Here’s our newsletter for Spring 2020!
Happy Spring from all of us here at ArtVan.
We hope you’re all safe and healthy and happy!
To those who have been personally affected by this virus, to those who are working on the front lines to protect us and our loved ones, and to those who are sending thoughts of health and wellbeing to our entire community…
We thank you for everything you do, and we encourage you to stay brave, stay strong, and stay safe.
Here at ArtVan, we are doing everything we can to safely support our Youth artists and their families during this incredibly challenging time.
Here’s how we’re making that happen …
ArtVan in the Community
Like so many other organizations and businesses, our regular programs are currently suspended. However, over the past few days we’ve started delivering our inaugural rounds of Art Bags to our core programming neighborhoods …
And it’s been a HUGE success!
As Jamie pulled up in the Van to make the first delivery, ArtVan Youth and family members were already lined up (6 feet apart, of course), ready and excited to receive their free Art Bags filled with brand new art supplies and hand-made journals.
Not only that, but new-to-ArtVan families who live in our core programming neighborhoods asked if they too could participate and have an Art Bag … And of course we were more than thrilled to oblige!
The need for creative, expressive, screen-free outlets is very clear right now,
and ArtVan is committed to making that happen!
We’ve also been listening intently to our Youth and community members, and they’ve told us that they miss the personal interaction that ArtVan provides. To fill that gap, we’ve created an instructional YouTube channel to guide our Youth Artists through art projects. And, we’re in the planning stages for live Zoom instructional sessions as well. Stay tuned!
Click HERE to see our new YouTube channel!
Through these efforts, our hope is to cast as wide a net as possible to ensure that each of our Youth has access to creative outlets, art-making materials, and intentional support until we can once again be present in our neighborhoods, making art together.
Welcome to our Newest Board Members!
It is with great excitement and deep appreciation that we announce our two newest board members,
Patricia Cousins and Sharon Drake!
Patricia “Patty” Cousins is an experienced Design Director and graphic designer with a history of working in the secondary/higher education industry, and for other non-profit organizations. An artist since childhood, she is passionate about the arts, and will return to her true calling — painting — when she retires from professional life. Patty moved to Maine in 2017, and lives on six wooded acres in Woolwich with her husband, Michael, and her Belgium Shephard, Aku.
Sharon Drake’s career has spanned 45 years in Bath as the owner of a community based Real Estate Company, and previously 11 years as a family and child-centered Social Worker. Good fortune sent her from Vancouver, B.C., to the Great State of Maine by way of Colby College, and it was in Maine where she then raised her family. Throughout her life, the wellbeing of children has been of great importance, and her committed interest in creating a healthy environment for all children led her to join the ArtVan Board of Directors. Sharon looks forward to working with the strong and steady leadership of ArtVan’s Executive Director, Jamie Silvestri.
Funding Updates
ArtVan is honored to announce the creation of the Dorothy Wentworth Opportunity fund. This fund was created from a large, private donation we recently received from the family of Dorothy Wentworth. This generous gift serves as a direct reflection of Dorothy; a quietly determined champion of ArtVan’s mission, and a dearly missed board member who passed away unexpectedly in January of 2019. To honor the memory of Dorothy, and to align closely with her desires to invest in the organization’s longevity, ArtVan is creating a dedicated source of funding for Youth activities beyond the parameters of ArtVan programming. The fund will ensure that support will be available for our Youth when inspiring yet cost-prohibitive opportunities outside of their neighborhoods – but within their creative pursuits and dreams – present themselves. Through the Dorothy Wentworth Opportunity Fund, ArtVan will financially invest in, support, and enable these Youth to pursue these creative opportunities, furthering the reach and effectiveness of ArtVan’s mission. Our deepest gratitude and thanks to the Wentworth Family for enabling this incredible opportunity!
To join in support of our ongoing work with underserved youth,
Thank you!
And last but not least …
Updates and Events!
We have a new office!
We’re thrilled to be sharing a wonderful new office space at the Maritime Apartments in Bath! We began moving boxes and setting up shop right before quarantine began, so we’re looking forward the time when things calm down a bit, and we get to start truly settling in to our sunny new digs.
P.S. Our mailing address DID NOT CHANGE!
ArtVan
10 State Road
PMB 272
Bath, Maine
04530
And as I’m sure you’ve guessed, all upcoming events are either up in the air or suspended for the time being. We will of course keep you posted as things continue to shift and change.
We miss you, we’re looking forward to seeing you when we do, and …
Thank you for your continued support!
artvanprogram.org – 10 State Road, PMB 272, Bath ME 04530 – 207-358-9726
Click HERE to support us today!
