About Us
Founded in 2009, The Centre for Art & Soul is an enviro-conscious centre for children’s arts and wellness. Classes are taught by industry veterans who love children and enjoy helping parents. We offer classes to students aged preschool – 13 yrs old including: art, music theatre, drama, and yoga. Classes are co-ordinated and taught by brother-sister team Ryan and Lisa Kelly. Class size runs from a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 10 -12 students. Birthday parties are offered upon request and camps run during Christmas Break, March Break and Summer Holidays. In addition to standard classes in performance arts, yoga and visual arts, adult workshops and speaking engagements are scheduled periodically on topics such as parenting and meditation.
The Centre for Art & Soul inspires, nourishes and supports people who want to preserve creativity and well-being in our children. We intend to be a leader in fostering imagination and consciousness in young people and parents alike. Our teachers are of the highest calibre and also live their lives in support of the greater good. And now (how wonderful!), our classes qualify for the Children’s Arts Tax Credit.
Carbon Footprint/Environmental Responsibility
It is our mandate to run our classes with as little harm to the environment as possible.
All art workshops use recycled paper and non-harmful paints. Our scissors and paint brushes are second-hand or made with recycled materials, and we re-use our paint palettes. We are committed to creating as little waste as possible and re-use or recycle whenever possible. Our marketing promotions are made from FSC certified recycled paper and we use recycled plastics (where necessary). Please bring your own re-usable smock (old shirt or apron) to the art workshops.
The Teachers
Lisa Kelly
Lisa Kelly is the director and founder of The Centre For Art & Soul. Lisa has 20 years’ experience working in computer animation and graphic design. She has worked at many graphics and animation houses in Toronto as well as some leading 3D software development companies. Lisa received an “Honorable Mention” Emmy Award for her work on the children’s TV show “Rolie Polie Olie”. Lisa has been practicing yoga since 1997, has studied with Marsha Wenig of YogaKids International and is certified to teach yoga to children through Shakta Kaur’s Radiant Child Program. Before launching The Centre for Art & Soul, she taught yoga to toddlers to tweens at daycares in the west end. She has always had a love of children and, before having her own son, volunteered in Guatemala at a school for orphaned/abandoned children. Lisa is now mother to a 7 year old, and it’s because of her desire to raise her son in a healthy and creative environment that the idea for her business came to light.
Ryan Kelly has worked with children in the areas of art, music, drama and education for ten years. Having been teacher, mentor and director to children and young people aged three to nineteen, one of Ryan’s primary objectives is to offer a unique experience employing their powers of imagination, creativity and socialization. Aside from teaching, Ryan has been a professional singer, dancer and actor, earning a number of awards, nominations and travel opportunities. Ryan has worked for Mirvish, CanStage, Buddies in Bad Times and Ross Petty. He has been seen on CTV, CBC, CityTV, Showtime, The Movie Network, The Comedy Network and the Sundance Channel. Ryan graduated with honours from the Music Theatre Performance Program at Sheridan College.
Lisa and Ryan hope participants leave their centre feeling inspired and rejuvenated, wanting to ‘come back for more’. Lisa and Ryan participate in professional development courses regularly. It is their mandate to attend interactive forums with like-minded business leaders where they can discuss the challenges and rewards of running a socially conscious venture.
Both Lisa and Ryan are certified in First Aid and have undergone a police check (certification available upon request).
The Space
The Centre For Art & Soul’s home base is 12 Laxton Ave. Toronto, and is located in Parkdale (a neighbourhood in west-end Toronto). Depending on the class or event however, we may work out of any number of locations around Parkdale or Roncesvalles Village, our main one being at 1497 Queen St. West, Toronto – situated between Sorauren and Dowling Avenues. See map. We are sharing the space with good friends, and family resource centre – Creating Together.
Yoga or Drama at Daycares and Schools
If you are a daycare operator, principal, teacher, or are a parent interested in bringing yoga or performance art to your child at daycare or school, please contact Lisa Kelly: lisa@CentreForArtAndSoul.com For services and fees, see our flyer front & back.
Inspirations and Influences
• Sir Ken Robinson — talk about inspiring!!
• The Parents Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents. A book all parents should read! 
• Lori Lite is the founder of ‘Stress Free Kids‘. Her products have been a great resource for me in my parenting and also in teaching yoga. I highly recommend her books or cds!!! Books by Lori Lite
• We support the idea of teaching children to be charitable. Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!
• Child Honouring – a Raffi project
• Evergreen
• Green Enterprise Toronto (we are proud members).
• The best yoga/pilates teacher; huge supporter and mentor – Lisa Beaulieu – founder of Shas Studio
• The ever encouraging and exuberant kids dance teacher – Linette Doherty – owner of The S.P.A.C.E.
• The very helpful, visioning and wise children’s yoga teacher – Aruna Santokh – founder of Young Yoga Masters
• CBA Yoga
• Yogaland
• A short exposé every person in the western world should watch: The Story of Stuff
• Want to get out of self? Out of ego? Try this challenge! 29 Gifts
• The 5 Minute Reflection: The Daily Om
• The Ultimate in Personal and Professional Development: Hollyhock
• Susan Rowe Harrison is a crafty woman (and Mom), that does the most amazing stenciled-decal art installations. She is very talented and has been very supportive in this business start-up. We were in some business workshops together at the Toronto Business Development Centre – TDBC.
• For women thinking about entrepreneurship. Pick up the book ‘The Boss of You’ at your local library, and read it!
• Mayan Hope When I was staying in Rio Dulce, Guatemala – I met and worked alongside the man who was dreaming of making this project a reality. He’s now the founder and a true inspiration. The organization is dedicated to providing educational, nutritional, medical, ecological, and other needed services to indigenous families, villages, and abandoned or abused children of Guatemala.
