Last year at this time, we were
celebrating the opening of our
new Children’s Center. The
building held so much promise—
not only would there be space
for more children, but we would
have dedicated classrooms for
programming that we’d never
been able to do before. One such
classroom was the Creative Space
designed to be more than just an
arts and crafts room. We wanted
to be able to provide the 90
youths in our after-school and
summer program with a real art
program. Shortly after the opening
of our center, we received a
generous grant from the John and
Robyn Horn Foundation which
has underwritten the costs of
hiring a professional artist and
equipping him with high-end
supplies so that he can teach the children of Our House how to
express their creativity in multiple mediums.
Gabriel Griffin, Our House Arts Facilitator, is both a professional
artist and an experienced instructor. “I’ve been amazed by the
potential of the kids when you expose them to different mediums.
When you watch a 2nd grader use charcoals or pastels or any
medium they haven’t used before—it’s just amazing to watch what
they create. There are no inhibitions. As much as I guide them,
they end up doing their own thing and surprising me every time!”