General Information

Where is The Art House?

The Art House is located in Betty’s home in the Sand Lake area, right off Raspberry Road, near the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska.

My Goals for Students at The Art House

My primary goal is to provide a non-competitive, positive environment where anyone can experience the joy that comes with the act of creating. I strive to give students the opportunity to develop traditional art skills by teaching the basic concepts of art with every medium introduced. I often tell them that doing art is simply solving one problem after another and it is a joy to watch children develop critical thinking skills as they work on their projects.

What do Class Fees Include?

All class fees include quality art supplies used in class so you do not have any other supply fees to worry about. Class fees also include a simple snack offered during a ten minute break in each class session and occasionally a prize from the ever popular “prize box”!

How to Sign Up and Pay

Sign-up requests are done through e-mail only. I will then send you a reply confirming your class requests or letting you know that you are on a wait list. I like to have a record of what is communicated by both of us so I prefer to answer questions by e-mail. Most e-mails are answered within 48 hours but if you think I may not have received your email please call me at 248-9622. My e-mail is: bettydye@thearthousealaska.com

Please include the following information in your e-mail when you sign up, even if you have been with me for a while. I like to know how old students are when they will attend a class so that I can seat them with others their age.

Student’s name and age.
Phone number where you may be reached during class time.
Title and if applicable, day of week of the class you are requesting.
Will I be invoicing a homeschool association and if so, which one?

After I have confirmed by e-mail that you have a place in a class a check for the full amount of the class fee is required within a week. This is the deposit check that will reserve your spot. I will cash this check one week before the class begins, unless you have asked me to invoice a homeschool for you.

All About Deposit Checks

Separate checks are needed for each class you sign up for within a week of your confirmation e-mail from me. You may include all of the students signing up for a class from your family but please send a separate check for each class.

****Please make sure that your check is post-dated so that I can cash it the week before each class begins. Unfortunately my bank will not cash a check that is over 6 months old. The simplest way to do this is to date it for the first day of the month that comes before the one your class begins in. Thank you!

Does The Art House invoice Homeschool Associations?

I have been an approved vendor with Family Partnership, Frontier and IDEA for many years. I am happy to invoice either of those homeschool associations for you but I still require a deposit check to hold your spot in a class. I will invoice your homeschool about a week before the classes begin and return the uncashed checks to you on the first day of the class. Please make sure that you have requested that money is set aside for my classes with your homeschool as soon as you sign up for a class.

Refund Policy:

Full refunds are given up to 4 weeks before a class begins.
After that, class fees are refunded as follows:
No refunds are given if your spot is not filled before the class begins.
If there is a waiting list and your spot is filled you may be refunded for the class fee.
If there is no one left on the wait list and you find someone to take your spot, have your friend contact me and then have your friend pay you directly for the class. I prepare nametags, a seating chart etc so the day a class begins is too late to make these arrangements so please keep that in mind. Thank you!

Refund Policy for homeschoolers: The same 4 week refund policy above applies to students for whom I will be invoicing a homeschool. I invoice homeschools the week before a class begins so after I have invoiced a homeschool no changes can be made. If you withdraw with less than 7 days notice I cannot change my invoice even if you find someone to take your place so you would have to have your friend pay you directly.

Are there Art House Classes for Teens and Adults?

Adults and teens are very welcome in every class and I always enjoy the lively interaction that happens between the different age groups! If there is enough interest I offer classes that are only open to ages 13 and up which are always a lot of fun!

Are there any classes for children under age 8?

I have found that it is best if children are at least 8 years old when they begin classes here because it is very difficult for most children younger than that to work on a project for over 2 hours and to understand the concepts I am teaching. Some classes are more involved and are for students older than 8.

May I bring a friend to class with me, just to watch?

Since space in my classroom is limited, only students who are already registered for a class and are on the class list may attend. Parents are always welcome to visit of course.

Other information

First time students in a given medium must attend the first session. This is very important so if something comes up and this will be an issue please let me know so that we can see what the best solution will be.

I welcome returning students who have already taken a medium before because I can see so much progress in those students who have taken classes several times! You just get more confident with more practice.