We provide process-based art programs that ignite creative exploration and artistic self-expression in children as well as promote positive social, emotional, and cognitive growth.
Our Programs
Programs & Workshops
Our art programs and workshops are individually customized to our partner organization’s participants ages, needs, and abilities. Sessions can range 60-90 minutes weekly and will include a fun warm-up exercise, an art-making activity, the opportunity to present and share, as well as positive messages to reflect upon and carry throughout the week.
Our program is unique because we strategically outline a curriculum that introduces and allows each individual to explore a multitude of visual arts mediums while incorporating creative arts modalities, such as theater and movement during our warm-ups. We encourage participants to grow together in a collaborative, pro-social, positive community and promote emotional expression in an effort to manifest self-awareness, communication, and emotional intelligence.
Our activities focus on the process and inner joy of creative self-expression, rather than on the final product. When we are given the freedom to be imperfect and to fearlessly explore ourselves through art, what comes forth unconditionally can be even more “beautiful.” Our volunteer mentors provide a listening ear and a nurturing spirit as participants experience their self-expressive journey. Mentors are encouraged to engage in each participant’s creative world and express curiosity towards their unique creations. Lastly, our key differentiator is that we host a post-program art showcase event that celebrates our participants and their families as well as fosters community spirit, optimism, and self-esteem.
Each program can host up to 20 participants per in-person session and 15 participants per virtual session. We supply all materials, and our programs are provided at no cost to our partners.
Partnership Program
Give Kids Art engages and inspires children through art, offering a partnership curriculum program for all seasons, focusing on social-emotional development and self-expression. Through our partnership program, we will train your staff or volunteers to implement our 8 to 10 week program and will source all the supplies and deliver a comprehensive curriculum so that your organization can help give kids art!
The Art Process vs. The Art Product
Give Kids Art programs involve more than “just another art class.” We embrace a heart-warming narrative that focuses on the kids creative experiences and the entire art process rather than on their end product. This enables children to share and engage in a fun-filled, enlightening and unconditional process and outcome, where they can safely embrace and exercise creating freely, openly, and most importantly, fearlessly.
Why is this both necessary and important, more now than ever?
Because our families and youth have enormous stress today and live in a fast-paced digital age consumed by physical inactivity and social media negativity.
Because kids need a constructive, creative outlet for self-care and to use their minds and imaginations rather than their devices, or even worse, a negative escape, as most have been forced to go without the Arts due to school budget cuts.
Because it has been well documented that experiencing and engaging in creative self-expression as a child can lead to a more joyful, meaningful, productive, successful and fulfilling independent adult life and positive relationships.
We invite our youth on a fun, creative journey of self- expression, self-love, self-respect, respect and compassion for others, independent thinking, risk taking, sensory exploration, spacial reasoning along with the exposure to a variety of art techniques, geometry, literature, poetry and art history.
Please help us in financing our programming for the underserved and underfunded kids of our Los Angeles communities, so they, too, can turn to a creative, productive outlet for joy, self-care and positive self-expression.
Our hope is to help children hold onto and grow their innate creativity instead of getting educated out of it (learn more here).
At Give Kids Art, every child is a creative miracle.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”