Be a part of our culture of giving at CB Art Prep!

What inspired the decision to start the non-profit Chris Babcock Art Prep?

For over a decade, Chris has been thinking of opening a non-profit art school that not only offered Foundations of Drawing and Painting and a Portfolio Building Program, but also Fiber Arts, Digital Arts, Sculpture, and Photography classes for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds. But it was not until a chain of events happened in 2022, that pushed Chris to make her vision of a non-profit art school a reality.

In September 2022, Cal and Charlotte, two 8th-grade students with potential in the visual arts came to Chris Babcock Art to take a few lessons. They shared the dream of being accepted at the audition-based public high school, Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA.) Their working-class parents could not afford to pay for more than a few lessons, but Chris knew students need between 4 months and 3 years of art lessons to hone their skills in order to create the rigorous assignments SOTA requires as part of their audition, and an outstanding portfolio to show at private high school interviews.

Since Chris Babcock Art was not a non-profit, there were no flexible tuition grants available. Still, Chris felt so strongly that Charlotte and Cal would thrive at SOTA, that she decided to give both students art lessons twice a week for 16 weeks free of charge to help build a portfolio to be accepted at SOTA, The Bay School, and Convent. Her students worked hard and produced three SOTA drawing assignments; a stunning self-portrait, a still-life drawing, and one still-life colored pencil drawing. To be prepared for whatever the in-person audition drawing assignment might be, Chris had them practice at home each night by drawing their other hand holding different favorite little trinkets. Chris advised her students to follow every instruction at their in-person audition, their in-person audition right down to the rule of only using a #2 pencil.

Be a part of our culture of giving by supporting Chris Babcock Art Prep!

How your donation will help fund Chris Babcock Art Prep's new mission…

Expand our teaching faculty to include gifted teachers who are professional working artists in painting, drawing, textiles, photography, digital arts, fashion design, and sculpture.

Bring in guest admissions speakers from California College of the Arts, Art Academy, and San Francisco University to give expert advice on what makes an outstanding portfolio and how their departments help your child get a job in the art world after graduation.

Help pay San Francisco's minimum wage to our talented assistant teachers who only attend either SOTA or the best private SF high schools with the most innovative art departments.

Donations will help fund our flexible tuition grants to the talented students who qualify.

Chris Babcock Art Prep is a non-profit organization under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3), and all contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Our tax I.D. number is 92-4028204