July 2025

Shop & Bop with a New Twist!!

On Friday, August 15th from 5:00pm–7:30pm Art with a Heart will host its annual summer celebration - Shop and Bop! Join us at HeARTwares (1104 W. 36th St) for an evening of great art and prideful students along with snacks, drinks, and music to bop to! This yearly event marks the end of Art with a Heart's five week workforce development program - HeARTworks - where youth gain soft job skills while creating works of art.

NEW THIS YEAR!! Art with a Heart is hosting an online auction to raise funds for the workforce development programs, featuring fun items and experiences such as: a football signed by Raven Mark Andrews, a vineyard tour and lunch at Old Westminster Winery, hotel stays, and more. The bidding is open NOW until August 14th at noon! Click this link and check it out!

July was a vibrant showcase of creativity, as Art with a Heart's Programming team powered through one of our busiest summer seasons yet! The organization partnered with over 40 organizations—from Baltimore City Public Schools to dynamic community groups—delivering unforgettable youth summer programming experiences. Students of all ages immersed themselves in the world of visual arts, from crafting bold lion masks that roared with imagination to assembling intricate mosaic heart hangings, each piece a testament to their creativity and spirit. Our senior artists designed their own Felt Mantra Pennants—unique creations that offered a moment to reflect on and celebrate the personal values that inspire and guide them.

Community Art and Service

This month, the Community Art and Service team kicked off an exciting large-scale mural project at The Factory in West Baltimore, making great strides through hands-on community workshops. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers work also advanced on the Green Street Academy shipping container murals, With more vibrant projects launching soon, now is the perfect time to get involved—whether you love to paint, mosaic, sculpt, or support workshops! Want to join us? Contact Omar Harris for details.

July was a month of learning, creating, and preparing for bright futures! Art with a Heart welcomed 31 YouthWorks students (ages 14–22) to the HeARTworks program. In this workforce development program, art is more than just expression -it’s a tool for growth. Through creating marketable art products (both hands-on and digital), students practice critical soft job skills, including timeliness, teamwork, communication, and adaptability. 

In addition to on-site programming at HeARTwares, HeARTworks also brought workforce development classes offsite to The Woodbourne School, Harlem Park Recreation Center, and St. Francis Neighborhood Center, expanding access to more young people across the city.

THANK YOU to the following generous restaurants and suppliers for their contributions of meals and food for Art with a Heart's workforce students.

This summer, the Art of Leadership program offered both alumni and new students opportunities to connect and create lasting memories. In July, the Art of Leadership program hosted two special events: an Orioles game and a visit to the Rawlings Conservatory. The Orioles game brought together a mix of alumni and incoming students, many of whom were attending their very first baseball game. At the Rawlings Conservatory, alumni gathered outside to enjoy refreshments and then headed indoors to sketch plants and reconnect with one another.

Special Projects

This month, the Special Projects team enriched two community events with creative and impactful art experiences. At YES Baltimore’s Kickoff Cookout, the team offered vibrant face painting and guided the collaborative “I Am" community painting, where participants illustrated core values to celebrate unity and resilience. At the Hopewell Summer Youth Retreat, Art with a Heart led a workshop for children and teens to participate in reflective conversations and writings about thier hopes and wishes. Guided through the process of breaking and assembling tile pieces, they transformed their reflections into powerful mosaic designs, symbolizing release and growth through the healing power of art!

Impressionists 

Each fourth Thursday of the month, Art with a Heart’s young professionals group, The Impressionists, gathers at the main office in Mill No.1 to assist with everything from preparing materials for lesson plans, contributing to community art projects or even helping to create complete products for the organization’s social enterprise store, HeARTwares. No art expertise or long-term commitment needed! And the beauty of the Impressionists is this: you show up, pitch in for a couple hours, and you are part of something special—alongside great people.

The next few Thursday meetups (5:30pm – 7:30pm) are as follows:

• August 28 
• September 25 
• October 23 

Light refreshments are provided. Feel free to bring a friend, we’d love to have you! For more information, please email info@artwithaheart.net.

Thank you Volunteers!

Thank you to the wonderful service groups and volunteers who shared their time and talent with Art with a Heart during the month of July: T. Rowe Price, The Oxford Club, The Union Church, Stevenson University, Visit Baltimore, Under Armour, and Bridges at The Bryn Mawr School.