More Art For All
In the Summer of 2024, and in future years, AMA is fundraising for the Free or Heavily Discounted Program Fund. This blog explains the campaign as well as its importance to our community.
The Free or Heavily Discounted Program Fund is a discretionary fund used to support groups unable to pay full or partial price for programming.
AMA’s participation in free community events, workshops for at-risk populations, and collaborative ventures with other organizations are examples of ways these funds may be used. Funding is determined based on a point scale of key criteria including financial need, mission-focus, at-risk populations served, community impact, and history of, or potential for, partnership opportunities.
This fund, created in 2024, is AMA’s way of giving back to the community who so wholly supports the organization’s efforts to provide therapeutic and educational visual art programming to all ages and abilities.
A REASON TO SAY ‘YES’!
A support group for individuals affected by brain trauma and strokes contacted AMA in January.
These individuals were looking for knowledge about activities to make them stronger, more capable, more confident, and social.
The visual arts is a fun and challenging activity that can be made achievable for everyone! Making art increases happiness, encourages movement, and practices the verbal and motor goals set forth by occupational, speech, and physical therapists – perfect for those affected by brain injury.
The support group requested a presentation on this information while experiencing the benefits of painting at the same time.
But they couldn’t pay for travel, the presentation, or the painting supplies.
THIS fund allowed Awakening Minds Art to say yes anyway.
And because of that, a group of 16 individuals in-need were introduced to an activity they could achieve together or alone and learned how it could benefit them specifically.
Marathon Petroleum gives $5,000 to the campaign!
Help us thank Marathon Petroleum and show off our community support by helping to match their gift!
LET’S SHOW MARATHON WHAT THEY CAN INSPIRE!
Community benefit is a pillar of all AMA programming. AMA instructors meet students' needs by adapting instruction to meet students' physical and cognitive levels of ability where they are. When the community's underserved, at-risk, and most impressionable are met there and built up with confidence and positive attention, the community benefits today and into the future!
Artistic Skill Building - Creativity, independent choice making, and overcoming adversity (making those happy little accidents!) all improve individuals' ability to create art. Painting sessions include a finished art project, something each participant can take, share, and remember the experience by.
Developmental Skills - Artmaking is a fun, challenging way to practice developing and sustaining life skills without really knowing you're putting in the work! Children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, alike, learn or work to retain abilities like gross & fine motor skills, expressive & receptive language, and spatial awareness - key focus areas AMA works towards during sessions. For example, holding a paintbrush works on pencil grip and long, sweeping brushstrokes practice gross motor skills. Following verbal directions, answering questions, naming colors, and engaging in conversations all work on language and social skills. Visual tracking techniques like connecting dots help individuals who are having trouble.
Mentorship/Community Engagement - Working together creates a collaborative atmosphere and provides a platform for individuals to offer guidance, encouragement, and support. Mentorship gives individuals a sense of purpose, personal growth and confidence.
Social Interaction/Cultural Exchange: Engaging in artmaking together encourages communication and positive emotions such as joy and pride. As people feel a sense of belonging within the group, participants communicate ideas, problem solve together, and get to know one another through storytelling. Diversity becomes obvious even as deeper connections are made through shared experience and mutual sense of accomplishment.
Cognitive Stimulation/Quality of Life: Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain associated with pleasure and motivation, is released during artmaking through sensory experiences. This release not only helps participants to feel happy, but it also helps participants start moving and then feel motivated to keep moving.
Give the gift of therapeutic and educational visual art classes to those who need financial help through the More Art for All Campaign https://awakeningmindsart.org/moreartforall-fund