A La Vita Nova program·South Yarra↗

by La Vita Nova studio · South Yarra

Meet the great artists through history.

Then make a masterpiece of your own.

Every Sunday in South Yarra, kids meet a great artist and make one bold piece to take home.

See what's on or book this Sunday →

Sundays 11am · South Yarra · Ages 8–12 · from $55 per child

Matisse
Van Gogh
Mondrian
Kusama
Next session · Now booking

Water Lilies: a Monet workshop

This Sunday at La Vita Nova in South Yarra. Children meet Claude Monet, who painted one garden in every light, then build a water-lily pond in short dabs of colour and float lily pads and paper flowers on top. Everything supplied, no experience needed.

Sun 20 Sep, 11amLa Vita Nova, South YarraAges 8–12 · mixed90 min$55 / child
Book a spotSee details
What's on

Sundays at La Vita Nova.

Every week, a new great artist and a new masterpiece to make. In South Yarra, ages 8 to 12, everything supplied, from $55 per child. Start times are on each date below.

Next workshop

Sun 20 Sep11:00am

Claude Monet, Water Lilies

A water-lily pond built in short dabs of colour, with lily pads and paper flowers on top.

See details
Sun 27 Sep11:00am

Piet Mondrian, Bold Blocks

Tape a grid, fill the blocks in red, blue and yellow, then peel to reveal every clean line.

See details
Sun 4 Oct11:00am

Henri Matisse, Painting with Scissors

Cut bold collages, then wrap them into a vase for fresh flowers to take home.

See details
Sun 11 Oct11:00am

Frida Kahlo, Bold Self-portraits

An oil-pastel self-portrait, mounted and crowned with tissue flowers.

See details

A different artist runs every Sunday, and new dates are added often. If a Sunday you want is not listed yet, email info@lavitanova.com.au and we will tell you the moment it opens.

New Sundays drop often

Be first to know.

Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as new artists and dates open, before they fill up.

No spam, just new Sunday dates and the odd studio update.

The Method

A new artist each time.

What stays the same is how it runs. A short story about the artist, then straight into making, with everything already set out and plenty of help on hand. They go home with something they made themselves.

01

Meet the artist

A warm, age-pitched story, who they were, and the one big idea that makes their art special.

02

Then they make

A proper craft based on how the artist actually worked — and something they'll be excited to take home.

03

Everything's set up

Each child's materials are out and ready, so they start making the moment the story ends.

04

They take it home

A finished piece, plus something to keep creating with at home.

For ages 8 to 12, mixed ages welcome Small groups, capped at 8 children Held Sundays 11am at La Vita Nova, South Yarra
Why it works

Set up for them, made to last.

Two things matter most to the parents who come back: their child walks into everything ready to go, and walks out with something worth keeping.

Ready Their own box, all set up

Each child has a box of quality materials waiting for them before they arrive. No hunting for supplies, no waiting, they sit down and start making straight away.

Lasting Something to keep

They leave with a real finished piece and a little kit to keep going at home. Not a throwaway craft — something they'll actually want to keep.

What a session looks like

Ninety happy, screen-free minutes.

Here's how your child's Sunday unfolds, from walking in to walking out with something they made and love. Calm, well-supervised, and paced so no one feels rushed.

First 10 min

Settle in

Your child finds their own materials box, pops on a smock, and starts with an easy warm-up so they feel at home straight away.

Next 15 min

Meet the artist

A warm, picture-led story about the artist, with real works to look at, told in language kids actually enjoy.

A quick look

Warm up the hands

A little looking game or demo, so everyone feels ready and confident before they begin their own piece.

The main event

Make the masterpiece

Guided step by step, with plenty of room to make it their own. This is where the magic (and the mess, all ours) happens.

Last 15 min

Finish & show

Every child finishes their piece, we hold a little gallery, and they head home with their artwork and take-home kit.

No experience needed

First-timers are exactly who this is for. Every workshop starts from a shape or a template, and there is no wrong way to do it.

Everyone finishes

The make is paced in small wins, so every child leaves with a piece they're proud of, not a half-done craft.

You'll get the photos

We snap the finished gallery and share the pictures with you afterwards, so the day lives on.

Who's in the room

Meet your tutors.

Two of us run the Sundays, one leading the lessons, one leading the making.

JJen
Founder · Lessons

Jen

Jen runs the lessons, the artist stories and the warm flow of every Sunday, so each child feels right at home from the moment they walk in.

PPoppy
Resident artist

Poppy

Poppy is our resident artist, shaping the making so every child leaves with something real they're proud of.

See Poppy's work →
Hands-on skills

The kinds of making your child will try.

Across the series, children pick up a whole range of real craft skills, so every piece comes home sturdy, impressive and truly their own.

Cardboard bases

Sturdy and sustainable, and strong enough to survive the trip home.

3D paper flowers & forms

Scrunched tissue, egg-carton cups and pompoms lift a flat picture into something wow.

Cut & arrange collage

Draw, cut, place, the Matisse/Picasso move that builds bold composition fast.

Dot & stamp work

Cotton buds, dot-markers and stamps for Kusama and instant, joyful pattern.

Wire & balance

Bendy wire and light shapes for Calder mobiles and 3D sculpture that moves.

Metallic & mixed media

Gold foil, sequins and gems for Klimt sparkle and a finished, gallery feel.

The Artist Library

Pick your next great artist.

Every artist here is easy and fun for kids to understand, and leads to a genuinely impressive piece to take home. Five are ready to book now, starting with Matisse this Sunday, and more join the Sunday line-up through the year. Filter by the kind of making your child is drawn to.

Live now

Frida Kahlo

Mexican · 1907–1954
Look closely at yourself and turn what you find into bold colour.
The craft: a self-portrait in bold oil pastel, cut out, mounted on bright card and crowned with tissue-paper flowers.
Portraits · CollageView workshop →
Coming soon

Pablo Picasso

Spanish · 1881–1973
Break the rules, a face can show every side at once.
The craft: a cubist “mixed-up” face, built from cut and layered shapes.
Portraits · Collage
Booking now

Henri Matisse

French · 1869–1954
“Painting with scissors”, cut bold shapes straight out of colour.
The craft: a bright paper vase, filled with fresh flowers to take home.
Collage & Cut-outsBook a spot →
Booking now

Vincent van Gogh

Dutch · 1853–1890
You can see how he felt in every swirling brushstroke.
The craft: a swirling Starry Night sky in thick oil pastel & paint.
Painting & TextureView workshop →
Booking now

Yayoi Kusama

Japanese · b. 1929
Cover the whole world in dots, repetition is magic.
The craft: a big, bold dot-covered pumpkin that pops off the page.
Pattern & DotsView workshop →
Coming soon

Claude Monet

French · 1840–1926
Catch the light on water before it changes.
The craft: a water-lily pond in dabbed paint with 3D tissue-paper lilies.
Painting & Collage
Coming soon

Piet Mondrian

Dutch · 1872–1944
Just lines and three colours can make bold, perfect art.
The craft: a tape-resist primary-colour grid, crisp, striking, foolproof.
Pattern & Geometric
Coming soon

Gustav Klimt

Austrian · 1862–1918
Fill everything with gold and gorgeous pattern.
The craft: a metallic Tree of Life collage with swirling gold patterns.
Collage & Pattern
Coming soon

Andy Warhol

American · 1928–1987
Repeat one thing in wild colours and it becomes pop art.
The craft: a four-up pop-art grid of a repeated self-portrait or favourite object.
Pop & Print
Coming soon

Keith Haring

American · 1958–1990
Simple bold figures that look like they're dancing.
The craft: cut-out moving figures with motion-lines on a bright field.
Pop · Cut-outs
Coming soon

Katsushika Hokusai

Japanese · 1760–1849
One giant wave, frozen at its most powerful moment.
The craft: a layered paper & foil Great Wave, or a foam print you can repeat.
Collage & Print
Coming soon

Alexander Calder

American · 1898–1976
Art that moves, balance shapes so they float and spin.
The craft: a balancing wire-and-shape mobile that dances in the air.
Sculpture & 3D

The line-up keeps growing through the year, with new Sundays and artists added often.

Birthday parties & private groups

Throw an art party they'll remember.

Book the studio just for your group. The birthday child and their friends each meet a great artist and make their own masterpiece to take home. We set up, run it and pack down, and all the mess stays with us. Perfect for birthdays, school-holiday get-togethers and private groups.

The studio is yours

A private session for your group. Pick an artist, and we tailor it to the ages coming along.

Everything supplied

Each child gets their own materials box, a smock, and a finished piece to take home, ready to hang.

You just bring the cake

We handle the art from start to finish. Add your own food and decorations, or keep it simple.

Enquire about a party
Parties, groups & schools

Book a party, private group or school session.

Booking a single spot for a public Sunday? That's on each workshop page. This form is for birthday parties, private groups, school-holiday get-togethers, schools, studios and galleries. Tell us a little and we'll come back with dates, options and a quote.

Prefer to email? info@lavitanova.com.au

Send this and we'll come back to you by email with dates, options and a quote.

The rest of the Sunday

The art class is the first hour of four.

When the aprons come off at 12:30pm, three more classes run in the same room: chess at 12:40, The Debate Makers at 1:50 and The Founder's Studio at 3pm. Each is 60 minutes, $35, ages 8 to 12, and booked on its own. The changeovers are supervised, so a child staying on is looked after the whole time and you drop off and collect once. All four together are $130.

See the Sunday timetable