Free Thinkers

Fine art teaches children to explore their unique perspectives

By Ronny Beeman

I opened Art School Santa Fe on Santa Fe’s Southside five years ago, fulfilling a dream I have held since I was 19. My journey teaching art began in Los Angeles at Mission Renaissance, an art program designed by Larry Gluck. He pioneered the idea that talent is a myth—that anyone with the desire to learn can become an artist. I have taken this concept a step further, implementing a curriculum where art is taught with the same structured logic as mathematics and language. While technical skill is the foundation, our mission is to help young artists develop their own voices and navigate their personal experiences through a sense of passion and deep thought.

When young artists enter our studio, they are not told what to create; they are asked what they want to create. I provide the guidelines and parameters necessary to ensure success, but I grant students the autonomy to find what sparks their interest. Most students have an intuitive sense of their own capabilities; they rarely ask to paint the Mona Lisa on day one, preferring instead to draw figures from pop culture that resonate with their age group. I have discovered that by letting students create what they love, their passion for art grows. They may start with manga or Sonic the Hedgehog, but once they acquire a fundamental skill set, they naturally venture into portraits, animals, landscapes, and the techniques of the old masters.

It is surprisingly rare for a child to be asked, “What do you want to do?” And many do not initially know the answer. In their daily lives, every minute is often predetermined and scheduled, from what they study to when they eat. I wanted to create a space where children have true autonomy over who they are and what they produce. For some, these classes are therapeutic; for others, the studio is a sanctuary where they feel completely accepted and valued. Many come simply to lose themselves in the creative process, often yelping in surprise during clean-up: “What? Already?”

Our curriculum begins with a quick, optional “whiteboard prompt”—a silly or creative exercise such as drawing a “dust bunny” using only imagination and memory. Following this, every student works on a unique project we choose together. I make sure the work is appropriately challenging—not so difficult that it causes frustration, but not so easy that it leads to boredom. As they progress, students move through various mediums, starting with dry tools like colored pencils and eventually mastering oil painting, while learning concepts like light source, texture, and personal voice.

I am both a professional artist and the child of an artist. While I believe it is vital for students to learn from those who also create, teaching is a developed skill in its own right—one that I have cultivated over the last 30 years, teaching art to young people in Los Angeles, Seattle, and, most recently, here in Santa Fe as an instructor at Santa Fe School for Arts and Sciences. This experience has taught me the importance of helping students recognize their own strengths and weaknesses as both learners and human beings.

Ultimately, Art School Santa Fe offers after-school, homeschool, and summer programs to provide the community with a space for all learning styles. Art is profoundly therapeutic; students do not need to aspire to be the next Picasso to benefit from seeing the world through a different perspective. They learn to think ahead, to sketch loosely, and to give themselves permission to build something slowly, make mistakes, and learn to solve problems.

In a world where so much feels out of their control, Art School gives children and teens a sense of agency. By providing guidance rather than demands, I work to earn their trust and protect their delicate inner worlds. My goal is to help them cultivate their imaginations and hold onto the perspective of a playful, creative human for as long as possible. Remembering what it is like to be a child allows an adult to solve problems and overcome obstacles with a unique, boundary-breaking creativity.

Zoe, age 13, one of my current students who has been with the school since 2024, says, “I signed up for art classes because ever since I was a toddler, I’ve loved to draw and paint and wanted to get even better at it. I chose Art School Santa Fe because we live in Taos and there weren’t any options there.” Zoe continues to travel to Santa Fe because they love the other artists in class and feel the teaching style is exactly the kind of help they needed. They say it has greatly improved their art skills and art style. “I have learned how to paint, use anatomy and shadows, and how to create and evolve my own style. I have also learned how to receive constructive criticism, which has helped me manage some of my social anxiety.” Zoe recently secured an art commission from the chef at Escondido after he saw them sketching in the restaurant, which is a perfect example of the real-world impact and confidence these classes can build. Their parents also shared that the classes have given them a joyful space to focus on their interests and play to their strengths. Zoe also says, “I am hoping to enroll at NMSA’s Visual Arts Department in 9th grade, which has been my main goal for a long while. I think Art School Santa Fe is an amazing school that fosters creative free thinking to help me get ready for the admission process.”

Some other students shared similar reflections. Jendaya, age 13, mentioned that the classes helped her develop her own art style and improve her overall perspective on art. Corin, age 16, shared that the studio has helped him connect with people and build a community. Emma, age 12, noted that the environment helps her feel calm and has given her a significant confidence boost in starting conversations.

At the school, I place emphasis not just on art curriculum but also on how art helps young people grow and develop as individuals facing the challenges of their generation: anxiety, constant interruption of devices, the need for time to be a child, and the patience of developing a skill. Most importantly, students learn one of the most valuable lessons of being artists: everyone’s view is unique, and no two people see things in the same way. What a blessing that can be, that not all humans are similar copies of each other. The students who come here are all unique individuals who enroll to fulfill different needs, and though they are all different, they are all equally special and interesting.

Under the auspices of Spider-Man and Pokémon, I give the kids the techniques of the old masters in much the same way I used to hide vegetables in the muffins I baked for my son when he was little. Through a gentle mixture of discipline and genuine relationship between teacher and student, I am able to pass knowledge to a new generation of kids and eagerly watch to see what they do with this old stuff.

Ronny Beeman artist, instructor, and owner of Art School Santa Fe.