Mission Federal\u2019s annual ArtWalk<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cTitle 1\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Jefferson Elementary in North Park is an example of a school that was receiving ArtReach\u2019s traditional free workshops and recently received a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) grant that allowed ArtReach to extend their services.<\/p>\n Each free program allows six classrooms \u2014 for example, three first grade classes and three second grade \u2014 on any given campus, five lessons each.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how we\u2019ve decided best allocates our funds,\u201d Silbert said.<\/p>\n ArtReach\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI go into the classrooms when I can,\u201d Silbert said. \u201cBut my job is to write grants and create fundraisers and talk to the media to find the funding to support our free workshop programs.\u201d<\/p>\n ArtWalk\u2019s support has been instrumental in the expansion of ArtReach\u2019s programs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mission of ArtReach is at the core of the work we do to produce these large art festivals,\u201d Cottrell said.\u00a0\u201cWe believe art education is not a luxury in schools, but rather a necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For the last three years, ArtWalk has also established the \u201cArtists Give Back\u201d 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.<\/p>\n ArtWalk is taking their support of the nonprofit a step further in 2015 with \u201cSalute to Balboa Park.\u201d 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 \u201cSalute to Balboa Park\u201d artwork will go to ArtReach.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a rewarding journey, helping ArtReach grow since its inception,\u201d Cottrell said.\u00a0\u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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, \u201cPaint Your Heart Out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur main point is just to get art experience to kids,\u201d Silbert said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n ArtWalk takes place from 11 a.m. \u2013\u00a06 p.m., April 25 and 26 on India Street, between Ash and Grape streets. Attendance is free. For more information, visit artwalksandiego.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two artists of very different genres will be taking their wares to Mission Federal\u2019s ArtWalk April 25 and 26.<\/em><\/p>\n ELLEN DIETER<\/strong><\/p>\n Ellen Dieter is one of this year\u2019s featured artists, hosted by the new Adelman Fine Art gallery, located at 1980 Kettner Blvd., in Little Italy, where her art is also on display.<\/p>\n Dieter, who lived and studied abroad in France for a decade, moved to San Diego in 1989 and has enjoyed watching the local art scene grow. In 2007 she participated in Alexander Salazar\u2019s month-long \u201cArtist in Residence\u201d program next door to his Downtown gallery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a turning point for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to show up and paint every day and I just didn\u2019t think I could do it; but I just worked through it and it changed me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dieter said she still paints every day and now splits her creative time between San Diego and Honolulu, Hawaii.<\/p>\n \u201cI love ArtWalk, and what I enjoy about the event is the people, the art, the energy, the music, all of it,\u201d she said. \u201cThis year is special, though, I\u2019ve been selected to be one of the ten featured artists and I am beyond thrilled.\u201d<\/p>\n Dieter, whose primary genre is abstract oil and acrylic painting, said she plans on doing live painting while she is active in the Adelman booth and plans to also spend time meeting people at the nearby Adelman gallery during the event.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope I am growing too, inspired by fellow artists \u2014 and there are many,\u201d she said. \u201cI learn and grow as San Diego grows.\u201d<\/p>\n Visit Dieter\u2019s photo blog at ellendieterartist.blogspot.com<\/a> or find her work at adelmanfineart.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n ALDRYN ESTACIO<\/strong><\/p>\n This San Diego native has a degree in graphic arts and a career in technology, but his love has always been photography.<\/p>\n He recently took his work to a higher level \u2014 literally \u2014 when he found out he could attach his GoPro camera to an aerial drone. Since then his work has skyrocketed and he\u2019s assembled a collection of his San Diego works for a coffee table book called: \u201cSan Diego, Aerial Drone Photography, Vol. 1,\u201d which will be available for purchase at ArtWalk along with some of his individual photography prints.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll have a drone on hand for visual purposes, but the focus will be on his art, so he has no plans to take flight in Little Italy that weekend.<\/p>\n Estacio launched a website to support his new hobby-turned-artistic endeavor, flytpath.com<\/a>. Read more about Estacio in our feature aqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"ArtWalk](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/DSC_7570_zps699f66d8web.jpg\")
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