December 2025

Dear Friends,

This year has been one of joyful transformations for Art with a Heart — a year of celebrations, reflection, and renewal. I am deeply honored to carry forward Randi’s incredible legacy and to lead Art with a Heart into its next chapter. Each day, I am moved and humbled by the creative energy that fills our classrooms, community spaces, and studios. In the past year, Art with a Heart has facilitated more than 13,000 visual art classes with 95 community partners, provided over 2,000 hours of workforce development training, engaged over 6,000 volunteers, and celebrated our 10th graduating class of Art of Leadership students. Altogether, that’s more than 322,425 individual art experiences — each one a brushstroke in the larger masterpiece of a more connected Baltimore.

I hope you will consider a gift to Art with a Heart today. With your support, Art with a Heart can keep growing those connections – children can continue to paint their dreams, adults can discover a new purpose through creativity, and our city can continue to shine brighter with every community mural, mosaic, and masterpiece created. You can make your gift here.

Wishing you a safe and healthy new year filled with creativity, inspiration, and hope.

Megan Gatto

Executive Director

Students in Art with a Heart classes excitedly approached the world of visual art and discovered more about themselves, their peers, and the world. In the last year, Art with a Heart conducted 13,680 classes and fostered environments of community, creativity, thought, and pure joy. Art with a Heart is grateful for the partners who know, and value, the need for visual art in their communities. In the last year, the organization added 50 new sites to its roster for a total of 95 community partners. In addition, the unwavering commitment of the 165 teachers and assistants, has been instrumental in educating, inspiring, and encouraging students of all ages. Looking ahead, Art with a Heart eagerly anticipates expanding its reach, deepening its impact, and continuing to nurture creativity and connection in even more communities, fostering growth and inspiration for all.

A Look Back at Community Art and Service 

It was a busy and productive year for the Community Art and Service team, who engaged more service groups and volunteers than ever before in the organization's history! The team engaged a total of 141 service groups and an impressive 6,237 volunteers who generously contributed their time to Art with a Heart. The impact of their hard work was significant, with 16,840 service hours (the equivalent of eight full-time employees) dedicated to Art with a Heart's efforts. Thanks to this robust support, the organization successfully completed 16 community art projects including the horse and jockey sculpture at the Terrace's at Park Heights, a multi-media mural at The Factory, four murals in collaboration with the Ravens and Heart of America at Green Street Academy, and a ceramic and mosaic mural at Richcroft.

Art with a Heart’s Special Project art residencies flourished over the past year. With the dedicated support of volunteers and interns, the team partnered with 14 different schools and organizations. These distinctive programs allowed students to explore diverse artistic media and find their voices through impactful community art. As a result, eight new installations were created, featuring painted and mixed-media murals, a hand-sewn quilt, and stunning mosaic stepping stones.

Art with a Heart has now been operating from its supplemental location on The Avenue for a full year. This space has allowed the organization to grow its workforce development program, HeARTworks, and broaden the impact of its social enterprise. Over the past year, 137 students successfully completed the HeARTworks program, with twelve graduates securing paid apprenticeships with the organization. Additionally, the team engaged 53 high school students in paid work-based learning opportunities and involved another 23 student interns in ongoing service learning. None of this progress would be possible without the continued dedication and collaboration of the 16 community partners who deeply value Art with a Heart’s creative and consistent workforce development initiatives. Additionally, in its first year at the new location, HeARTwares proudly sold nearly 1,000 pieces of art created by students and volunteers, showcasing their creativity to a wider community.

The Art of Leadership program enjoyed a successful year, celebrating the graduation of its 10th cohort in June 2025 and growing its alumni network to 189 leaders. Throughout the year, alumni strengthened their bonds by coming together for three events—two in the summer and one in the winter—fostering connection across cohorts. In June 2025, Cohort 10 completed and unveiled the program’s 10th Capstone Project in collaboration with Parks & People.

In August 2025, Cohort 11 commenced with 23 students (the most ever) representing 13 public and independent schools from the Baltimore area. The curriculum was enhanced to include a focus on Housing Disparities and Environmental Advocacy, enriching the learning experience for this new group of emerging leaders.