WELCOME TO OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY
Registration for summer classes is closed.
Please sign up for my newsletter to be notified when classes are available again!
Hi, I’m Lauren, the teaching artist behind Calla Terra Studios.
Each week we explore a different way artists and naturalists work with plants by touching, moving, transforming, and collaborating. Our focus is on the creation process, sensory development, and self-confidence rather than polished works of art.
Thanks so much considering joining us this summer in the garden to explore art + nature!
REGISTER HERE!
Programs at a glance
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At the heart of everything I do is a deep belief:
That art is essential to human development, nature is our first classroom, and creative play can inspire a more sustainable future.
My programming is rooted in eco-consciousness, environmental sustainability, and gratitude for our natural surroundings. Using native Wisconsin plants and reclaimed materials to spark curiosity, I focus on open-ended projects, allowing young makers the freedom and confidence boost they often need to step into their innate creativity. I encourage children to take the lead in their own self-expression, experiment with different techniques, and experience the rhythmic patterns the seasons bring us.
With the same small group meeting weekly, children’s skills, confidence, and comfort grow alongside familiar friends in a creative community where care for each other and the planet takes root.
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My sliding scale pricing model is based on trust and community-mindedness, inviting families to mindfully choose the rate that best fits their circumstances. All participants receive the same creative experience, and your selection remains private.
Community Rate – A lower-cost option for those who need financial flexibility.
Standard Rate – Covers the actual cost of class.
Sustainer Rate – A pay-it-forward option that helps support others in our community.
Wonderwood rates (full 5-week session):
Community rate: $75
Standard rate: $95
Sustainer rate: $125
Maker’s Trail rates:
Single Class
Community: $40
Standard: $50
Sustainer: $60
Bundle Rates (3+ Classes) 20% Discount
Community: $32/class
Standard: $40/class
Sustainer: $48/class
Art in the Wild rates:
Single Class
Community: $50
Standard: $65
Sustainer: $80
Bundle Rates (3+ Classes) 20% Discount
Community: $40/class
Standard: $52/class
Sustainer: $64/class
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Children move through a playful rhythm of discovery, starting with a sensory invitation, then exploring natural materials outdoors, followed by open studio creation, and wrapping up with a short goodbye ritual to celebrate our little discoveries.
Each week introduces a new botanical art project using media such as clay, collage, printmaking, and painting. Inspired by the changing seasons, children work with materials gathered from the regional landscape or foraged during class, deepening their connection to the plants, animals, and natural cycles that surround them.
Along the way, we practice skills such as fine motor, sensory awareness, problem-solving, collaboration, observation, and creative confidence. We engage as a group in a predictable, supportive, hands-on environment where experimentation is encouraged and ideas are valued.
Classes take place at the beautiful and whimsical Yawkey House Garden (not to be confused with the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum!), with roughly half of the time spent outdoors in the garden and half inside the adjacent carriage house, where restrooms are available.
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Caregiver attendance required | Tuesdays 9:30–10:30am | June 30th-July 28th
Step into Wonderwood, a shared journey in which caregivers stay to explore and create alongside their little ones, fostering a love for nature through sensory play.
Mini makers engage with textures, colors, light, and movement using natural and reused materials. Sensory bins, nature walks, and tinker trays unfold into open invitations that support children in unearthing and shaping their inherent creativity.
Sliding Scale Rates:
Prices below cover the full session (5 total classes).
Community rate: $75
Standard rate: $95
Sustainer rate: $125
Class Themes:
June 30th - Squish, Crunch, Snap: Nature's Textures
July 7th - Rainbow Petal Potions: Nature's Colors
July 14th - 1, 2, 3 Pebble Pile Up: Nature's Numbers
July 21st - Wild Alphabet Hunt: Nature's ABCs
July 28th - Whisk, Pound, Paint: Nature's Tools
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Ages 5–7 | Wednesday 9-11am | Class dates and themes below
Following the Maker’s Trail, this class is a transition toward independence. While caregivers are welcome to stay until their child feels settled, we find the group dynamic thrives best when children dive into the creative process on their own.
Budding artists explore storytelling using bold imagination and natural and reclaimed materials. This program fosters symbolic thinking and creative problem-solving through building and tinkering. As they refine fine motor skills, young artists find the satisfaction of turning their big ideas into imaginative, eco-conscious realities through the adventure of art.
Sliding Scale Rates:
Single Class
Community: $40
Standard: $50
Sustainer: $60
Bundle Rates (3+ Classes) 20% Discount
Community: $32/class
Standard: $40/class
Sustainer: $48/class
Class Themes:
June 10th - Flower Power: Botanical Pigments & Prints
June 24th - Sun Catching: Light & Shadow Play
July 1st - Dancing Butterflies: Patterns & Symmetry
July 29th - Glowing Bug Beats: Nature's Sparkles & Sounds
August 5th - Web Weavers: Vines, Silks, & Spirals
August 12th - Busy Bees: Making Buddies & Buzzes
August 19th - Feathered Friends: Nests & Winged Wonders
August 26th - Tree Snacks: Acorns, Nuts, & Bark Art
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Ages 8–12 | Tuesdays 1-3:30pm | Dates and themes below
Art in the Wild encourages full creative independence. It’s drop-off-only experience designed to help older participants find their unique artistic voice in a distraction-free, outdoor setting.
This class empowers older makers to lead their own adventures at the intersection of nature and STEAM. Using natural and reclaimed materials, participants dive into inquiry-based projects that blend artistic expression with hands-on building and guided problem-solving. It's a space where creators can explore their most imaginative ideas with nature as their guide.
Sliding Scale Pricing:
Single Class
Community: $50
Standard: $65
Sustainer: $80
Bundle Rates (3+ Classes) 20% Discount
Community: $40/class
Standard: $52/class
Sustainer: $64/class
Class Themes:
June 9th - Flower Petal Alchemy: Printmaking & Plant Potions
June 23rd - Wild Fibers: Ancient Weaving
June 30th - Monarch Migration: Majestic Winged Journeys
July 28th - Earth Heroes: Repurposing Invasives
August 4th - Solar Shadows: Chasing Summer Sunbeams
August 11th - Nectar & Honey: Building for Pollinators
August 18th - Mighty Trees: Forest Forts & Mazes
August 25th - Songbirds & Sky Paths: Tracking Wild Flights