Artists and attendees help share the gift of art

By Morgan M. Hurley | Contributing Editor

Mission Federal’s annual ArtWalk, an art festival extravaganza taking place in Little Italy April 25 and 26, is more than a place where for 31 years, artists of all genres share and sell their wares and music fills the air from five different stages.

It is also a place that for nearly a decade has helped support a nonprofit on a mission to spread the joy of art to children who otherwise would not have it in their lives.

ArtReach was launched in 2007 by two art-loving sisters, Judy Silbert and Sandi Cottrell, the current managing director of ArtWalk. ArtReach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers basic art programs to schools and children in need.

Silbert is its executive director, and in the eight years since she first filed the paperwork to get it started, ArtReach has literally reached into the hearts and minds of over 30,000 children in San Diego County.

Their first pilot workshop in 2007 at Garfield Elementary in North Park included 470 students; in 2015, Silbert projects that number will be 9,594.

That is a staggering number for a nonprofit with a two-person staff, consisting of Silbert and her workshop and curriculum coordinator Sarah Holbach, and six full-time contracted artist / workshop facilitators.

ArtReach provides art workshops free of charge to the schools out of their own fundraising efforts and through various grants and sponsorships that they, or the individual schools they support, receive. The children ArtReach connects with come from “Title 1” elementary schools throughout the county, schools considered to have limited resources and a large percentage of children that receive free or reduced lunch programs, Silbert said. In other words, children who would not have art in their lives at all if it were not for ArtReach and its programs.

Jefferson Elementary in North Park is an example of a school that was receiving ArtReach’s traditional free workshops and recently received a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) grant that allowed ArtReach to extend their services.

Each free program allows six classrooms — for example, three first grade classes and three second grade — on any given campus, five lessons each.

“That’s how we’ve decided best allocates our funds,” Silbert said.

ArtReach’s artist/teachers each offer a different focus for their curriculum; in addition to traditional artists, there is an expressive arts therapist; a plein air painter; a graphics designer/photographer; and one who focuses on textile art.

“I go into the classrooms when I can,” Silbert said. “But my job is to write grants and create fundraisers and talk to the media to find the funding to support our free workshop programs.”

ArtWalk’s support has been instrumental in the expansion of ArtReach’s programs.

“The mission of ArtReach is at the core of the work we do to produce these large art festivals,” Cottrell said. “We believe art education is not a luxury in schools, but rather a necessity.”

Every year since 2009, ArtWalk has given the nonprofit booth space to share their story and gather donations. ArtReach also participates in KidsWalk, the interactive section of ArtWalk set aside for children and their families.

For the last three years, ArtWalk has also established the “Artists Give Back” program, where every artist who participates at ArtWalk can voluntarily sign up to give a portion of their weekend sales to ArtReach. Thirty-five have chosen to this year.

ArtWalk is taking their support of the nonprofit a step further in 2015 with “Salute to Balboa Park.” A separate booth will be set up adjacent to the ArtReach information booth, with the artwork of 30 different artists all inspired by the Balboa Park Centennial on display. Juried by the San Diego Art Institute, 25 percent of the sales from the “Salute to Balboa Park” artwork will go to ArtReach.

“It has been a rewarding journey, helping ArtReach grow since its inception,” Cottrell said. “Our team and our participating artists will continue to find new ways to fundraise for ArtReach and to educate the community about the importance of art in schools.”

ArtReach has other creative ways of raising funds to support their free programs, such as special events and through their website, where those interested can donate enough for the purchase of specific art supplies and know where their funds are being used. ArtReach is also partnering with Bodhi Tree Concerts for an upcoming Latin Jazz concert, and in June are holding a fundraising evening at 57 Degrees in Midtown called, “Paint Your Heart Out.”

“Our main point is just to get art experience to kids,” Silbert said. “It’s all about creativity and being comfortable with solving problems creatively and I think we really help kids do that. Then those students become confident and it leaps the boundaries from art class to other areas. Teachers see their students in a different way and peers start seeing those students differently, too.”

ArtWalk takes place from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., April 25 and 26 on India Street, between Ash and Grape streets. Attendance is free. For more information, visit artwalksandiego.org.

—Morgan M. Hurley can be reached at [email protected].