More adults participating in arts and crafts

By Cassidy McNea

Shop shelves are filled with adult colouring books and craft kits. On event boards, paint nights, collage nights, glass blowing classes and succulent arranging are the new norm. Adult arts and crafts are on the rise according to a recent survey.

Classes are not the only outlet for novice artists— Pinterest, a social media site, used for sharing recipes and craft ideas has more than 250 million active monthly users.

The company launched in 2010 and six years later they reached 150 million users. During the same period of time sales at Michaels Stores jumped from $5.2 million to almost $5.4 million.

In the same year, Netflix acquired Bob Ross’ The Joy of Painting and on any given week there are paint nights following his teaching style. Some nights are paired with food, drinks and even cannabis.

The Art Lab in Windsor offers monthly Bob Ross paint nights for adults. Classes cost $40 and include wigs, drinks, paint, a canvas and attendees watch an episode of the show. 

Eugenio Mendoza, the marketing director for the Art Lab said he wishes they could run more classes.

“The popularity is increasing because people are looking for an alternative to a night out,” said Mendoza. “People are tired of going to a bar and having a conversation over drinks. With this you get to explore creativity which a lot of people don’t continue to explore after high school.” 

Selling out art classes in Windsor is not anything new. Tsunami Glassworks, another art studio, opened a new location in the city and their first classes were full immediately. In fact, they added additional classes.

Art can be used as a form of medicine. In occupational therapy art is used to strengthen self-esteem and provide cognitive challenges.

Yvonne Pilon, the president and chief executive officer of WETech Alliance believes the social aspect of classes and positive effects on mental health play a role in adult art classes.

“I work in the tech sector so it is a little bit out of my realm,” said Pilon. “What I love about this is I think everything is interconnected so it is great to see what art can do in terms of opening your eyes to new things. I think as we talk about mental health and the importance of de-stressing I think art is a great form to do that.” 

Pilon has participated in events at The Art Lab and knits at The Hook Pusher. She said she hopes to try even more new classes. 

“I’ve always wanted to do the re-enactment of the Ghost and do a pottery wheel,” said Pilon. “I think that would be an awesome experience.”