July 2023

This month, Art with a Heart's Art of Leadership students dedicated their Capstone Public Art Project to the Baltimore Convention Center. The installation commemorates the role of the Convention Center as the Baltimore City Field Hospital during the pandemic, and the historic partnership between the Maryland Department of Health, the City of Baltimore, the University of Maryland Medical System, and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The project was completed by members of the Baltimore Convention Center workforce, stakeholders of each healthcare service, volunteers from Art with a Heart and Art of Leadership Cohort 8 students. It was a good day for our city and a proud moment for everyone at Art with a Heart.

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Students are having a colorful and fun summer with lots of learning in the process. Through Art with a Heart classes, students of all ages have discovered the work of Jean Michel Basquiat, Alma Thomas, Henri Rousseau, Yayoi Kusama, and Shinique Smith. Projects this month have included color wheel monster, self-portraits, and gratitude paintings. Rising Pre-K and K students practiced skills critical for the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment using scissors and recognizing/identifying shapes.

Special Projects

In July, Art with a Heart's Special Projects team completed a large-scale art piece at Johnston Square Elementary School. Art with a Heart volunteer extraordinaire, Kevin O'Malley conceived the design and students created the vibrant shapes that adorn the mural. In addition, a mixed media bull dog was installed at Curtis Bay Elementary.The piece features the collaborative technique of laying clear glass over vibrantly painted parachute cloth.

During the month of July, the Community Service and Public Art team continued work with volunteers on large-scale projects for Catholic Charities and Beth El Congregation. In addition, the team completed a mixed media mosaic featuring over 100 unique cardboard pieces created by volunteers to honor Israel's 75th Anniversary and it launched a project in collaboration with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The public art piece honors the Foundation's 75 years of service to the Baltimore community. The 8 ft x 5 ft woven tapestry will include weavings and handmade ceramic beads created by Foundation staff, students, and community volunteers.

HeARTworks, Art with a Heart's workforce development program is in full swing with 50 YouthWorkers at three worksites: HeARTwares, Faith Presbyterian Church, and Harlem Park Recreation Center. HeARTworks also has students learning its digital design curriculum at St. Francis Neighborhood Center, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and Madison Square Recreation Center. Students are learning soft job skills while working to create mosaic lamps, mobiles, children's table sets, resin jewelry and bookmarks, ceramic platters and so much more! Mark your calendars for Shop and Bop to meet our students and purchase unique, handmade art (information noted above in Happenings section).

Thank You Volunteers!

Art with a Heart is grateful for the service groups who shared their time and talent with the organization during the month of July: Bridges students, Under Armour, and the Cornell Club of Maryland.