Children sent to juvenile hall face an uncertain future, their lives hanging in the balance, their schooling disrupted and their path ahead filled with the great unknown. But some children are finding refuge in art, thanks to an innovative program sponsored by the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Washburn, an artist and art instructor who runs Timken\u2019s program for at-risk children, sees first-hand how art can make a difference. She told San Diego Uptown News that \u201cthis program does not change lives, but it enhances lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis program provides new approaches to learning through the arts that deviate from traditional classroom settings and uses English language arts, mind-mapping and brainstorming activities, which helps them to come up with multiple approaches to\u00a0strengthen\u00a0their abilities to think more\u00a0critically,\u201d Washburn said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe program and activities also provide great therapeutic benefits and builds confidence,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The Creative Choices program is made possible through the generosity of Timken\u2019s patrons, who raise money through events like the annual Orange & Black Ball. The black-tie, masquerade-optional gala at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 in Balboa Park will celebrate Timken\u2019s 50th anniversary. The ball will be held in conjunction with a second celebration, the Timken After Dark Cocktail Party.<\/p>\n \u201cBy attending the Orange & Black Ball, patrons are not only supporting the Timken Museum of Art, they are supporting arts education in schools and juvenile hall. They are supporting arts education in many different venues,\u201d said Megan Pogue, the museum\u2019s general manager.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ball is helping\u00a0ensure that we can continue to\u00a0provide resources, within the\u00a0museum and beyond, free of charge. This allows us to make a continued impact in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n Admission is always free at the Timken, which means a lot to folks who are on fixed incomes or are economically disadvantaged.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that art should not be behind locked doors or limited to the elite. It is\u00a0at the heart of the Timken’s mission to be able to provide access to art to all audiences. We have always opened our doors to the public free of charge so that as many people can enjoy our collection as possible,\u201d Pogue said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis idea of artistic stewardship spans beyond the four walls of our museum. We are devoted to bringing the arts into the community, to those who may not be able to go to the museum or to\u00a0those who may not have been exposed to the arts before.\u201d<\/p>\n Timken\u2019s arts education and outreach programs extend beyond juvenile hall and include art experiences for the military and their families as well as seniors in nursing homes.<\/p>\n \u201cArt speaks to people in a number of different ways. In the case of our Creative Choices program, we are providing the only way the youth in juvenile hall can receive art credit for their GED,\u201d Pogue said. \u201cOutside of the educational requirements, this program provides these youth an opportunity to break the story that they have been told their whole life. It allows them to explore a different way of thinking and prove to themselves that they are not the mistakes they have made in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen these kids live in an\u00a0environment that is constantly telling them that\u00a0they are not worthy, art allows them to express who they are in a safe,\u00a0accessible way. The kids walk away from this program with a better understanding of themselves and a greater chance of breaking the cycle of\u00a0incarceration,\u201d Pogue said.<\/p>\n Washburn, the art instructor, plays a big role in opening eyes to different possibilities and introducing troubled children to new things. She recalled the time when a group of girls from the juvenile system were sent to the Timken for a field trip.<\/p>\n \u201cThe kids had never been to Balboa Park before and it was an eye-opener for them,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was as if they did not know this world existed and they could be a part of it. One of the kids brought her family to Balboa Park after she got out of the juvenile system.\u201d<\/p>\n Some girls also looked up to Washburn as a different kind of role model, she said, noting that her own background was much more privileged. Washburn said that by working with these children, she has recognized how fortunate her upbringing was and feels the need to give back to society.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, the program provides avenues for success and a school for them,\u201d Washburn said. \u201cStereotypically, these kids are not high academic achievers, but the program and arts helps them be\u00a0successful. \u2026 It gives them the option to learn through the arts as opposed to through a textbook. \u2026 The arts are a\u00a0tremendous\u00a0vehicle for learning.\u201d<\/p>\n For Pogue, the Creative Choices program is part of what makes the Timken a special place. As the patrons celebrate the golden anniversary at the Black & Orange Ball, folks will be reflecting on where the Timken is heading in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Timken is in a very exciting place right now. Our 50th year is truly a golden anniversary and we celebrate the museum’s achievements and its impact on the San\u00a0Diego\u00a0community,\u201d Pogue said.<\/p>\n It seems so appropriate, then, that upon arrival, gala patrons will stroll through art installations created by students of the museum\u2019s Creative Choices program.<\/p>\n \u2014Ken Williams es editor de Uptown News y Mission Valley News y puede ser contactado en <\/i>ken@sdcnn.com<\/i><\/span><\/a> o al 619-961-1952. S\u00edguelo en Twitter en <\/i>KenSanDiego<\/i><\/span><\/a>, cuenta de Instagram en <\/i>KenSD<\/i><\/span><\/a> o Facebook en <\/i>KenWilliamsSanDiego<\/i><\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Por Ken Williams | Editor<\/p>","protected":false},"author":846,"featured_media":249354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Art for all","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11551,11550,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-news","category-top-stories","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/846"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Elizabeth](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Timken-Education-Outreach-Programs-Teaching-Boy-to-Paint-5webtop.jpg\")
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(Courtesy of Timken Museum of Art)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>\u201cAt the Orange & Black Ball, guests will be able to view the museum’s new\u00a0acquisition, the first purchase the museum has made since 2005. We also are launching a new capital campaign to make renovations to the museum to bring the building into the 21st\u00a0century. In addition to this, we look forward to continuing our dynamic art education and outreach programs that will serve the San Diego community for the next 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n