Life is short, unpredictable, and at times quite ugly, but the legacy we leave behind as artists and compassionate humans far outlasts our physical presence on Earth.

Welcome to Kias Art Room! My name is Kia'Rae Hanron (she/her) — lifelong Vermonter, artist, educator, and creative thinker based in Chittenden County. Over the past decade I have dedicated my education and career to the place where art, culture, education, and community meet.

Kias Art Room is named for the space that changed my life as an adolescent — the art room. In the art room, we are invited to show up exactly as we are: our differences, our peculiarities, our "weird" ideas, and our untold stories are not just welcome, they are the whole point. In the art room, we all have stories to tell, to create, to feel. It is a place where we translate emotion into a language anyone can feel — paint, thread, ink, beads, movement, wood, line, music notes, and color — and where we ask the questions that matter most: What is missing? What can I add? What does this mean to you, and to me, and to us? Why??? We connect, create, share histories and cultures, make contradictions visible, discover our voice, and find comfort among others who, like you and I, are searching for a way to express what words alone cannot hold. 

Kias Art Room is also a tribute to the legacy of the many adults in school who helped me thrive. One such adult is my high school art teacher, Barbara Austin Hutchins (1950-2019), or, Barb as she liked to be called — my educational role model. She brought an excitement, passion, and love for art to the classroom that was electrifying, undeniable, and captivating. My teaching style is largely inspired by her eccentric and joyous nature. Barb never stopped pushing me forward and truly made space for me to show up as I was. She believed in me before I believed in myself, pushed me to take (artistic) risks instead of playing it safe, and reminded me that my imaginative mind, however unconventional, belonged.