Ruth Ann Rauter received her BFA at Mundelein College, Chicago, Illinois, in 1964. After co-founding The Children’s Center, a community organized preschool at the University of Illinois, she taught an artistic Piaget child-development program there. The birth of her daughter in 1974 inspired her research in Home-Education and Waldorf Education, as well as art and movement therapies. She began her Decroux Mime Drama training in Chicago in 1979 and performed as a member of Metamorphosis Mime Company and Just Us Mimes!. Throughout the 80’s she designed and taught story-telling, mime, and drama programs for children of all ages in community organizations, including The Art Institute and The Chicago Waldorf School.

In Tampa Bay, Ms. Rauter first created her Integrated Arts Program as a youth educator for Tampa Unity. In 1990 she joined the arts team at Ruth Eckerd Hall, where she created the First Arts Classes especially for budding young artists/actors/dancers, ages 3 – 5. In Ms. Rauter’s programs the children experience an arts-immersion designed to nurture and guide each child’s sense of wonder, imagination, concentration, creativity and co-operation. The focus is an archetypal story adapted to the needs and talents of the group. During the creative process the children may draw, paint, sing, dance, dramatize characters, and make the story “come alive” for family and friends. Through this integrated artistic experience the children develop many personal and social skills and magical memories that last a life time!

For a list of current classes at Ruth Eckerd Hall, including this series, please click here.