Rene Czika is the founder of Created by Kids, a company that reflects both her creative ambitions as well as her life long passion for teaching children. After graduating from Columbus College of Art and Design with a BFA, Rene moved to Tempe, AZ and began working for a small company teaching pottery techniques to children of all ages.
A year later, after relocating to Washington, DC, she became an assistant teacher at Silver Spring Day School, where she truly fell in love with being part of a team in classroom setting. Both students and parents alike raved about the after school clay program, and after teaching in DC for 3 years Rene made the decision to move to NYC and start her own educational business.
With these experiences in mind, Created by Kids was born, offering services to children throughout Brooklyn. Of her unique, fun and innovative classes, Rene says, “I feel lucky to integrate both imagination and creativity into a child’s development. I am fortunate to be doing what I am passionate about and am excited to continue to expand my business in new directions.
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Lindsey's love of the arts started at a very young age, eventually culminating with a degree in media studies from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. She has been involved with Created By Kids since its inception, both with teaching and helping to develop CBK curriculum. She has also volunteered with children's mentoring programs like Camp Sunrise and Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls. Lindsey is a freelance music journalist, Founder, Editor-in-Chief at Audiofemme, and has written for The Village Voice, Stereogum, Brooklyn Magazine, and others. In her spare time, she enjoys playing competitive pinball.
Weronika is a recent graduate who moved to New York after receiving her Master's Degree in Art Education. Ever since she was little, Weronika sought out a career within the artistic field so that she could share her love of visual arts with the next wave of creatives. Her own practice centers around mixed media film photography, but she has since developed a new love for ceramics since starting at CBK! Weronika is eager to help children find their voice through art at Created by Kids and hopes to use her background to help educate and inspire those around her.
Austin has been taking art classes since the age of some of CBK’s youngest students. This experience of being introduced to visual arts at such an early age has shaped the person he is today. Austin’s creative focus has always been drawing and painting. However, he has also taken courses in printmaking, figure studies, pottery, animation, and art history (at Parsons in NY and DuCret School of Art in NJ). Since college, Austin has gone on to collaborate with various artists on multiple projects including a series of interior wall murals. In addition to creating art in his free time, Austin also participates in co-hosting/producing nonprofit art events for his surrounding communities. Austins passion for teaching children the fundamentals of art that were so vital to his own artistic journey is what ultimately brought him to Created By Kids
Haley’s background lies in math and science but she’s got the creative bug! She has worked with both textiles and weaving and enjoys working with kids. Haley will also be teaching Science where Created By Kids will create some amazing reactions!
Garrett Johnson had a love for painting and drawing from a very early age. After earning a BFA in Studio Art from Auburn University, they moved to Brooklyn in search of a like-minded, creative community. Their interdisciplinary approach to art making has led to a vast skill base, which includes: analog photography, oil painting, figure drawing, and functional ceramics. Garrett is thrilled to share their love for art making with the kids at CBK!
Emily has had a passion for embracing creativity in her community since she was young. This passion drove her to pursue a BA in studio art at Ithaca College where she also crafted her own minor with education and psychology courses to learn about how to meet both a group’s and an individual’s needs within a classroom environment. She fulfilled this pursuit while briefly studying art history and education in Barcelona, where she had the transformative experience of volunteering as an ESL teacher in a local public school. With painting as her primary medium, Emily is excited to bring what she’s learned from working as a teacher and as an artist to CBK!
