For the past fifteen years, JB Arts has been a creative anchor in Almonte — a place where kids and adults alike have learned to “dress for a mess,” embrace mistakes, and discover their own artistic voices. As owner and founder Jeff Banks prepares to close the business and sell the building on Mill Street, I sat down with him to talk about how it all started, the special relationship JB Arts has had with the community, and what he hopes people will remember.
theHumm: When you think back to your early days in Almonte, what stands out most clearly?
Jeff Banks: One of the biggest draws, honestly, was Noreen Young and the puppet festival. I actually owned her puppet DVD before we moved here. When I heard there was a puppet festival in town, that really pulled me in.
Not long after, someone on the street said: “Have you talked to Noreen yet?” I said no, and they pointed across to Baker Bob’s and said, “She’s right there.” So I just walked over and introduced myself. That was a pretty great way to start off in a new town.
Did you have a specific model in mind when you opened?
Before Almonte, I ran an art school in Oakville just for kids. When I opened here, I did the same thing at first — kids only. Then I realized adults really wanted to take classes too, so I expanded. At first we primarily taught painting. Then people started asking for more, so I added more. I started small and let demand build. My first summer camp here had six kids. This past summer, we had around 48 kids a day — over 400 unique kids came through.
And that’s just camps. With all the school bookings in the area, we calculated that we reached about 1,700 kids last spring alone. Creatively, this town has been fantastic. It just takes time and consistency to build that.
When did JB Arts stop being just you and become more of a team effort?
For years I never thought of myself as an artist — I described myself as an “edutainer”. There came a point where JB Arts got so busy that I had to choose between focusing on management or accepting that I am an artist and my teaching is the art. I had the realization that as an artist I needed a manager so that I could focus what I love most — teaching art.
One of the best decisions I made was hiring Jessica Plager. I originally brought her on so I could repaint the basement. It turned out to be cheaper to hire someone to help me organize classes than to hire a painter.
She filled my classes so quickly that the basement painting didn’t get done for years. Then when I opened the lower level, I could teach pottery downstairs while others taught drawing and painting upstairs.
Since then, we’ve had many people be part of the team over the years. There have been so many wonderful teachers, and I am grateful to them for sharing their talents and enthusiasm with our students. I do want to give a special shout-out to staff member Roz Weisberg, who’s been with us for something like twelve years. I couldn’t have done it without all those folks.
What influence do you think JB Arts has had on young people and their artistic journeys?
I think the biggest thing is giving kids permission to get messy. As soon as they’re allowed to get clay up to their elbows or pastel all over their faces, they really engage. “Dress for a mess” has been our motto for years. Once kids are allowed to get messy, they stop worrying so much about being perfect. They need places where it’s okay to try, fail, and try again.
You have offered courses in a wide variety of media. Why is that important to you?
Because everybody has an artistic passion, even if they don’t realize it. It might be painting cars, decorating cakes, doing nails, building sets, making puppets, throwing pots — these are all artistic outlets.
That’s why JB Arts offers so many things. If the pottery wheel isn’t your thing, maybe you’ll love hand-building or sculpture. If clay isn’t it, maybe glass will grab you. The key is to help people find what clicks for them.
In your recent letter to the community, you said that JB Arts has become more than a small business. What did you mean by that?
What I wanted to say is that JB Arts is really a community space. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your skill level is — if you want to come in, have fun, and you’ve got even a tiny bit of ambition, you’re welcome.
Recently an older British couple who had just moved here told me they felt like they’d finally found their place in town at JB Arts — and then two weeks later they heard I was closing. That kind of thing hits hard.
Your letter also said you’ll be doing art and teaching in some capacity forever.
Absolutely. If I won the lottery, I’d probably repaint the bathroom — but I wouldn’t change what I do.
The real question is how to keep doing it without working 24/7. Camps, classes, managing a building — that’s a lot. I need to separate the business side from my personal life and figure out a better balance.
But I can’t see myself doing anything else and being happy. Teaching art — helping people discover what they can do — that’s the part I love. The building was just the vehicle. I can always find another vehicle.
What do you most hope students will remember about JB Arts?
I hope they remember that it’s okay to make mistakes.
I often tell my students that they’re here to have fun, to try something new, to learn the technique by playing with it and messing it up a few times, and then, yes, to go home with a piece of art they’re proud of. With older students I add that the first job is just to try it and accept that it won’t be perfect, the second is to like it themselves, and only after that should they worry about whether anyone else likes it.
For instance, once a student made this beautiful bowl, then accidentally cut a big chunk out of the rim and was devastated. I sculpted a tiny cat and put it on the rim so it looked like the cat had knocked that chunk out and then fallen asleep there. She loved it. The bowl sold right away, and later she started doing that intentionally on other pieces.
So often the “mistake” isn’t the problem. The problem is a lack of imagination about how to fix it.
As JB Arts moves into its next chapter, Jeff is clear on two points: he loves Almonte, and he hopes to stay.
“I call it my town,” he says. “If I can stay, I will. Mostly I just want to say thank you. So many friendships and creative journeys started in that space. If you liked art, that was the only prerequisite.”
Whether JB Arts returns in a new form or Jeff finds another way to keep teaching, his influence will live on in every kid who learned to love the mess, every adult who dared to pick up a brush again, and every so-called mistake that turned into something unexpectedly beautiful.
