We plan to work with underserved and at-risk individuals/communities and trauma survivors, utilizing the arts to help people discover themselves, learning that they have value both to themselves and to their community. To begin we will be using the elements of art as a way to define their stories which will be shared with the community through the public art process. We will begin with visual arts and mural painting as a means of telling these stories. As we grow we plan to add written and performing arts.
The ultimate goal is to assist our students in building continued self worth by guiding them in ways to create sources of income using these new tools. This will allow growth and foster independence.
Art and Communication Program
The organization was founded out of a need to both provide arts education and experiences to these individuals. A major part of our programming focuses on communication. Teaching art opens up a dialog between the students and the art teachers. Given the safe opportunity to share their stories to the public through public art, healing begins. This could be through a mural, dramatic presentation, or even a public showing of individual works.
By bringing these individuals together in like-minded groups to guide them both discovering others like themselves and to work together to create art that will provide beauty and entertainment to their direct and overall community as well as allowing their successes to heal.
Many individuals have been isolated for various reasons that contribute to depression and feelings of being unable to get out and experience life and be happy. Covid showed us everything could move online from meetings and clubs, to doctor appointments. Even therapy and psychiatric appointments are online. These conveniences make it easier for people to get services, however these conveniences further isolate people keeping them from finding groups to join and experiencing that personal interaction all people need.
Our program brings our services to the communities and provides a fun interactive art experience while helping them learn to communicate with others, going through similar situations like them. Furthermore they become very comfortable with sharing their stories, by discussing what they are creating and what it means to them as they create it. They will also be providing insight and feedback within the group as they are working on their designs. The Art they created is finally shared with the community in the form of Murals, gallery showings and public presentations such as plays, Poetry reading and public ribbon cuttings and unveilings of their art that they created sharing their stories. This process is not only bringing individuals out and interacting again but also providing public art for the community. Students come away with a new understanding and appreciation for public art, their community and themselves. They come to understand that they are important and have valuable stories to share with one another and their community.
Benefit to Communities
The Communities will benefit from our programs by receiving the gifts of art from our students because the students are not only creating for themselves, but they will be gifting these artworks in the form of public art meant to share their stories with others. For example, residents of shelters or group homes can create art for their facility for the immediate community to enjoy as well as an unveiling to the public which will in turn bring awareness of their community needs. Performance opportunities might be created by the residents of assisted living facilities which can be performed for the public again, bringing awareness to their facility and the needs of the residents. Additionally, we will be partnering with government facilities to hang the visual arts in public parks and buildings. The murals can be painted on panels that can be shown at various public places before returning to their final location.