Growing up in Sweden, I spent every summer on my family’s farm. A dairy farm always provided lots of things for us kids to do. I loved to bring the cows back from the fields and herd them into the barn. One of my favorite moments was the birth of a calf, when, after I was asked to name it, I would pretend it was my very own. We had pigs and chickens which gave me another of my favorite memories; that of gathering the eggs and having an Easter egg hunt any time at all. I remember those days as some of my happiest times.
The Art Farm was founded in 1995 with a box of crayons and paper, a horse farm, sheep, ducks, a barn ... and three little campers. From the beginning, our philosophy has been that “the farm brings out the best in all of us”. Our camp has grown quickly as we offer children a non-competitive environment that attracts many families. Our program focuses on nature, animals and art, all interacting in a wonderful country setting. In 1999, along with the birth of my son, our Mommy & Me program was added. Two years later, The Art Farm in the City opened where we offer preschool, playgroup, mommy and me classes, summer camp and the most unique birthday parties in Manhattan.
A strong piece of who we are is linking our camp to charity. All along we have been active in giving back and participating in our community. In 2005, our own charity, Mari’s Children was founded. Today, it continues to grow and help children around the world.
The Art Farms are eco-friendly. As our philosophy continues to evolve, we are expanding our environmental programs, including an art center that utilizes recycled materials. We teach children to be environmentally conscious by creating programs where children can learn to better care for our planet as well as educating them about recycling. Each classroom recycles and we end up collecting a lot of bottles throughout the summer. |
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