March 2015
In This Issue:


NEWS

Save the Date: 
Art with a Heart's 
15th Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, November 12th at 6:00 pm
Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric   event2
Art with a Heart in Other Words  interview

 

Each month throughout the year, an Art with a Heart student, teacher, Board member, volunteer, or staff person will share his/her Art with a Heart experience and its personal impact. This month, we highlight Sergio, a student who has programmed with Art with a Heart through several community partners over the last seven years.  

 

We sat down to talk with Sergio, and his calm and relaxed demeanor was much different than when we met him in 2008 in Art with a Heart's summer job program. By the young age of four, Sergio's world consisted of drug dealers and indifference. Throughout his teenage years, Sergio was in and out of jail and homeless shelters. "Sometimes you got more love in [jail] than from your family," he said.

 

When Sergio was 18 years old, he wandered into Art with a Heart's Summer Job Program. In the program, he was surrounded by positivity, encouragement, and consistency. Now, as a veteran of the program, he says the program "brightens people's lives, makes a difference. It's not about the stipend; it's about the impact on people." When asked about his future, he said, "I'm taking it one day at a time. Most of the time, I'm helping people." Sergio spends a significant amount of his time working, raising awareness about youth homelessness, and attending job program sessions three times a week at Art with a Heart.

 

Sergio's story is all about change, and we are moved by his courage, fortitude, and insight.

 

 

To further celebrate Art with a Heart's 15th anniversary, we have launched a social media campaign on Facebook. Please read below and join in the fun!

 

"Everyone an artist." - Joseph Beuys

We know this to be true as we have seen and enjoyed this statement over the last 15 years. Now, it's your turn. Post your art, whatever it may be (work, play, hobby?), and tag five of your friends to share their art too! We can't wait to see everyone's work, so include #ArtforAWAH in all your posts. Post as often as you like. Take this challenge further and donate to Art with a Heart by clicking this link to help us reach $15,000 for each artful year. Let's witness the power of art and community!
 

Go to #ArtforAWAH on Facebook to see the art people are sharing!
A Community Tour  tour

Members of Art with a Heart's Board of Directors spent an afternoon visiting some of Art with a Heart's classes and community mosaics. Board members enjoyed learning about our partnering sites and meeting students and Art with a Heart teachers.


 Welcome, Kayon!
Welcome Kayon! kayon

Art with a Heart welcomes Kayon Cox as the new Coordinator of Out-of-School Time Initiatives. In this position, Kayon will focus her creativity on all out-of-school time programs. We look forward to working with Kayon and sharing in her enthusiasm and energy for this new role.

Kayon replaces Hillary Heckwolf who left in March to continue her studies in Washington, D.C. We wish Hillary all the best and look forward to seeing her as often as her schedule permits.
PROGRAMMING
Diversity Youth Art Showcase  afp

 

Congratulations to our students from Lakeland Elementary/Middle School, Laura, Oscar, and Tali, who won first, second, and third place for their artwork at the International Fundraising Conference for the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Their work was exhibited at the conference's Diversity Youth Art Showcase. And, if that was not enough, the students were honored before the conference's 4,000 attendees! We are very proud of our students for their initiative, confidence, and artistic talents!

 

New Community Partners  sites

 

Art with a Heart welcomes members of the Faith Presbyterian Church community, residents of the Blakehurst Retirement Community, and youth from the Autism Society of Baltimore-Chesapeake. We look forward to creative and enriching collaborations with these new partners.

 

Youth from the Autism Society of Baltimore-Chesapeake enjoy a visual art project inspired by Music in our Schools month (left). Members from the Faith Presbyterian Church community (right) used a marbling technique to create interesting patterned paper for a community project.
Alma Thomas Inspired Art at Grove Park gp

Inspired by the unique collage technique of artist Alma Thomas, second grade students in Art with a Heart's classes at Grove Park Elementary/Middle School designed their own collages using colorful pieces of torn paper.


COMMUNITY
Three New Public Art Installations install

Art with a Heart welcomed clients from  Itineris for two January art workshops. The clients enthusiastically created paintbrush people using all recycled materials. These unique paintbrushes were then assembled together to create a whimsical community art piece that now adorns the hall of Itineris' new location in Woodberry.































In February, Art with a Heart facilitated a collaborative, mixed media portrait workshop with residents of   The Baltimore Station along with members of the Beth Ahaba youth group. The portraits were installed together to create a quilt-like community piece for the counseling space at The Baltimore Station. 



Residents of Weinberg Housing and Resource Center created vibrant and expressive masks during their Art with a Heart classes. The masks were recently installed in the Center's conference area.


March Mosaic Madness! IBR 

Art with a Heart has started work on a 3'x9' mosaic mural with the  Institutes for Behavior Resources, Inc. (IBR) community. And, what a community it is! The talent and dedication of the patients, staff, and administration are extraordinary. After working on the project, a participant said, " It made me feel refreshed. It gave me time to re-evaluate certain situations in my life and do my best to change for the better. Thanks for the opportunity, Art with a Heart."

The staff and administration of IBR enjoy the mosaic workshops.
The Walters Art Museum Sensory Morning walters

Art with a Heart facilitated an art workshop at  The Walters Art Museum for an event designed for children with sensory processing disorders. Inspired by The Chamber of Wonders at the Museum, Art with a Heart engaged children and their parents in creating 'wands of wonder.'


A Partnership Across an Ocean dillers

 

On March 23rd, Art with a Heart welcomed youth from Israel: Ashkelon Dillers Teen Fellows and the HaZamir Ashkelon. We were delighted to host these groups from Baltimore's partner city and the Art with a Heart staff was excited to see some old friends. 

 

St. Andrews Christian Community sacc

Thank you to members of the  St. Andrews Christian Community congregation for volunteering their time and talent to Art with a Heart this past month.


HEARTWARES
Spring Job Program jp

Art with a Heart began a six-week job program in March with students from Youth Empowered Society (YES) Drop-In Center. This exciting expansion of Art with a Heart's job program will increase the number of months the program is available to Baltimore's vulnerable youth and increase the number of participants engaged in this impactful program.

Save the Date: On April 24th, from 6:00-9:00 pm, Art with a Heart will host Spring into Action, an open house celebrating the spring job program and showcasing the artwork of its participants.

Youth from YES Drop-In Center create wind chimes for display and sale at HeARTwares.
Upcoming Creative Day Out Workshops workshwksh

Creative Day Out workshops include light fare, instruction, and supplies. No experience necessary!

Mosaic Stepping Stones with Christina Ralls - April 18, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Welcome spring to your home! Decorate your garden or yard with a beautiful, 12"x12" mosaic stepping stone. Create your own design, or choose from several Art with a Heart templates. The cost is $40 per participant. Register  here .

The possibilities are endless when designing a mosaic stepping stone!

Silly Sock Puppets with Nina Tou - May 16, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Get creative, silly, and have fun while making colorful and magical sock puppets. This workshop is just in time for Mother's Day, so take mom out for a few hours and make her feel like a kid again. Each puppet is $25. Register here
Art with a Heart's Teacher's Corner tctc

The Teacher's Corner is a monthly art exhibit in HeARTwares showcasing the artwork of Art with a Heart teachers and assistants.

Edward Williams i s the featured artist during the month of April. Edward is a truly valuable Art with a Heart teacher, inspiring and engaging Art with a Heart students for over a decade. In addition to teaching, Edward is a talented decorative painter and muralist. 


Showcasing at Gala Cloths itemsgala

Art with a Heart will participate in Gala Cloths' "Shopportunity" event on Thursday, April 2nd from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. Please stop by Gala Cloths on April 2nd to purchase HeARTwares' products as well as Gala Cloths' inventory of cloths and linens.  The inventory reduction sidewalk sale will continue on April 3rd and April 4th. 

Click here for a special savings coupon.

We are grateful for the continued partnership with Gala Cloths and thankful for their generous donations.