight Studio is called ‘Start a Band 101’. This is geared toward kids who have already had a fair amount of private instruction, but have never played in a band. It will materialize organically when the right combination of kids come together.
“It’s been cathartic to get this out into the world,” shares Giroux. “I feel like I'm in the flow of a full energy that I'm enjoying. And the number of times people have said that ‘there is such a need for this’, or ‘how can I help’, has been very moving. I'm excited about the possibilities.”
Giroux had a dream-team of artists in mind, and to her amazement, “everyone said yes!”
Stratford attracts artists from around the world. It only makes sense that there should be a central hub of artistic and creative activity to cultivate the arts in Stratford's youth, not for the sake of performance but for stimulation, expression, identity and development.
Arts are integral to children’s education. Through Flight Studio, Giroux and her team of professional artists are curating arts programs for kids — creating resources and space for their self-discovery and self-expression — a journey for each child to go wherever their imagination takes them. It’s a creative hearth from which to take flight.
For more information check out flightstudio.ca.
