Why a Town Square?

For centuries, town squares have been places where people gather. They are places to exchange ideas, tell stories, celebrate, create, and connect. Town Square Arts brings that spirit into learning spaces.

We believe all humans deserve opportunities to:

wonder
PLAYexperiment
makecollaborate
discover

Through creative learning workshops, professional learning, and consulting, Town Square Arts brings people together to explore ideas and make something from them.

  • Learning is something we do together.

    The arts create opportunities to listen, respond, collaborate, negotiate, share perspectives, and build something no individual could have created alone.

  • Ideas become meaningful when we do something with them.

    We believe in learning with our hands, voices, bodies, imaginations, and one another. Making gives learners ownership over an idea and transforms them from participants into creators.

  • Creativity opens new ways of understanding the world.

    We don't always begin knowing where we're going. Through experimentation, reflection, and curiosity, learners discover new ideas—and sometimes discover something new about themselves.

Our Approach

Meet the
Founder

Renata Townsend
Founder

Renata Townsend is a creative learning strategist, educator, and artist who has spent over 15 years creating joyful, meaningful learning experiences for children, families, and educators. Her work brings together education, storytelling, media, and the arts, with experience spanning organizations and partnerships including the NJ State Arts Council, NYC Department of Education, SONY Pictures Television/Reading Rainbow, Fred Rogers Productions, Warner Bros. Discovery/Cartoonito, The New Victory Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, and Montclair State University.

After years of working in arts education across New York City and then raising her own family in New Jersey, Renata felt inspired to bring her experience and creativity closer to home. Town Square Arts grew from a desire to invest in her own community and create the kind of ambitious, playful, and imaginative learning experiences she has spent her career building.