A former mechanical engineer has opened the first Art-K franchise in Wales. Ejiroghene Lane, 37, launched the franchise of art classes and workshops for children and adults, after receiving a £20,000-plus start up loan via Business in Focus.
Following the loan, Ms Lane opened a studio in Barry located within a two-mile radius of around 20 schools in the area. The loan provided funding for the lease for the studio, an entire studio fit-out, the Art-K franchise fee, and art equipment required.
It was provided by the British Business Bank start up loans programme which gives government backed loans of up to £25,000 per individual, up to a maximum of £100,000 per business. In addition to finance, successful applicants receive free mentoring, access to resources and advice.
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Ms Lane said: “The loan was a total lifeline in getting Art-K Barry set up and the help I received from my mentor at Business in Focus was invaluable. Overall, the process of applying and drawing down the loan gave me a real sense that there was a belief I could succeed with this business.”
Ms Lane was born in Nigeria and has drawn and painted from a young age. After being warned that she would find it difficult to make a living from her passion for art, she moved to Wales to study mechanical engineering at Cardiff University.
However, when the 海角视频 went into lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic, Ms Lane began taking painting commissions and decided to change careers and build a livelihood from art.
She realised there was an absence of art class providers in the Vale of Glamorgan and discovered Art-K, a franchise founded by Kathryn Harper in 2000, which has over 40 branches across England.
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She launched her own classes under the franchise and now leads classes of seven children at a time. As well as classes of 6-16 year olds and GCSE classes, Ms Lane also teaches adult classes in the evening.
She hopes to expand the class offering to include sessions for home-schooled children and daytime adult classes and open further Art-K franchises across Wales.
“There’s a real gap for this sort of provision in Wales,” she said. “A lot of the people who attend my classes say they’ve been looking for classes like this for a long time, and they travel relatively far distances to come to class. My hope is that this is the start of something far greater in Wales, because everyone deserves to have access to art and art teaching.”
She added: “I loved the ethos of Art-K, it has its own curriculum but at its heart is the concept that you are guided by the student: you equip them so they can discover things for themselves, which helps build their confidence. In any one group you can be studying one particular principle or artist, but each student will be working individually on different aspects and skills.”
Jessica Phillips-Harris, senior manager for Wales at the British Business Bank, said: “We’re so pleased to be able to support businesswomen like Ejiroghene to follow their dreams and pursue a career they love.
“The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans scheme exists for entrepreneurs who are looking to improve the world they live in and Art-K Barry is a fantastic example of that: providing art education to children and adults and helping build their self-esteem in the process. We wish Ejiroghene all the best with her venture.”