Video Credit: Lu Bai

Through an innovative partnership called Frame the Future, launched in Spring 2013 by owners Larry and Brad Shar of Lowy Frame and Restoring Company, Arts to Grow has received sponsorship support for an additional 40 students ages 6-11 to learn and grow through hands-on projects in small visual arts classes where they work directly with a skilled and experienced artist/educator (teaching artist). Both the spring and fall classes have been sponsored by the Shars' generosity through their family business. These programs have served children attending the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center (LSNC), a community organization serving children growing up in affordable housing and the Amsterdam House, a New York City Housing Authority facility in which LSNC is housed-a far cry from their nearby neighbors living in luxury condos just blocks away.

On Wednesday, October 30th, the Lowy Frame the Future program will host a silent auction of ATG's student art work produced during our spring visual arts classes, with several of the works framed by Lowy. 100% of the proceeds of the auction will go to support new Arts to Grow visual arts programs at LSNC and other after school programs located throughout metro NYC serving less advantaged children. The auction will take place at Lowy's atelier at 223 East 80th Street in Manhattan.

 Read the full press release here

Students at Cypress Hills LDC/PS 65's summer camp in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn showed off their theater and literacy skills to parents, friends, and neighbors in a workshop performance on August 21st. The student-written show, titled "Empire State of Mind," followed two girls who had just reluctantly moved to Brooklyn from the Dominican Republic as they were taken on a tour of the city by a cast of characters known as the New York Quartet. The audience was swept along to iconic places such as Union Square, Coney Island, the Brooklyn Bridge, Broadway, Times Square, and beyond. In the end the girls grew to love their new home. The audience cheered as they joyously proclaimed, "We're New Yorkers!"

Popular musical numbers were adapted to fit each scene and performed by ensembles of students, grouped by age. Selections came from a broad range of musical styles and time periods, from Frank Sinatra's version of "New York, New York" to Madonna's "Vogue" to T.I.'s "Swagga Like Us" and more, ending on the titular "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes.

See what Teaching Artist Patricia Runcie-Rice has to say about how the program helped improve literacy for the kids at PS 65.

Gloria Fuentes joined Arts to Grow as a pro-bono consultant during Winter 2013 and has been generously donating her time and skills to further our growth for the past 6 months. To date she has focused her expertise as a key team leader in our cause-marketing partnership with Lowy Frame & Restoring Company's Frame the Future program. This partnership is the first of its kind for ATG, and Gloria has worked closely with the executives at Lowy to develop strategies for long-term success with the aim of bringing visual arts education to more children in need. In addition, Gloria is serving as a Co-Chair for Arts to Grow's service grant partnership with Youth, I.N.C.'s Celebration program, helping to create new donor relationships with both individuals and corporations. Gloria says of her Celebration Co-Chair role, "It gives me the opportunity to have a greater voice for ATG."

Gloria was drawn to ATG's mission and providing her expertise because she believes that all children "need creativity to thrive and grow mentally and emotionally" and because ATG is "well managed and poised for growth." We sincerely thank Gloria for her leadership and hard work in helping to provide many more less-advantaged children with access to learning through the arts.

Read more about Gloria's background here