Overall, our mission is to empower individuals, foster community connection, and enrich communities through art and creativity.
Team
Our founder, Suzanne Gayle Rose, is a dedicated resident, volunteer, teacher and business owner in Hayward, California. With over 20 years of experience in public art programs and supporting underserved communities, Suzanne’s expertise drives our team. Our board members also bring valuable experience from their work in teaching and the arts, having served these communities volunteering and employment. Despite being a new organization, we have individuals with a collective wealth of experience who have come together to share their insights.
Our Goal
Through our Art & Communication program, we reach out to a diverse range of underserved communities, spanning various ages, ethnicities, and physical and mental abilities. Our focus is on those who have dealt with challenges, crises and physical or mental abuse and numerous insecurities stemming from issues like health, finance, housing insecurity, bullying, disabilities, PTSD, and legal problems, leading to depression and isolation. For instance, for our first class we are planning a Public Mural program at the Alameda Juvenile Hall, in partnership with Raising Leaders, teaching their residents.
Community Benefits
Shelters, group homes and assisted living facilities can create art for their communities, raising awareness of their needs. We collaborate with local and government facilities to display visual and performing arts in public parks and buildings. Murals can be created on light weight panels so that they can be exhibited at various public places before finding their permanent location.
Students Benefits
Upon completing their Stars Arts experience, students gain a deeper understanding of public art and its reflections of the community for which it was created. They develop the knowledge and skills to analyze and appreciate the stories conveyed by others’ art. Students leave with a newfound understanding and appreciation for public art, their community and themselves.
Our Three Years Plan
At Stars Arts, we envision growth and development for both our organization and our team. Learning from our teaching experiences and connecting with our students, we aim to continuously improve our program and serve as many people as possible with the funds we raise.
We are solely dependent on grants to implement these classes. In the initial phase, our classes will run twice weekly for ten weeks totaling 40 hours, teaching 15-20 students per class, in the performance and visual arts. Over the next three years, our goal is to establish a year-round program with two teachers and two assistants working full time, teaching 15-20 students per class, in the performance and visual arts. We are currently engaging in discussions with 6-10 partner organizations where we would offer such classes, including assisted living organizations, local food banks, and at-risk youth career programs.
Our plan is to offer all services and materials free of cost to students and their agencies. To accomplish this, we need seed funding to acquire class supplies and meet the organization’s daily operational needs. This includes costs for insurance, applications, licenses and fees necessary for running our program. We also require equipment such as ladders and scaffolds, as well as a storage location and a small office space.
Although we hold 501c3 status, we have a fiscal sponsor – the Hayward Education Foundation – to assist us with future bigger grant applications and management. Additionally, we are in the process of collaborating with other agencies to serve their clients and jointly pursue grants opportunities.