On Saturday, April 20th, Free Arts hosted its 2024 Symposium in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, Gabriel’s Angels, and New Pathways for Youth. Under the theme, Inspiring Creativity in Mentoring, nearly 200 youth care workers, partner agency employees, artists, educators, and youth mentors gathered for a creative and engaging artistic learning experience. The list of guest speakers included an impressive roster of knowledgeable professionals from varying disciplines. This year’s lineup included psychologists, musicians, educators, non-profit executives, advocates, h ..read more

On April 21st, Free Arts participated in Chalk it Up! Prescott, a chalk art festival that was family-friendly and community-centered. The event was in partnership with The Launch Pad Teen Center, one of our partner organizations in Yavapai County. At our table, we made bravery beads with the children and families who stopped by, while also introducing Free Arts to the Prescott community. We had the opportunity to connect with Rise Above the Clouds, a brand-new nonprofit in Prescott that supports kids in the foster care system. This summer, they will be hosting a camp for these kids, with the ..read more

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? We just couldn’t wait, so we celebrated early at our Mentor Paint & Sip in March. Free Arts Volunteer Mentors and their guests joined us at our offices at Parsons Place for a night of Bob Ross, colorful mocktails, charcuterie, and fun! Photo by Sam Ballesteros, Cronkite News Photo by Sam Ballesteros, Cronkite News Everyone had the optional prompt of using an affirmation card as their inspiration for their art piece, or they could try to follow along with the Bob Ross tutorial playing on our projectors in the gallery. Everyone’s pieces ..read more

Signage at Lost Canyon Camp At the beginning of March, families from all over the state gathered at Lost Canyon Camp in Williams, Arizona, for a day filled with creativity, fun, and togetherness. This Family Free Arts Day was in partnership with the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents. The day was a happy success, with 20 families, 37 adults, and 73 children participating in one or two intentional art projects with their families. Children of all ages, from 1 ½ to 22, worked with their family units to create art while having fun. The event was an excellent opportunity for foste ..read more

In October, Free Arts was invited to participate in “Teen Maze” as one of our first steps towards establishing statewide programs. This multi-day event, held at Grace M. Sparks Activity Center in Prescott, Arizona, was hosted by North Star Youth Partnership, a program of Catholic Charities. Seven hundred teens from neighboring middle and high schools participated in this three-day event. As teens progressed their way through the life-sized “Take Flight to a Successful Future” themed maze, they gathered prevention, education, and resource information from eight participating agencies. Our Free ..read more

For the last 22 years, Free Arts has partnered with Dance Theater West (DTW) to create DTW’s Storybook Ballet production featuring Free Arts children and teens. Our beloved partnership continued into September 2023, when twelve Free Arts children performed alongside DTW dancers at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Director Susie Silverman and her dancers worked with the Free Arts participants, teaching them choreography for their scenes in a spectacular performance of Swan Lake, with a Splash! Admission to the show was free and open to the public. The audience included Free ..read more

As the school year kicks off, so does the Weekly Mentor Program! The Fall term begins the final week of August and mentors are already preparing to bring intentional art projects to the children we serve. The Weekly Mentor Program is one of Free Arts’ core programs. Its unique structure brings our volunteer mentors and the arts to children we serve on a consistent, long-term basis. This allows mentors and children more time to build relationships and skills. Mentors are placed with partner agencies based on their location and availability. They are teamed up in pairs or even triads to have p ..read more

Hello, friends! Vice President of Programs, Matt Sandoval, here. I wanted to share an update on the progress of the Canvas of the Heart podcast for Free Arts. I’m happy to report that we have successfully completed the podcast’s first season! Throughout the summer, we were able to feature a diverse group of guests who shared their stories and experiences with art, creativity, and resilience. Hearing how impactful Free Arts can be in people’s lives was truly inspiring. We also received positive feedback from listeners, who appreciated the thoughtful and engaging conversations that took place o ..read more

A Theater Camp participant hones some break dancing skills. Free Arts CAMP Series 2023 kicked off June 5th, beginning with Theater Camp, and was concluded with two Multicultural Arts Camps: MAC 1 and MAC 2. Theater Camp came to fruition in 2001, when Free Arts partnered with the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix to create a program that would provide the opportunity for the teens in our programs to practice theater skills, creating an outlet to explore the stories from their lives that can often be difficult to share. Campers workshop some movement with Free Arts teaching artist, Vo Vera.Fre ..read more

Myrlin of Phonetic Spit speaks to Mic Check participants. It’s been a little over a year since Phonetic Spit, a unique Valley nonprofit with similar goals and values to Free Arts, partnered with us to form Mic Check, a monthly teen and young adult open mic event held at Parsons Place every third Saturday of the month. Monique from Phonetic Spit performs a slam poem to get the show started. Much like the Free Arts mission of transforming children’s trauma to resilience through the arts, Phonetic Spit uses creative writing, poetry, spoken word, hip-hop, theater, and performance to build hope and ..read more