A Note from Art with a Heart
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What a year!
We would not be truthful if we said it was all good. With over 300 homicides in our city, divisiveness the likes of which many of us have never experienced and continued challenges with homelessness, education and healthcare, sometimes the issues seem insurmountable. And many may wonder, how is Art with a Heart even connected to the issues, let alone working to address them?
Here is the answer: Art with a Heart is on the ground---its staff and teachers are the foot soldiers in Baltimore doing the work everyday---providing care, motivation and consistency in the lives of vulnerable children, disconnected youth and idle adults. We are working to be an active participant in finding creative solutions to the problems plaguing our city and our world.
At Art with a Heart we are working passionately to cultivate imaginative and creative thinkers, doers, and leaders. While the year has shown us some very challenging times, it has also rewarded us with extreme joy and has sustained our hope.
We continued to be humbled by the successes we have seen and experienced and are eager to continue our work in 2018. Please consider a contribution to help Art with a Heart continue the work of enhancing the lives of people in need through visual art.
Thank you,
Randi, Yolanda, Danyett, Megan, Christina, Jenny, Christina and Cory
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| BIG NEWS!!! |
As of January 1st, Art with a Heart will be in its new location
Mill 1--3000 Falls Road! We will have
more space for increased workforce development, community service initiatives, public art projects and programming efforts. We look forward to seeing you at our spring open house (date tbd). A big thank you to
Terranova Ventures, Angel Fischer at
Angel Fischer Planning & Design, LLC and David Jacques of
Partner Contracting for their generous help and support in making the space suitable and special. I
f you are in the neighborhood, please stop in and see our new digs!
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A Look Back at Programming
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With a record number of collaborative partners in 2017 (111 partners!!), Art with a Heart's innovative, educational and inspiring curriculum was extended to more schools, shelters, libraries, community and recreation centers, residential treatment facilities, hospital
s and senior
facilities. The organization's out of school time efforts saw significant growth with summer programs increasing to a total
of 384 classes.
Art with a Heart hosted its 85 teachers in nine professional development workshops including a RAMAPO for Children training session and has included among its protocols, trauma informed care and mindfulness training
for everyone working with its students.
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A Look Back at Community Service
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In 2017, Art with a Heart
engaged 89 college interns and service-learning students, 90 student volunteers from 27 middle and high schools, and 4,881 volunteers of all ages from over 97 different service groups. These numbers translate into
20,115 volunteer hours!! Everyone at Art with a Heart recognizes the positive impact these volunteers have on the organization's capacity and the invaluable contributions of these talented, enthusiastic and committed people. Th
ank you to everyone who volunteered with Art with a Heart in 2017. We look forward to seeing you again in 2018 in our new space.
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A Look Back at Public Art
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Over the last year, Art with a Heart completed
16 large scale mosaic murals and 16 public art installations.
Art with a Heart is grateful for the volunteers who helped to make these creative, colorful and collaborative projects come to life! Employing new techniques and skills, these projects have become vibrant, awe-inspiring art pieces that transform community spaces. With a total of over 200 public art installations,
Art with a Heart is beautifying Baltimore one project at a time.
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A Look Back at HeARTworks
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HeARTworks, Art with a Heart's workforce development program, continues to be a great asset to its participants and to Baltimore with
125 students (compared to 60 in 2016) completing the program and a 70% job placement rate for out-of-school time youth. This year, Art with a Heart has cultivated new partnerships with
STAR TRACK (Special Teens At-Risk, Together Reaching Access, Care and Knowledge) at the University of Maryland and
Bon Secours Community Works.
In 2017,
Art with a Heart continued its strategic efforts to expand the job pipeline for HeARTworks graduates so they can use their developed competencies to foster stability in their daily lives. Art with a Heart refers HeARTworks graduates to several employers/paid occupational skills training providers with whom Art with a Heart has cultivated relationships including 1st Team Staffing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chipotle, Crossmark, CUPS, CVS, Express Staffing, First Transit (Driving Motility Transport), Impact Foundation, Jimmy Johns, Job Corps, Mercy Medical Center, New Pathways, Pendry, Randstad Staffing, S.A.F.E. Management, Shop Rite, Stadiums, Starbucks, Target, and The Choice Program.
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A Look Back at HeARTwares
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A Look Back at the Art of Leadership
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The inaugural cohort of the Art of Leadership continues to stay connected with Art with a Heart and with each other. All graduating seniors from this cohort were accepted into college, and two high school seniors serve as student body presidents at their respective schools. The second cohort of the Art of Leadership program graduated in September 2017 and consisted of 17 students from six public and five independent schools.
Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School (LMCJ) was the recipient of the second cohort's leadership project.
Students worked with scholars from LMCJ over a two week period to transform the entrance of the school with a flower mosaic and sign with the schools "Habits of Mind." As the second cohort ended, the third cohort began with 21 students from eight public and nine independent schools. To date, students int the third cohort have experienced deep and challenging discussions about race and class, learned about advocacy, and experienced their first retreat.
Since the inception of the Art of Leadership program,
Art with a Heart has connected 54 students representing 29 public and independent schools. Art with a Heart is now accepting applications for the 2018 cohort. The application is available
here and is due Friday, March 3, 2018.
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Thank You!
Thank you for helping to make 2017 a tremendously successful year for Art with a Heart. We appreciate your ongoing support to provide continued momentum to our mission: to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art.
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