ARTreach URGEWORKS Programs start this month. Our summer camp for youth at risk is sponsored by KBR and WE! 4500 W. 34TH ST. SUITE K. HOUSTON, TX 77092 CALL CHRIS FOR QUESTIONS 713.885.6990

Recently our organization received a generous donation of space, free rent for two years valued at $43,200 from The Warehouse Studios in Northwest Houston. We have been asked to match the facility donation with program development that will directly impact this community. We will be providing URGEWORKS Programs. These are our programs that represent urgent outreach targeting high risk youth in underserved communities. These ARTreach Programs work to turn youth away from drugs and gang activity by providing a safe haven in their community and exposing youth to positive people and creative alternatives to negative behaviors.

The URGEWORKS programs combine ARTreach teaching methods, mentors and positive role models, with relevant aspects of the hip hop culture to teach dance, art, music and drama. The programs promote learning and provide new and creative opportunities for youth at risk to be successful and contribute positively to their communities today and into the future.

It is true, ARTreach URGEWORKS Programs in underserved communities are utilizing professional street dancers and graffiti artists to actually help students stay off drugs, stay in school, and stay out of trouble. Our artists teach that through hard work and perseverance you can make your own dreams come true. The program teaches techniques in dance and utilizes fine arts curriculum that incorporates educational objectives that help students meet mastery standards in fine arts, language arts, history, math and science. The program also supports physical education, teaches about character and community responsibility, and promotes healthier lifestyles and safer communities.

The URGEWORKS Programs are urgent and they work! ARTreach is currently offering these programs weekly in 3rd Ward, and one day a week at The Warehouse in NW Houston. The Warehouse is located at the corner of 34th and Mangum in the heart of a Latino community much in need. The building is 6000 sq ft made up of 7 classroom and office space and a 3000 sq. ft. of air conditioned area for staged shows and performances. The Warehouse will house a recording studio and dance studio and offer free health and exercise programs to residents in this community. The Warehouse is also home to The Worship Experience Church providing services weekly to reach out to this community as well.

Our challenge through this gift in kind is to expand our ARTreach Programs immediately to serve the urgent needs represented by the youth in this area. We are accepting this challenge, because we know our URGEWORKS Programs WILL help the children and the families living in poverty and in this community. We also believe the additional benefits of full time ARTreach programming in this community will touch the lives of the elderly residents living alone and in need of companionship and social interaction that free art, music and movement classes will also provide.

This is a major project for ARTreach and we are starting it now. Our first goal is to expand programs serving children at risk from 10 hours a month to 30 hours a month by July. ARTreach will be tracking the increasing numbers of students and measuring the impact the ARTreach Programs are having in this community for the next two years. We will be producing short film documentaries that will capture our progress and share the results of an outreach program that we hope can be replicated by mission driven art groups and community leaders anywhere as a viable solution that truly supports the needs represented by children at risk.

We are asking for your support. Your donated dollars will be used to contract the ARTreach staff necessary to support the additional students. ARTreach staff is responsible for community relationships, curriculum development, lead teaching, and volunteer recruitment and artist training to expand and assure programs ongoing. Donations in any amount will help and are 100% tax deductible.

Donations are accepted online www.artreachonline.org using Visa or MC or Pay Pal. Checks are also can be made out to ARTreach and mailed to:
ARTreach
Warehouse Studio NW
4500 W 34th Street Suite K
Houston, TX 77092

We invite you to be a part of this important project and support the ARTreach URGEWORKS Programs at the Warehouse in NW Houston. Please visit our website to learn more about ARTreach and the impact the arts have on children at risk and others in need www.artreachonline.org

We are also in need immediate donations of art supplies including Crayola Markers and basic white drawing paper, Prang Watercolor sets, Watercolor blocks and paper, Liqitex Complete Classic Studio Acrylic set, Standard depth wrap around and gallery wrapped canvas sizes 16×20 ($25.19) up to 4 x72 ($429), Acrylic and watercolor brushes/ white or golden synthetic brushes, size 2- 32

We are also improving the studio and classroom space where ARTreach programs will be offered we are seeking donations that include Paint, Lumber, Carpet, Sound Equipment, Tables and Chairs, Office furniture, Computers

We also need volunteers to help, and skilled laborers for the flooring and carpet installation, painters and technicians for office computer and sound system set up.

Thank you for your support! Please contact me anytime for details about this program and to discuss other ways you can become involved and help.

Terri Bieber
ARTreach, Executive Director
t.bieber@artreachonline.org
Cell 713-444-1897
Office 281-392-5341

Please contact our ARTreach URGEWORKS Program Director, Chris Gamez for more information. Become a Mentor through Art today and volunteer to teach dance, art and music to children at risk.
Chris Gamez
info@artreachonline.org

info@urgeworks.com

Students and teachers are prepping the walls for the first stage of the mural project, photo above is of  Principal Christine Salenga participating in the process.

ARTreach Murals projects are professionally driven and average $35 cost per square foot. A mural project this scale that contracts a professional muralist would cost the campus $20,475.00 in fees tied to labor and supplies. Many schools can’t afford a mural, and those that have murals are leaning heavily on a very active PTA to support the labor and the necessary fundraising for this kind of art project. McRoberts is a Title One school with limited PTA involvement. The campus applied for support from ARTreach in January when the organization announced new grants had be received that could be used to help underserved schools in need of interactive art and mentoring projects. Approved projects would integrate Science and Math teaching objectives and support social skill development and self esteem. Numerous schools submitted a request for a variety of projects. In the end five Katy ISD schools were approved for spring semester projects; McRoberts Elementary, Schmaltz Elementary, West Memorial Junior High, Morton Ranch Junior High and Raines High School. ARTreach grants will cover up to 80% of the costs of a campus approved project. To be awarded a project the school needed to demonstrate they had community support for their project and would build its own resources to cover a percentage of the overall costs. ARTreach is advocating for arts education with a goal to see PTAs and districts begin to prioritize funding associated with Arts Education in underserved schools.

“Students and teachers are the stakeholders that will gain the most upon the successful completion of the project.” says Vickie McMillan of ARTreach, “The community is working together through ARTreach and the school. The students and teachers have a positive influence on their project outcomes.” “Not only have they fed into the design and concepts behind the mural, the students at McRoberts have raised $1000 in funds by selling popcorn! Parents, teachers and students held a community garage sale on April 17th and raised money by selling booths for $20.00. Teachers even took rumba classes as a way to fund raise and made over $1,000. McRoberts goal is $4,095 and they are almost there. A decorated bottle created by art students is located at the front office for visitors and students to donate money to support the reminder of the costs associated with this project.”
ARTreach is hosting events monthly at Berryhill Baja Grill in Villagio Town Center in Cinco Ranch to help PTAs and schools throughout the district build resources to support arts education. The community is invited to join ARTreach at Berryhill on May 21st for 6-8 PM to “Paint for a Worthy Cause”. Contact Terri Bieber, ARTreach Executive Director for more information. ARTreach has announced a second cycle of projects will be approved for fall 2010 semester serving underserved schools and non-profit agencies in need art program support. Visit the website www.artreachonline.org and email info@artreachonline.org for an application for project assistance.

Photo above includes Schmalz Elementary Principal Karen Ladner, Assistant Principal Lorraine White, and Science team leader, Lynette Campbell along with Terri Bieber and Vickie McMillan of ARTreach. Schmalz Elementary was awarded their project based on their application which included a statement of need and their high interest in having an interactive mural created to support visual learning in Science. ARTreach calls projects like this “SM-ART”, because they combine Science and/or Math teaching objectives with visual arts learning opportunities. Schmalz’s project is a 9 x 65 foot mural that spans the 4th and 5th grade hallway, visually illustrating lessons associated with 4th and 5th grade curriculum including earth life cycles. This is a $20,475 interactive mural project benefiting the Schmalz school community of over 1048 students annually. The project is funded by grants and donations made to ARTreach supporting underserved schools in Katy.
Many of the Katy ISD schools applied for and will be receiving similar mural projects that integrate fine arts with other core educational objectives including STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or projects that focused on Character Education and Development. ARTreach is offering additional and unique Artist in Residence support to West Memorial Junior High in recognition of their counselor’s newest support program for girls called The ROSE (The Rising of Self-Esteem).

Over $78,000 in project support has already been pledged or distributed this year within Katy ISD and a list of social service agencies in Katy, Richmond and Houston including, Houston Aids Foundation patient center, Pregnancy Help Center of Katy, Coalition of Behavioral Health Services & Partnership for a Drug-Free Spring Branch, Houston Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, Houston Domestic Abuse Center and a number of CPS placement centers and youth shelters.
For more information and details about each project and how the community is involved, please contact Terri Bieber at ARTreach 281-392-5341 or visit www.artreachonline.org

ARTreach has completed a 12 session Urban Arts program at Eiland Elementary in the Klein School District. Eiland is a Title I school with 670 children. Eiland lacked sufficient funding for enrichment programs and could identify a high number of children at risk. Funding for this Urban Arts Program was made possible in part by a grant to ARTreach from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the new TCA Arts Respond Grants Program supporting education and children at risk.

Chris Gamez is the Project Director overseeing the development of ARTreach Urban Arts and URGEWORKS Programs supporting children at risk. He and his team of dancers worked two hours a day for six weeks to teach 40 1st-3rd graders to dance. Both groups successfully choreographed their own routine and performed in front of an audience of teachers, family members and school administrators on the final day of the program. The Urban Arts Dance program supports TEKS objectives for math, and promotes team work. This program reinforces character traits related to perseverance and respect. There is also an anti-gang and drug abuse awareness component associated with this program.
All ARTreach programs support educational objectives and social skills development. The impact of this program and its success can be measured by improvements in the student’s overall grades, behavior or attitude based on report cards, conduct reports, teacher surveys and testimony.

The organization has received $30,000 in individual gifts to advance the mission of ARTreach in serving at risk children and adults with special needs in the Katy, Houston and Greater Fort Bend County area in 2010. ARTreach is accepting applications now for new projects in Katy ISD underserved schools. New and Title I schools can apply for library mural projects or Mentoring through Art programs funded by ARTreach. Please inquire.

Mural Projects are unique and designed by ARTreach muralist Vickie McMillan to the specifications of the applying campuses. Facilities and campuses serving children in need may also apply for Mentoring through Art Workshops and ARTreach SMART Programs that combine science and math curriculum with art based learning practices. These programs promote social skills development and support education and graduation.

ARTreach Programs serving children at risk are available to individual school campuses, Residential Treatment Centers, juvenile detention centers, crisis centers, domestic abuse centers, hospitals, rehabilitation and recovery centers. Up to 80% funding is available to support needy schools. Projects can be implemented as early as February 1, 2010.

Please inquire, 281-392-5341 or by email info@artreachonline.org. Visit the ARTreach website www.artreachonline.org to learn more about the programs and to apply for support.

ARTreach has concluded a 10 week pilot program supporting children at risk at the Helping Hand Home for Children in Austin, Texas with a student presentation held on Monday, November 23rd at 4 pm.

The ARTreach program is being developed by artist Dan Egger Belandria specifically to support the education and social development needs of children at risk and in foster care. Called The Rhythm Journey, it is a powerful experience that teaches rhythmic collaboration as well as the art of self expression. When working with children who have not been previously exposed to music or drumming, Dan uses a call and response technique to develop the group’s drumming vocabulary while emphasizing key learning points around team and relationship building. This is a hands-on approach to building self esteem, while breaking down barriers within a group to create a shared vision that is interactive and rewarding.

Helping Hand Home applied for an ARTreach Program and was selected for the pilot because they are a residential treatment facility for children ages 5-12 and in the foster care system. ARTreach is a non-profit arts organization that helps bring the arts to children at risk who may not otherwise experience the arts as a part of their lives. The children living at the Helping Hand Home are undergoing treatment for emotional and behavioral issues related to abuse and neglect. They are considered at risk for a variety of factors, and those selected to participate in the pilot represent a range of special needs. Most of the children involved have never been given the opportunity to experience drumming or music on a teaching level. This program pilot was made possible in part thanks to a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The goal of the ARTreach pilot was to demonstrate the impact drumming techniques can have on the child’s ability to cope with anxiety, anger and or depression. It was also set up to measure the impact of weekly encounters with expressive art and music making methods would have on a child’s ability to interact and or socialize. Helping Hand Home staff was able to document improvements in individual behavior and test scores recorded in the first term, compared to the second term. Three of children who participated in the pilot were selected at random at the end of the pilot and their records were reviewed. Two out of the three showed improvements in test scores and overall grades during the 10 week period as well as significant reductions in behavioral infractions recorded over the same time period that could be attributed in part to this program. All children who participated in the culminating presentation showed significant improvement in attitude and self esteem, and described a unit bond, affirmed friendships and confidence gained as a result of this program.

In facilities that treat foster care children who are victims of abuse, programs that support education and socialization, and nurture a child’s sense of belonging in our society are valuable. ARTreach pilots like this demonstrate the high impact the arts will have on this neglected population if funding were readily available.

ARTreach has been documenting improvements in social behavior and grades linked to creative art experiences since 2003. While art and music programs that include supplies, instruments and professional teachers can be expensive, art programs are much less expensive than conventional adaptive behavior therapies, and combining creative art practices with math and reading curriculum are extremely effective in improving test scores and overall grades than standard teaching methods. ARTreach Programs prove over and over again that the arts fundamentally support a child’s emotional development and improved ability to learn. Early and consistent exposure to the arts can help insure a child’s future as a creative and productive member of our society. The Arts needs to be a part of every child’s life!

Because Art Works! Please encourage and support the arts. Contact your legislator and make sure they support the arts in education and health and human services in Texas. Make a donation today to support art and educational outreach in your community. www.artreachonline.org