North Star Art Club

North Star Art Club offers weekly after school art clubs, summer art camps, non-school day mini art camps, Art Buddies Sunday Sessions, one-on-one studio time, and art-themed birthday parties and private events. Students work with drawing, painting, 3D sculpture, mixed media, collage, and materials such as markers, colored pencils, pencils, gouache, watercolor, and air dry clay. After school art club includes an after school snack.

• Ages: 8–16 years old
• Schedule: Weekly after school art clubs during the school year, Art Buddies Sunday Sessions in early spring, and week-long summer art camps; private lessons are 1 hour 15 minutes
• Price: After school art clubs $185, art-themed birthday parties and private events for 8–10 guests $320, Art Buddies Sunday Sessions $120, summer art camps generally $225–$355, one-on-one studio time $115, and gift cards available in $125, $175, and $250 amounts

North Star Art Club was founded by licensed art teacher and local mom Richelle Norton to support students in the Twin Cities in enriching, developing, and improving their artistic skills through weekly after school art clubs or summer camps with artist instructors. The program describes itself as an artist-led after school art club and creative space for students to develop creative problem solving skills and visual arts techniques, with students able to be creative without worrying about making a mess. Art camps are educator-led, use an engaging curriculum, have small class sizes limited to 10 students per session, and offer hands-on art experiences in small group settings, with structured support and project options in multiple media.

Specific summer offerings include Poisonous Creatures and Other Spiky Things Art Camp for students entering grades 3–6, a 3D Sculpture Camp July 13–17, 2026 for students entering grades 3–6, a Middle School Drawing and Painting Camp July 20–24, 2026 for students entering grades 6–9, and Play With Your Food Art Camp July 27–31, 2026 for students entering grades 3–6. After school options for grades 3–5 include Monday and Wednesday clubs during the school year, with listed examples such as Monday After School Art Club from 4:15–5:00pm or 3:00–5:00pm, and Wednesday After School Art Club from 4:30–6:15pm, with future sessions noted for fall 2026–2027.

Leadership includes founder Richelle Norton, a licensed art teacher and former public school teacher with a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction and K–12 Visual Arts Licensure from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Science in K–12 Spanish Education and ESL from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Instruction is provided by licensed visual arts educator Ms. Norton, described as a former art teacher with a Masters in Art Education, and by educator and artist Liz Genrich, who has over 25 years of teaching experience, a BA in Art History, and a MED in Art Education, and has worked in public, private, and charter schools as well as art enrichment programs.

The program notes that students from throughout the Twin Cities can improve their art skills through week-long summer camps. Community mentions include coverage in KSTP (ABC) 5 on August 27, 2024, describing a grassroots postcard campaign involving current students creating hand-painted postcards, and an August 22, 2024 Camperoni article about choosing the right art camp that includes comments from founder Richelle Norton. North Star Art Club offers a customer portal to manage accounts, payment methods, and upcoming payments, requires a 30-day cancellation notice for all art clubs, provides financial assistance, and offers gift cards that can be used for individual classes, art camps, and other North Star Art Club offerings.

Last updated June 27, 2026.