ARTS
ART WITH A HEART
Intern : Liesel Arauz Vallecillo Supervisor : Nadia West
What is Art with a Heart ?
Art with a Heart works to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art . Art with a Heart brings visual art classes to vulnerable youth and adults in schools , shelters , group homes , community centers , hospitals and senior facilities .
Every day at Art with a Heart ( AWAH ) is so vastly different from the one preceding it . It ’ s my favorite thing about my placement . The highlight of my time here has been making a connection with the families , volunteers , staff , students , and interns . I ’ ve been taught so much about community and pride and art .
My internship started in the best way , working at an offsite community mosaic at the University of Maryland Outpatient Center . Each piece of this seventeen-foot-tall mural was designed by hospital staff , volunteers , and members of the Baltimore community . My favorite part of this experience was getting to see the responses to the mosaic . I still remember the look of pure joy on one of the hospital patients ’ faces when we told her she could put a piece on the mosaic . Patient families would come help in between visiting family members recovering from surgery . Doctors and nurses would walk by with friends pointing and saying proudly , “ I put up that piece .” Or “ the sky was me !” Up on that scaffolding , it hit me then , the true value of art . Art is community . It is a beautiful summation of the messages and feelings of Baltimore residents . It is pride .
This was a recurring theme in my placement . Throughout my placement , I had the opportunity of working with so many volunteers and they took pride in their stories , their work at Art with a Heart , and their city . I ’ m grateful to have learned so much by listening to their lived experiences . Later in July , I got the opportunity to work with two YouthWorks groups of students . While assisting with classes , these students made me laugh just as much as they made me think . I appreciate the in-depth conversations I had with them about Baltimore and the world as a whole . I will always think fondly of my memories of sillier debates about superpowers or musicians fondly .
I ’ m eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to work at Art with a Heart . I have found an inspiring and warm community there , and they ’ ve taught me so much .
Inventoried all 216 products in the Art with a Heart store and assisted with AWAH ’ s transition to a new point-of-sale system
Researched and compiled grant opportunities and donation requests to provide food for incoming YouthWorks students
Created lesson plans , samples , and templates for upcoming classes and workshops and assisted with large-scale mosaic projects
Assisted with day-to-day classes at two sites teaching thirty students total workforce development and artistic entrepreneurial skills
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