Curating Our Community

The first thing you’ll notice when entering Artists for Humanity is the sheer amount of art on our walls. Art over benches, art in the mezzanine, in our offices, our studios, on desks, and in our gallery. AFH staff are surrounded by teen art. But these pieces don’t magically appear on our walls, they’re measured, maintained, curated, and installed by our dedicated Exhibitions team.

“AFH is one of the most unique work environments I've ever experienced,” Alison Drasner , AFH Curation & Exhibitions Manager exclaimed, “I love being around the artwork and as an artist myself, I'm inspired by the teens daily. Their techniques, subject matter, and general experimenting is all fun to witness and I'm grateful that I'm part of an organization that believes in how important it is.”

Between installing artwork and the stories behind them on both our walls and our clients, there is SO much work being done to support our teens and amplify their voices. Claire Bellanger , AFH Registrar & Exhibitions Coordinator, starts early by training teens during their onboarding phase on how to write a good artist statement and bio to support and promote their work.

“Sometimes it’s hard to actually write out what you're feeling or why you've painted something, and it’s been super rewarding to sit down with the teens and hear them begin to think through how they want to talk about themselves,” Claire explains, “Some of them know exactly what they want to say and it's really impressive!"

"We have 14 year old kids whose writing is just so eloquent and intuitive.”—Claire Bellanger

The Exhibition team has a unique understanding of how much work, energy, time, and money goes into showcasing work by teens, alumni, and our featured artists. We’ve accomplished so much this year and we can’t wait to accomplish even more next year.

“AFH's mission is really important for our community as well as the community-at-large. In the world's current climate, it is essential that we nurture these potential future artists who will continue to make our communities better through their creativity,” Alison emphasized.

But community matters! We need community support to continue to?create opportunities for the next generation of creative problem solvers. Every donation counts.

“When you donate to AFH, you can see your direct impact,” Claire stressed, “You can see the amount of teens that we've employed, or the blank canvases purchased, or the paints and brushes being used in studio, or the computers being used by our emerging digital artists and creative coders. It's a really tangible way to see your donation.”

It takes a community to uplift the next generation. Be a part of creating change. Make a donation today!

Want to know more??Learn more about the creative economy and AFH's contribution here:?https://lnkd.in/eNymBbwv