Our Story
In late 2019, Painting Pandas Founder Jill Turner learned art supplies and teaching budgets in many Austin schools were inadequate. Students were required to share minimal supplies and then, the pandemic hit. Seemingly overnight they no longer had access to classroom supplies as students went home and classes went online. Many had only pens and notebook paper and nothing else. They had no drawing paper, pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, markers, or paints.
Turner soon made it her mission to ensure students have access to quality art education and supplies. She collaborated with a local art educator and purchased age-appropriate art kits for any student wanting one. Working with an economically disadvantaged school in Austin and its art educator, the first art kit distribution drive-thru was held in May of 2020, before Painting Pandas was fully established. A need was realized and addressed, but the need persists.
A long-time supporter of art education, Turner officially established Painting Pandas during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 under the belief that all children deserve the opportunity to express themselves and use art as an emotional and creative outlet regardless of where they live or where they are from.
“Painting Pandas does a great job inspiring the young artist to be creative with multiple art mediums. Our daughter loves Painting Pandas!”
—Parent of Student
“Painting Pandas is truly an amazing blessing to my family! Having 6 children you try to get them involved in as much as you can to keep them busy. All my kids LOVE art and to be able to be a part of the classes and the look on their faces when they get their boxes is truly heartwarming! They are already on my back to sign up for the next sessions.”
—Parent of Student
Why “Painting Pandas?”
The story behind our name is as colorful as our project itself.
As a young girl growing up in Chicago, Founder Jill Turner loved to draw, craft, and hook rugs. She also loved panda bears and their playful personalities. When she could not find a hook rug of a panda bear, she took things into her own hands…literally and figuratively. She found yarn and leftover burlap, drew a panda bear on it in black magic marker, and started to hook away. She still has that hook rug today.
Given her love of pandas and how they inspired her own love of art making, she thought it was only appropriate that “Painting Pandas” would be the name of the non-profit she would create to give quality art education and supplies to young people.
Where We Do It
You could say we are “Deep in the Art of Texas,” as we call Austin, Texas, home. We serve children in zip codes across the country. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook; and hopefully in the hearts and minds of many young artists.