Before Kristin Riggers was a co-owner of Little Art Studio, she was looking for art classes around Nassau County.
Riggers, who lives in Garden City, said the closest one she could find for her daughter was in Port Washington. Riggers said she grew up doing ceramics and art with special needs groups and decided to fill a need for budding artists across the area after 25 years in the corporate world.
Nearly two years later, Little Art Studio has opened its third location in Roslyn after the flagship studio in Williston Park in February 2016 and the second location and main office in East Williston that October.
“We had people up there who wanted us to expand up to Roslyn,” Riggers said. “We had an opportunity to go into Roslyn to cater to our North Shore families.”
Riggers, who co-owns the studios with Eric Rudd, said the mixed media studio caters to residents of all ages, offering classes for children though adults as well as painting nights and rental opportunities for birthday parties, bridal showers, corporate team-building events, holiday parties and more.
“We’re not cookie-cutter, so every event for us is custom,” Riggers said. “It takes a lot of extra work, but a lot of birthday party places give you a few options to choose from. If someone really wants to paint a unicorn, we’ll whip one up. We try to customize every event so it’s different and unique to that individual.”
Riggers said almost anything is doable for the studio, from after-school art classes to personalized parties for children or adults, such as a 21-or-older Paint and Sip night, a popular night out for a group of adults to bring their own beverages and paint together in any of the three studios.
Corporate events, Riggers said, are usually part business meeting and part team-building art project, whether it is canvas painting, pottery or a mosaic personalized for the group.
Riggers and Rudd also enjoy giving back to the community and are often found at events outside the studio with art projects for hundreds of children, including the Town of North Hempstead’s Kidstock and Spring Festival. Riggers said they have arranged projects for 500 children to do in a tent.
The studio also partnered with Birthday Wishes, a nonprofit organization that has helped throw birthday parties for children in shelters across Long Island, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for 15 years.
Riggers said the studio will donate a percentage of all parties booked through the end of the year to the organization and is also a drop-off point for wrapped presents for the children as well.
For more information about Little Art Studio, call 516-385-2159 or visit the studio’s website.
