Inside her new arts center on Johnson Drive, Gabrielle LeVota hopes people can see more of the world without getting on an airplane.
The idea was born out of a gap in the market she found once she became a mother.
A Kansas City area native, she left her hometown to attend college in Los Angeles, which was followed by some time in New York and San Francisco before moving back home.
She’d had lots of opportunities to travel and learn about other places, and she wanted the same for her children. But she found that in the busy flow of parenthood, it isn’t always easy to find a break in the busy day-to-day routine to find time to get immersed in new cultures.
By opening Wonder & Whoa, she aims to create a place where kids and their parents or caregivers can do just that — and have fun doing it.
“It’s kind of a culmination of things that I wanted through my own parenting journey,” she said. “(A place to) just kind of be able to have that juxtaposition of kiddos doing something meaningful, and parents being able to participate on a great day, or just take a break on a not-so-great day.”
The arts and events space began its first week of classes on Monday, following an open house event over the weekend.
Wonder & Whoa is at 5903 Johnson Drive
- The arts center moved into a space in downtown Mission, near Lamar’s Donuts and the Mission Theatre.
- Local nonprofit Tyler’s House for Teens previously occupied the space before relocating to a new larger space a few blocks away in late 2024.
- Classes at Wonder & Whoa will generally be offered from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Wonder & Whoa offers hands-on ‘active play’ in various forms
LeVota said Wonder & Whoa’s name was inspired by the children’s book “Hello Hello” by Brendan Wenzel, a book centered around different animals across the globe.
A few pages in, the author exclaims, “Hello wonder, hello whoa!” when greeting some platypuses and porcupines.
It was always LeVota’s favorite part of the book, she said. One day when she was reading it to her children, it struck her as the perfect name for her new art concept.
The studio offers programming for children ages 3 to 12 years old, from arts and crafts and music exploration to yoga and food and nutrition.
Each week, Wonder & Whoa’s activities will center around a different culture. That way, LeVota said kids who come back regularly can enjoy their favorite activities while still learning something new.
“Everything will be through the lens of a specific global or sometimes domestic culture,” she said. “If we’re doing arts and crafts, it’ll be arts and crafts from a traditional element of that culture. If we’re exploring music, it’ll be the music of that culture.”
In Wonder & Whoa’s parents’ lounge, parents and caregivers will have the option to stay and hang out with other parents or observe while their kids work on activities nearby. On weekends, Wonder & Whoa will also offer family events where both kids and parents can participate.
“(The goal) is that you’re able to kind of come together as a family and a community, and each learn about something, but in a way that’s intriguing and interesting to you, and then be able to hopefully spark those conversations for the rest of the weekend,” she said. “Now you have a common thread with your kid, you have a shared experience.”
Wonder & Whoa’s classes will explore international and domestic cultures
The first week of classes will be centered around Brazilian culture.
The following weeks will offer programming centered around the state of Maine (starting on March 10), Irish culture (starting on March 17) and Japanese culture (starting on March 24).
Ultimately, LeVota said she hopes Wonder & Whoa can be a safe place to explore the unknown — whether that’s learning about new cultures or forming connections with new people.
“A lot of times, people don’t talk about culture because it feels timid and it feels like you don’t want to say the wrong thing,” she said. “I think connection and the exploration of bridging the gap on differences is what I’m the most excited about.”
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