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Art Buddies
An Art Buddies Update from our Executive ...

Hello Buddies! An update from Executive Director, Heidi Rich.

Art Buddies
Down and Dirty Masterpiece 2019

Listen to Heidi’s interview with myTalk 107.1.

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Welcome Amanda Cunningham, our new Program ...

Amanda Cunningham became our Program Assistant in August 2019.

2022 in review

Season’s Greetings! 

With your support, Art Buddies has brought creative mentorship to more Twin Cities kids than ever! We connected with over 500 kids this year!

Thank you! 

Photo by Jaime Chismar

Since 1994 Art Buddies has brought free one-to-one creative mentorship programs to thousands of Twin Cities children at our highest need schools and communities. We help children build a foundation of creative confidence and develop a sense of their own agency by listening, encouraging, being present, and being willing to see the world through their eyes.

We need your financial support today to make the programs possible. 

Please give generously to keep these creative minds flourishing!  

You can 

  • Send a check in the enclosed envelope

  • Give at artbuddies.org/donate

  • Venmo: Art Buddies


Thanks to our donors like you we can continue to grow our program to reach even more kids with the power of one-to-one creative mentorship! 

Photos by Jaime Chismar

Here at Art Buddies we have had an action packed 2022! 

  • We have returned with our Character Creation Program to our partner schools. The classes and parades were better than ever!

  • We have brought our creative mentor program to new school communities Lucy Craft Laney and Elizabeth Hall Elementary in North Minneapolis. Creating real connection, confidence, and joy! 

  • Art Buddies partnered with the Super Summer kids of North Minneapolis, Zenon Dance Company, and Toussaint Morrison, spoken Word Artist and we brought Character Creation to life! 

  • With the Inclusive Design Team from Target we held a six week Super Summer Mural Design Class and then, with the help of over 70 Whittier Elementary scholars we created a 40 foot permanent mural displaying the children’s design of Community Unity! 

  • We held Art Buddies Art Cars program sponsored by Carmichael Lynch and Subaru! We also held an Art Car Program in collaboration with the Art Shanty Project. Look out for the Fox or Butterfly Art Cars! 

  • We brought our Creative Career Program to Andersen Middle School. Scholars learned about Architecture and Graphic Design

  • We reached over 150 scholars with our 8 week Penpal Program. It was wonderful to continue to reach our kids, and so engaging and meaningful during Distance Learning.

2022 required us to adapt our programs as scholars and schools returned to in-person learning. Check out the year in photos on our website! artbuddies.org/photos

2023 Art Buddies will focus on expanding our traditional Character Creation Programming and Community Outreach Art Buddies will bring Creativity, Connection, and Confidence to as many young Twin Citizens as possible!   Give today to help us create joy! 

With gratitude and joy,

Heidi Rich, Executive Director

heidi@artbuddies.org

(612)229-1122

110 North 5th Street 10th Floor  Minneapolis, MN 55403

Character Creation + Dance Program Summer 2022

Character Creation + Dance Program

This summer, Art Buddies is excited to offer a new spin on our traditional Character Creation program. Art Buddies will pair with Zenon dance school of Minneapolis to lead a progressive creative program culminating in a community performance. Each child will be paired with a dedicated creative mentor volunteer to create a customized character and costume based on their likes, culture, community, and a problem that they wish to solve. The program will also feature a dance component with instructor Kendall Edstrom from the renowned Zenon Dance School. Each dance portion of the program is designed to develop confidence, explore creatively, and build movement skills in a fun and nurturing environment. All abilities and levels of experience are welcome! This will give us the opportunity to incorporate another form of art into our summer program - dance and movement, utilizing multiple learning styles.

  • In-person, outdoor program

  • Connect with your buddy for 1 hour every week for a period of 7 weeks

  • Create a character and costume using our huge collection of art supplies

  • Participate in dance portion of class with Zenon Dance Instructor

  • Celebrate your creation & participate in a costume presentation, dance performance, and professional photoshoot

  • Work with students in 1st - 8th grade

  • Outdoor program

  • Locations:


About Kendall:

Kendall Edstrom (she/they) is a movement artist and educator from Minneapolis, Minnesota –Mni Sota Makoce. She attended Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and went on to attain a BFA from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2019. After graduating, they lived in Brussels, Belgium and studied at Charleroi Danse and TicTac Arts Centre. They currently work as a special education support professional and teach dance classes at Midwest Youth Dance Theater. At the moment she is most interested in using her body to run, wiggle, play, and tune in to the quiet details around her.



About Zenon Dance School:

Discover dance through composition and creative movement!  We seek to build confidence in movement for students of all levels of experience through dance. Using games, telling movement stories, and exploring dance technique we will fill our compositional tool boxes to create dance work and develop skills each week.







Art Buddies at Midtown Global Market's for Ordway's Flint Hills Family Festival

Art Buddies was excited to join Midtown Global Market to offer free kids crafts at the Ordway’s Pop Up event for their summer Flint Hills Family Festival.

Art Buddies provided mentors and supplies to create colorful headbands with the visitors.

You can get involved by donating supplies, funding, or your time as a volunteer! Reach out today!

Season's Greetings Winter 2021

Season’s Greetings! 

Please join me in supporting our little buddies 

Through thick and thin, Art Buddies is there offering free creative mentor programming and outreach for our children from communities experiencing poverty.  And it is only possible with your donation.

Art Buddies is more joyful and meaningful than ever! This year we are providing free one-to-one programming for over 300 kids.

  • In response to the pandemic we are reaching hundreds of scholars with our new Art Buddies Penpal Program, which includes 10 weeks of letters and crafts to and from our Penpal buddy pairs. This program makes our children who are Distance Learning feel connected and important. This new program has proven to be an incredible success in these trying times.

  • For 27 years Art Buddies has brought creativity, connection, and JOY to thousands of elementary scholars with our in-person programming. Our joyful and free semester long Character Creation Program brings one-to-one creative mentoring to scholars from the highest-need schools.

  • In the last two years, Art Buddies has brought over 20,000 Activity Kits to children at Head Start, Minneapolis and St Paul Public Schools, homeless shelters and encampments, and community outreach. It is important for children to know that their ideas and creativity matter!

For in-person programming, we are focused on health and safety with mandatory masks, vaccine requirements and social distancing.

Thanks to your generosity, each of our programs are provided to our communities experiencing poverty completely free of charge. 


Here is where your dollars might go! 

$5000 Activity Book and Kit supplies for Community Outreach

$2000 Stamps for a semester of Art Buddies Penpals

$1000 Technology for Art Buddies Operations

$500 Art supplies for Character Creation Program

$100 Crayons and stickers for Art Buddies Community Outreach 

$50 Big poster board for Art Buddies Programs

$20 Origami Paper for Art Buddies Penpals 

Join me in giving generously to bring connection, encouragement, inspiration, creativity, and joy to our little buddies today! 

Heidi Rich 

Executive Director

And please check out our social media or website to see the JOY in action! @artbuddies

 

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