Update from the Executive Director |
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Hope, Creativity, Community and The Heart of Baltimore!! |
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At Art with a Heart, we are digging deep to maintain our core sense of hope, creativity and community. Everything contained in this newsletter is grounded in those values. From the Heart of Baltimore project, the 14,000 paint cups lovingly filled by the Art with a Heart community, to the new, inspiring steps for The Baer School. The work is getting done, the community is engaged, children are creating art and with each project and class, our resilience and sense of hope grows.
And speaking of hope, just this month, Art with a Heart launched a project founded in the hope, resilience, and the charm at the core of our great city. When completed, The Heart of Baltimore will be a 1000 lb, three-dimensional sculpture covered in mosaic glass, mirror and ceramics that will stand eight feet high by six feet wide. Thanks to the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, the Heart of Baltimore sculpture will be installed in the heart of the city on Pratt Street between Charles and Hanover Streets. The sculpture will represent the creativity, devotion, and support of a wide variety of Baltimore stakeholders who will be engaged in its creation in a safe manner given the challenges of the current pandemic.
We are currently scheduling small groups (15 or less) in our office...socially distanced and masked (outdoors when the weather cooperates) to help with the project. Please reach out to Matt Mitchell at matt@artwithaheart.net if you would like to help.
Additionally, if you, your colleagues or someone in your network is interested in supporting this project, the sponsor package can be found here.
We are so excited to add this shiny, happy, gigantic heart to the Baltimore landscape.
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Brush BeCAUSE of Riley Sheehey |
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Thank you to Brush BeCAUSE and Riley Sheehey for hosting an evening of watercolor in support of Art with a Heart. If you already follow Riley, you know how enchanting her whimsical work is...and if you don't, you can see for yourself here. Participants spent an inspiring evening in the garden and learned Riley's tips and techniques. Brush BeCAUSE is putting together a REPLAY of Riley's class. If you would like to participate head to brushbecause.com, scroll to Past Artists, and look for Riley. You'll see all the info you need to register for the replay!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Art with a Heart in the News!
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To best serve our partners and students, Art with a Heart provides monthly supply boxes to over 2,000 students. Each box contains materials for a unit of study, which include everything from drawing, painting, ceramics, and 3-D sculpture. This month, staff, interns and volunteers helped prepare over 14,000 individual paint cups for students to use during the month of October! Next month, Art with a Heart will need support to assemble embellishments (sequins, beads and found objects) for its November mixed media curriculum. If you're interested in helping remotely, contact Madison Krchnavy at madison@artwithaheart.net.
If you would like to donate supplies, we are in need of the following new items: liquid glue bottles, children's scissors, watercolor paint palettes, washable markers, and glue sticks! We also appreciate gift cards redeemable at art stores! Please reach out to Jake Parchem at Jake@artwithaheart.net with any questions.
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Weaving Together Fabric and Community! |
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In September, Art with a Heart continued its in-person programs with Lakeview Towers and Bel Park Towers. Residents at these locations were eager to participate in Art with a Heart classes as a creative and social respite. Residents enjoyed working on fabric weavings to create personal wall hangings. Using a variety of fabric including felt, cotton, silk and burlap, participants created unique patterns and finishings to complete their personal weavings.
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The Cape Goes with a Mask for this Superhero!
With school back in full swing, students in Art with a Heart virtual programs in elementary/middle school reviewed the basics including The SEVERE Seven: seven basic shapes that can be used to draw anything!
Below, Art with a Heart teacher, Ms. Harris, demonstrates how the organization's teaching staff is adapting to online learning. Ms. Harris is showing off her Bitmoji character while teaching her students how to use The SEVERE Seven to create "Birds on a Line" using construction paper and watercolor.
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Mindfulness Rooted in Arts and Learning |
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For the last six weeks, Art with a Heart's workforce development team has been conducting virtual classes with the clients of the Diagnostic Center at Arrow Child and Family Ministries. With much of the curriculum focused on mindfulness and stress relief, participants found enjoyment and relaxation while creating these mixed media landscapes and expressive trees.
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Christopher's Place Class 86 Capstone Ceremony |
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Christopher's Place Employment Academy celebrated its 86th graduating class with a hybrid Capstone Ceremony including in person for the classmates and virtual for all the community partners and guests. As a result of the determination of the Art with a Heart staff, volunteers and interns, the tradition of commemorating the graduating class with a mosaic guestbook was able to continue. Congratulations to all the members of the 86th graduating class!
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This Entrance makes a Statement!! |
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Art of Leadership students completed their Capstone Public Art Project for The William S. Baer School. Thank you to all the students, families, interns, volunteers, Baer School staff and Art with a Heart staff for helping to make this collaboration project such a great success. The Art of Leadership team is incredibly proud of this project and and the message of joy and resilience that it brings to the Baer school community!
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A Virtual Graduation with Heartfelt Congratulations! |
The Art of Leadership team celebrated the graduation of its Fifth Cohort of leaders in a Zoom ceremony attended by over 55 students, family members and friends. Thank you to Art with a Heart's Board Members and Art of Leadership Advisory Board members for hand delivering graduation certificates and cupcakes to all the students on graduation day! The 5th Cohort built a strong community over the past year, weathered many challenges and still managed to thrive as leaders. |
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A special thanks to Jasmine Artis, former Art with a Heart student turned successful pastry chef, entrepreneur and Art with a Heart teacher. Jasmine's business,
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Touring Baltimore, Covid-style |
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Prior to Covid, this Art of Leadership session included a bus tour of Baltimore providing students with an opportunity to learn about and observe some of the issues to be addressed during their year in the program. Since that form of engagement is not possible right now, the Sixth Cohort of leaders met in the historic Druid Hill Park and worked together to research and explore five Baltimore's communities. The students also practiced public speaking and team work and developed knowledge about race, class history and intersectionality. By learning the history and appreciating diverse personal narratives and stories, our leaders can aim to challenge structural inequities and forge a united path forward.
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Community Service and Public Art |
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Abell Foundation's Socially Distanced Service Night |
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Art with a Heart’s Community Service team was delighted to welcome back staff from the Abell Foundation for a night of creativity and fun. In February, members of the Foundation began working on a 4'x6' mosaic for their office. Seven months later, the group picked up right where they left off. In addition to working on the mosaic for their office, the Abell Foundation staff also made ceramic hearts for the Heart of Baltimore sculpture.
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A Library Mosaic with a Special Touch |
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Art with a Heart provides Baltimore's children, youth, and adults with 12,000 visual art classes a year in schools, community centers, group homes, shelters, permanent housing facilities, hospitals, and senior facilities. Since 2000, Art with a Heart has provided its students with access to creative, educational, and positive programming, caring and nurturing adults on a consistent basis, and the chance to embrace new ideas and skills in a safe and structured environment. In an effort to achieve its mission of enhancing the lives of people in need through visual art, Art with a Heart works to harness the benefits of arts education to cultivate positive changes in behavior and general attitudes among its participants. Art with a Heart is steadfast in its commitment to help nurture and grow its students and encourage them to become better communicators, problem solvers, and community members.
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3000 Falls Road | Mill No. 1 | Baltimore, MD 21211
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