Katy, TX - ARTreach, a non profit art and educational outreach organization in Katy, Texas announces a partnership with Young Audiences of Houston to expand programs serving Katy and the Greater Fort Bend and Harris County area. As an outreach and advocacy organization, ARTreach has been focusing their attention on evaluating the impact the arts can have on children at risk for over five years, their work has gained national attention and the interest from a growing number of social service and welfare agencies serving children at risk.

By partnering with Young Audiences of Houston, ARTreach will immediately double its capacity to deliver quality art programs this year by accessing YAH’s roster of 65 professional artists, representing all fine arts disciplines, ARTreach will be able to train new artists to work in the field. This past season YAH brought the arts and culture to more than 330,000 children through over 2,600 high quality performances, workshops, and residences in school and community venues throughout the greater Houston area. The ARTreach/YAH partnership will expand both organizations outreach capabilities to bring the arts to neglected and underprivileged populations in Katy, Greater Fort Bend County and Houston. The organizations will collaborate in grant writing and fundraising efforts to help manage the costs related to new pilots and will be evaluating and documenting the success of art programs aimed at supporting basic therapeutic and educational objectives in the social service field. This is exciting news for social welfare agencies and school districts in need.

Agencies and districts that will benefit from ARTreach/YAH partnership this spring include Katy Christian Ministries Crisis Center, Katy ISD/Morton Ranch After School Academy, We Care Residential Treatment Center in the Woodlands, Fort Bend ISD Mission West Elementary and MR Woods JJAEP (Juvenile Justice Alternative Educational Program) Fort Bend Juvenile Probation Department, Catholic Charities Refuge Resettlement Program, Palmer Drug Abuse Program, DePelchin Children’s Center and MHMRA (Mental Heath and Mental Retardation Authority) and the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. The new program development, delivery assistance and funding provided by both Young Audiences of Houston and ARTreach represents over $36,000 in necessary financial support for the identified campuses and agencies in need this upcoming semester.

ARTreach is hosting their Annual Advisors Meeting on Friday, January 11th 12:00 p.m. This meeting invites agency representatives to a round table to discuss needs associated with troubled youth, children at risk, special needs adults and the elderly and how art related and social skills building programs can help address fundamental issues associated with emotional health and well being. Please RSVP for directions and details about this meeting art.reach@earthlink.net.

How can you help?

ARTreach programs benefit troubled youth, children at risk, special needs children and adults, and the elderly. ARTreach programs support the educational, spiritual and therapeutic objectives associated with these populations. Funding issues associated with the arts and children at risk are addressed through grant writing, collaborations, art partnerships, and direct fundraising campaigns. ARTreach has been building resources and sharing resources to support a growing number of needy campuses and agencies since 2003. You can help by making a tax deductible donation in any amount, by donating art supplies, or office supplies, or by volunteering your time and energy to write grants, organize fundraisers, coordinate volunteers, assist in programs, or mentor a child at risk one hour a week. ARTreach is looking for a special volunteer who can teach introductory guitar lessons to a child in need in West Houston area.

ARTreach is moving to new administrative offices donated by Extreme Technologies, Inc. “supporting ARTreach programs serving children at risk for visionary leaders in the future” The public is invited to the office unveiling and ribbon cutting on January 18th 11:00 a.m. Interested artists and volunteers may attend an orientation workshop on Feb 8th at 10:00 a.m. The ARTreach offices are located in the Extreme Technologies complex at 12012 Wickchester Suite 300, Kirkwood and I-10 exit. Contact Executive Director Terri Bieber at 713-444-1897 or visit www.ARTreachonline.org to learn more.

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Schools and social service agencies are recognizing the impact the arts can have on children at risk. Re-below- a brief description of successfully piloted YAH/ARTreach programs coming to agencies and campuses serving children at risk this upcoming semester

Beat, Bang and Believe!

Artist Joseph Dixon will visit children at the KCM Crisis Center

Joseph Dixon is a professional drummer and teaching artist. He designed Beat, Bang and Believe as a special workshop to teach children about traditional African rhythms while engaged in a community drum circle. Joseph’s teaching method inspires hope, promotes creative self-expression and helps build social skills and the team working spirit. For children and families in a crisis situation, associated with domestic violence or sexual abuse, Joseph’s workshop focuses on the need to communicate, to find support, surround yourself with positive people and rely on the strength of others during the most difficult times.

Professional Storyteller shares his stories with children going through a hard time

Professionally known as “Dante, A Teller of Tales”, Storyteller Dan Gordon shares his favorite folk stories in a stirring presentation that shares lessons of understanding differences and finding the good in all. Learning to share stories is part of a semester long ARTreach program at Palmer Drug Abuse Program focused on introducing Art, Music, Drama and Dance to the children at risk of drug abuse, as a way to cope with their stressful situations.

How does an artist teach troubled youth about the importance of creating balance in their lives?

By introducing the art of mobile making!

Creating balance. This is a pretty simple idea for mobile making artist, Judy Malone-Stein as she teaches through artistic example- that for every action there is a reaction, with every choice comes a consequence, and the best lesson of all, for troubled youth who are going through a very hard time in their lives right now, is the reminder that for every down there is always an up! Learning life lessons through the art of mobile making? This engaging interactive workshop introduces science and geometry as well as basic social and life skills as only a creative artist can do it.

Not enjoying math?
Children at risk at the Refuge Resettlement Program in SW Houston, and children at risk at the KCM Crisis Center will take a trip down the LEGO brick road with artist Jason Poland, a former LEGOLAND Master Model Builder, and see that mathematics can be communicated through the system of LEGO. Spatial reasoning, perimeter, multiplication, area, volume, ratio and other mathematic concepts literally become child’s play with the colorful bricks recently named “the toy of the century.” The program is designed to help students learn to manage and enjoy math concepts through creative Lego building.

Why punch the wall, or resort to other destructive behaviors?
Artist Jason Poland share the idea of using Comic strips express ideas and draw on feelings no other art medium can encompass fully. The marriage of words and images requires creative writings as well as artistic composition. Students create their own multi-paneled comic strip complete with dialogue and story, and develop original characters to populate their cartoon world. The sequential development in each panel culminates in a theme that can make the reader laugh, cry, or think about the world in a new way. Learning to communicate in an effective and appropriate manner is important. These programs support therapeutic objectives and will be offered this semester through the DePelchin Children’s Center, Palmer Drug Abuse Program and Katy Christian Ministries Crisis Center.

Troubled youth often say they feel unrecognizable, or lost in a crowd.
Time to take a look at yourself and make a self portrait! Drawing from famous art and historical portraits, students can experience the creative process of multi-media representation. By exploring symmetry and asymmetry in facial features, measurement, estimation, fractions, anatomy, and line, Artist Rona Lesser enhances each student’s ability to express mood, emotions, and characteristics through individual mediums. Through active, engaging, problem-solving activities, participants create self portraits, peer portraits, family portraits, and begin to recognize and appreciate what is unique in themselves and others.