What’s it like on the Art Express bus?

Chances are, if you’ve spent any time in East Vancouver, you’ve seen this colourful bus. In fact, you may have seen it at a number of family events in the metro Vancouver area.

For the past five years, The Art Express has been offering art classes, birthday parties, and special events for 6 to 12-year-olds. It’s a family-owned and operated business co-founded by Michael Bray and his wife Katherine Main. I asked Michael via email how they got the idea for this.

“After working in the film business for over 10 years, I wanted a change. My wife and I put our creative thinking caps on tightly, and…shazam! Let’s turn a bus into a children’s art studio,” Michael says.

“We’ve always enjoyed doing things that are a little larger than life, and The Art Express bus was a way of sharing creative notions with little minds. The most rewarding experience is seeing the joy on kids faces when they’ve discovered what they are capable of creating.”

Well, take a look at the inside! It fits just over a dozen kids and a couple of teachers.

Art and Theatre Fun at The Cultch Saturday May 1

The Art Express and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre invite kids between 6 and 12 to puppet making and a puppet play on Saturday, May 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. The play is The Tooth Fairy, presented by Old Trout Puppet Workshop with music by David Rhymer.

The Art Express bus will be parked on-site at The Cultch. Kids will make their puppets, then go inside to the play. Parents are invited to drop their kids off between 12:45 and 1 p.m. and return to pick them up in the lobby at 3 p.m. (a good chance for parents to explore the shops and cafes Commercial Drive). Cost, including the ticket to the play, is $23. To register, contact info@theartexpress.com.