ARTsters at EAST
Thoughtful visual art experiences for children, families, and curious makers within the larger EAST creative community.
A Place to Make, Discover, and Belong.
Visual Arts at EAST is one part of a larger creative community where children and families can paint, build, sculpt, sketch, perform, make music, tell stories, and dream together.
EAST grew from Tenn Little Birds and from families asking for meaningful ways to stay connected through the little years, the big-kid years, and beyond. Our ARTsters classes are shaped around the ways children learn and make at different ages, with room for connection, experimentation, growing confidence, and individual expression.
Led by artist and educator Kelley Billiot, our visual art programming invites students to follow their curiosity, trust their ideas, experiment with materials, and experience the joy of making in community.
This is a space for messy hands, big ideas, brave choices, and beautiful surprises.
What’s on the palette?
Visual Arts at EAST includes:
Children’s art classes
Process-based studio projects
Theater + Art collaborations
Creative arts camps
Prop, costume, and set design
Family and community art nights
Workshops for all ages
Visual Arts at EAST
Meet the ARTsters Classes
ARTsters is part of the larger EAST creative community created for families to return to through the little years, the big-kid years, and beyond. Each class offers an age-appropriate invitation into art-making, with room for shared discovery, growing independence, and individual expression.
Ages 1–3
Toddler ARTsters
A warm, playful introduction to art for little ones and their grown-ups. Children and caregivers investigate color, texture, sound, movement, and sensory materials together — building connection while making side by side.
Perfect for: Littles and caregivers ready to get messy, discover new materials, and enjoy creative time together.
Ages 3–5
PreK ARTsters
Designed for preschoolers ready for a little more independence. Through stories, songs, sensory experiences, and hands-on projects, children strengthen fine-motor skills, build confidence, and practice expressing their ideas in a playful, nurturing studio.
Perfect for: Preschoolers ready to experiment with materials, make their own creative choices, and have fun seeing where their ideas lead.
Mixed Ages
Homeschool ARTsters
A welcoming mixed-age studio experience where homeschool learners can investigate artistic tools, techniques, and materials through thoughtful, open-ended challenges. Students work alongside one another while developing problem-solving skills, confidence, and their own creative point of view.
Perfect for: Homeschool families looking for thoughtful studio time, hands-on learning, and connection with other young artists.
Ages 5+
ARTsters Studio
A vibrant studio experience for school-age artists working across painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, and more. Students encounter new tools and techniques while learning to follow an idea, take creative risks, and make work that feels genuinely their own.
Perfect for: School-age artists eager to try new techniques, follow their ideas, and make artistic decisions with growing confidence.
Meet Kelley
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Meet Kelley *
Kelley lives life in color! From a young age, she was naturally drawn to expressing herself through fashion. As a child, she was always spotted in eclectic, brightly colored clothing, accessorized with stylish glasses and hats! She was loud and out there being her own self early in life, and was fortunate to continue living life her way. She grew her love of self-expression by enrolling in a Fashion Design and Merchandising program at Southern Illinois University. Art history, textiles, drawing, and designing were her passions. As she graduated, worked, traveled, changed careers, moved, and grew her family, she discovered that life is meant to be lived in color. She realized that she had a creative calling that she needed to explore. She embraced more outlets for self-expression and became a visual artist.
She conquered graduate school, studying curriculum and instruction, and taught little artists in elementary school how to be bold! She taught them how to enjoy the art of mess-making, self-expression, and how to fight the urge to be perfect. She lives an authentic, non-traditional lifestyle with her husband and six-year-old son in Nashville, TN. Her family is a creative mix of musicians, actors, and artists, and they have been members of the Tenn Little Birds community for 3 years. Her colorful spirit, artistic experience, and commitment to helping children trust their own ideas led her to this new adventure at EAST Collective. In Kelley’s classes, children are encouraged to experiment, make bold choices, and enjoy the creative process without pressure to be perfect. Her studio welcomes each child’s ideas, energy, and individual way of making.
Welcome, Kelley Billiot, Art Program Director.
Our Art Studio Philosophy
We believe art is a language children already speak.
Our job is to give them space, materials, guidance, and encouragement so their ideas can grow.
At EAST, we value process over perfection, curiosity over comparison, and creative courage over “getting it right.”