The Arts Are the Creative Energy Running Through My Veins
The Origins of the ARTSHOUSE,why this means so much to me!
The ARTS have always been a consistent energy force in my life sparking my passion and ideology.
As far back as I could remember the arts have been a key element in my survival. When I was in elementary school I would sit in the back of the room creating special art projects for the teacher, I would spend my time at home drawing and writing elaborate stories, I literally created my own world through the arts, in middle school I remember having a very hard time and felt I never fit in and was never happy with myself so I started writing poetry. In the eighth grade, I remember showing my poems to my English teacher, I remember her saying they were depressing. I remember my eighth-grade art teacher constantly encouraging me and when I felt I was not good enough to apply for a special arts high school she continued to encourage me [her encouragement felt amazing]and helped me prepare my portfolio. I never did go to that arts high school even though I was put on a wait list and called to attend.
I went through high school not doing any art which was probably the worst mistake in my life. I had no outlet so I turned to drugs and alcohol. While in college I started writing and painting again which proved to be my life line. I wrote constantly and did some drawing and painting. It was art that kept me alive, literally. It was at that time I decided to use the arts to help others. With the help of one of my professors I started interning at a hospital pre-school for developmentally challenged children. One of my responsibilities was working with a child diagnosed with autism. He was non-verbal and would not participate in anything. I sat with him for long periods of time with crayon and paper and after quite a while we developed a relationship drawing together, this was his way of communicating. This was the first time I saw art as way to help and connect with others. Art therapy was a very new idea with very few programs so with the help of my professor I studied psychology and art with a focus on using the arts as a tool in the education of developmentally and emotionally disabled students, all the while using the arts as my own survival tool.
After college, I looked for a position where I could use my ideology on the arts. I landed a position at United Cerebral Palsy of Manhattan. My intention was to introduce the arts when and wherever possible. Some of my students came from a state run home [these were teenagers released from Willowbrooke on Staten Island, an institution that brutally treated these individuals]. I proposed an arts program for these severely physically impaired teens and everyone thought I was crazy, they were non- verbal and severely physically handicapped, they could not grasp anything. Working with the physical and occupational therapists they developed adaptive equipment and language boards. For the first time in their lives these teens were able to communicate, they wrote poetry and were able to paint. It was amazing. You could see the joy and happiness on their faces, they were so excited. This was the first time they were given the opportunity to express themselves. I created an art gallery in the front window of the building to showcase their work which gave them immense pride and satisfaction.
After working at UCP I decided to go to the New School of Social Research to study Expressive Arts Therapy.
Many years later I created my own non- profit organization, [partly because I could never work for anybody and the fact was there was no organization doing what I wanted to do] Center For The Arts, Creativity,Empowerment,Experience to create programs using the arts in the prevention of drugs, alcohol and violence. This was a very new strategy at the time. Through this organization I was able to create programs throughout New Jersey in prevention organizations, schools, communities, rehab facilities and detention centers. In the detention center program I remember walking in with my art supplies into a group of teens sitting in the middle of the recreation room. I was doing the program through the county Drug and Alcohol Prevention Organization and had to introduce myself that way. They were all very leery and were not happy to see me at first. One of the girls said to me if I was going to ask her to talk she was leaving because she did not want to talk anymore. I responded by telling her-she did not have to talk, that was not why I was here. I proceeded to hand out large pieces of paper and crayons and let them just draw. After a while I started giving them assignments and goals. After a short time they were all laying out their personal stories on paper. To see these kids open up through their art only cemented my beliefs. I went on to do this program for three years.
I created a partnership with Rutgers University’s School of Social Work to sponsor my Breaking Down The Walls: Reaching Youth and Communities At Risk through the Arts Conference which was a national conference for ten years. Throughout the conference the common acknowledgement was that people did not know what programs and projects were out there and that the true human value of the arts were never promoted. This always stuck with me and was something I wanted to correct. I also had the pleasure of creating the first Professional Arts in Prevention Certificate Program with Rutgers to train social workers, faith and community workers and artists on how to use the arts in working with their populations and also how to create arts in community organizations. The ARTS started to take an important role in strategic prevention planning.
The ARTS have always been the blood that runs through my veins. Throughout all of this I continued to use art as my own therapy.
A few years ago I finally decided that the time was right to follow through on my guiding principle, that the human value of the arts need to be promoted and marketed the way business markets their brands. Statistics are always needed to support our grants but we need to put a face on the impact and value, we need to tell stories, hence the birth of THE ARTS MAKE AMERICA GREAT Campaign. The ARTS MAKE AMERICA GREAT because they are the soul of this great democracy, they unite us, expresses our freedoms and truths, raises dialogues and are a prescription for health and wellness.
Throughout all the programs I have done I have seen first-hand how the arts have had an impact on the individuals I have worked with. I remember the comments throughout the conferences and certificate program from the professionals on what they saw happening, what possibilities the arts could offer their clients, students, communities and have, and how the arts have impacted their own lives.On the other side of the coin, discussions centered on how do we communicate this power and impact to the general public so everyone understands the totality of arts value. We always have to make the case of arts value and fight for funding especially when we are using the arts for prevention programs and social justice programs,etc. We can accomplish dual goals. The fact of the matter is THE ARTS DO THE PUBLIC GOOD! I have been talking about the power and impact of the arts my entire professional life and have always believed in its’ power to heal, to save lives to transform communities, to unite us, and to give us a lifeline in times of crisis.
Five years ago, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and I closed my non profit as I needed to be by his side.With my encouragement he taught himself to create abstract wire sculptures which he worked on every day.This creativity and art was some of the best medicine for him.He passed away this past December and each piece of art he created is a little piece of himself that is with me everyday. He also encouraged me to pursue my dream to create a museum/center to celebrate the impact and power of the arts.
The ARTSHOUSE is an extension of everything I believe in and have lived my entire life.
Please join me.