Barnstone Art for Kids

Barnstone Art For Kids seeks to help children cope with long-term challenges by cultivating productive and healthy interpersonal relationships using art as the primary medium of expression.  Children benefit from a sustained one-on-one encounter with a motivated mentor and our mentors are rewarded with a sense of fulfillment and a chance to make a difference.

 

Barnstone Art for Kids currently offers three distinctive Art Mentoring Programs: Classroom, Small Group and One-on-One.  Every program participant creates a Barnstone Trading Card and receives a Barnstone Art Journal.  With the belief that the art process is the fundamental bridge to connecting with others, Barnstone Trading Cards are swapped with cards made by prior program participants and creative volunteers.  The Barnstone Art Journal is provided as a  guide to prompt imaginative exploration. 

Classroom Programs are developed for grades K - 5 in public schools and schools with limited art resources.  This 1 – 1 ½ hour program is designed to help support the elementary school system by supplying students with valuable art exposure and the creative energy of an artistic mentor. Children use the trading card project to join a network of other students throughout the country – exploring new mediums of communication that cross social barriers.  Each child will take home a Journal with pastels or colored pencils to continue their art journey.

Small Group Mentoring Art Programs focus on the healing and emotional well being of children through artistic expression and individualized interaction with creative volunteers in a small group setting. The 6-week after school program begins with a trading card swap and journal distribution with additional interactive art projects.  Each weekly session focuses on a different theme.  Open-ended, guiding questions are used throughout by trained mentors to prompt and support imagination and expression.

One-on-one Mentoring Art Programs use a referral process to match an individual child with a Barnstone volunteer.  Special attention is focused on helping the child achieve their personal and artistic goals, regardless of emotional, behavior and physical limitations.

In addition to our mentor programs, we have partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania and provide them with a Barnstone Art Kit.  Each Art Kit is made up of 6 different activities and includes all of the necessary supplies and materials needed to create each project.  These Art Kits provide Bigs and Littles with 6 weeks worth of interactive art activities.

 

"I have always felt that the real payoff in working with art is captured in those precious moments when art and the human experience converge to bring joy and healing to those in need.  Now more than ever, I see art playing a critical role in alleviating pain and suffering in our society.  It is very powerful to watch art bridge the gap between the extraordinary need in the community and the selfless compassion of willing volunteers.  In developing Barnstone Art for Kids, I aspire to create fresh approaches to deliver art and its healing properties to children and to develop a network of mentors who can further that mission."                                     

Lynn Detwiler, Founder Barnstone Art for Kids

 

Barnstone Art for Kids is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.