Art on Display at Carl May Center (6089)

ART WITH HEART

Art With Heart (AWH) began as a ground-breaking art program for children incarcerated at Indio Juvenile Hall (2007-2009). It was funded by grants from the Anderson Children's Foundation, and was highly successful, becoming a model for other Juvie art programs. In July 2010, the AWH program again became an Anderson grant recipient, now shifting the focus onto mentoring the kids of the streets of Desert Hot Springs through highly creative art classes. It remains a new and innovative strategy for helping at-risk and gang kids. Many of these children are victims of neglect and abuse, and are in the need of creative outlets and compassionate mentoring. Art with Heart offers them hope and opens doors through creative expression.

Led by Paster Tahlib McMicheaux, the First Community Baptist Church has opened its doors as a resource center for gang prevention and intervention. AWH has become a program of this non-profit organization. Fine artist/art teacher Meridy Volz created and runs AWH. Volz brings her award-winning artistic talents directly to the children, giving them a means to express emotions and a vehicle for building self-esteem through creativity. The kids will also participate in exhibitions of their artwork, giving them a means to connect with the community at large. AWH will provide art classes which introduce a multitude of media and techniques and sponsort occasional workshops in other creative disciplines. This is especially valuable in working with taggers and other kids who might have natural, but undeveloped, talent. AWH is now collaborating with the Youth Accountability Team (Probation Dept.), the DHS Police Department, DHS High School, Desert Springs Middle School, DHS Alternative School, San Jacinto Alternative High School and Safehouse of the Desert.

AWH successfully graduated 50 children from the summer art program in August 2010. In October 2010 the afterschool program will begin, and run through June 2011. Here is the Art class schedule:

Mondays 3 - 5 PM Middle school kids at the First Community Baptist Church (1st and Cactus)
Tuesdays 1:30 - 3:30 PM The Alternative High School
Wednesdays 3 - 5 PM High school kids at the First Community Baptist Church (1st and Cactus)
Fridays 3 - 5 PM Safehouse of the Desert

Students will be able to receive school credit for their participation in AWH and Youth Accountability Team kids can honor their community service contracts through committed participation in the art program. For more information, please contact Meridy Volz, Director of AWH, at Mersart@Hotmail.com or (760)668-9852.