Have you ever made a frame from cardboard? Or painted on matboard? Or built a tower from wood scraps? Or played in a maze built out of furniture boxes?
We have.
At Youth in Arts, we repurpose and reuse as many materials as we can, both to keep items out of the waste stream and teach young artists that art can be made from anything. That way when we have to buy materials like paint and pastels, we can afford to choose durable, high quality products. This is also because of the generous support of our favorite art store around the corner, RileyStreet Art Supply. Using buttery pastels or highly pigmented paint makes for a sensory rich experience. In other words, it feels good!
RileyStreet is one of several local businesses that support Youth in Arts with discounted materials. From Lo Forti Fine Prints in San Anselmo, we get matboard scraps that are cherished by teaching artists working with young artists experiencing disabilities. Artists like the sensory response of working on a firm surface that isn’t soft and flexible like canvas. We also get foam core pieces from Lo Forti that we cut into tiny shapes for sculptures.
“For me, it’s about seeing people in the community and making connections,” said Youth in Arts’ Visual Arts Director Suzanne Joyal. “That happens through the making of art and the sharing of materials.”
From AC Graphics and Blue Dot Picture Framing in San Rafael, we get wood scraps that are used to make Towers of Power in our Architects in Schools Program. Sunrise Home in San Rafael, whose warehouse shares our parking lot, gives us large pieces of cardboard. Thin pieces are used as frames for children’s self portraits. Children love to draw on the cardboard and share their stories. Large boxes that once held sofas and chairs become giant play structures for our YIA Gallery. Both the self portraits and the cardboard play structures will be on display this spring as part of Imagining Friendship, our annual Walker Rezaian Creative HeArts Exhibition.
The exhibit, which opens April 10, features lively and engaging self portraits from kindergarteners and first graders at Laurel Dell Elementary School in San Rafael. The work was created last fall during a Youth in Arts’ residency with Mentor Artist Cathy Bowman.
If you are a local business interested in making a donation to our nonprofit, please give us a call at (415) 457-4878 or stop by at 917 C St. in San Rafael. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.