Honors Art

One of our first Honors Art students came to us with very low self esteem, problems controlling her rage, and attention deficit disorder which she was unable to get medication for due to a poor financial situation. She had no mode of transportation to get her to our program which is held on Saturdays for twenty-four weeks throughout the school year so a volunteer picked her up to get her to class. Her attendance was still spotty due to long term family issues, no phone, and no means for communication. She didn’t have many friends at school and it was affecting her relationships with teachers. The thing that we knew that many others did not was that she had an uncommon artistic talent.

Her talent developed well over a 5 year period but as she approached graduation from high school she still had no clear direction in her life. Her parents, particularly her mother, worried about her and although they encouraged her along with one of our teacher she still didn’t not see the great talent she had. Fortunately, an opportunity arose through the Honors Art program where selections of her pieces were entered into a competition operated by a scholarship fund. After the competition her work was on display in our studio during an open house. During the open house she found out the news that she won a full ride scholarship to Purdue University. She was the only person in the room who was surprised about the outcome and that night will always have a profound impact on her future. She now attends Purdue University and is in their graphic design program. She has overcome many difficulties in her life but now has become the first generation in her family to attend college and has taken a huge step towards making a secure future for herself.

 

Our Kindergarten program is designed to teach the visual arts while supporting the Indiana State Standards. We are in each classroom once a week for two hours. The students are broken up into small groups where Art With a Heart, and classroom teachers can provide direct instruction.  

When Art With a Heart first went in to the classrooms you could see how the children were in need of structure and acceptance. This program, along with our discipline model, Love and Logic, provides the template for success. Art With a Heart provided training for the Art With a Heart teachers and our collaborating teachers. The Love and Logic Process believes that love allows children to grow through mistakes and logic allows children to learn from the consequences of their choices. By the end of the school year the students are so confident in the choices they make that we know Love and Logic aides in the growth of the whole child.

At the end of the school year the students came to our art studio for a field trip. They were equipped with the tools they needed to succeed and because of this they produced some amazing art that was displayed at their art exhibits. The amazing art that was created by our students was a great success but there are some things that are also great successes. At one of the field trips we were blessed to witness a boy who has autism connect with his peers, which was very rare. His aide stated that she had never seen him engage himself, communicate his actions, and be as proud as he was at the studio. The great thing that came out of his experience at our art studio is that he continued this behavior at his school during his Art With a Heart time. On Tuesday, our teacher Laura Pulos was honored to have him look her in the eyes and say “I love art!” This was a moment worth cherishing. 

The kindergarten program serves twelve different classrooms in seven schools around the Indianapolis area. The sites we serve are Christel House Academy, Andrew J. Brown Academy, IPS 55, IPS 98, Key Learning Community, Holy Cross Catholic Central, and St. Philip Neri Catholic School.  We thank them for collaborating with us this school year.   Without their support we would not have had the opportunity to witness the growth and development of their children. One of our parents told us that “Since Art With a Heart I have noticed that my child loves to draw and I am very pleased with the help and participation everyone has given my child. I will continue to let my child participate every year if possible.” We look forward to many future opportunities to serve Indianapolis youth.