CAL works with the following organizations:

• Goodwill Industries:  http://www.goodwillsp.org/
• Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Charlotte:  http://www.bgccharlotte.org/
• Metrolina Association for the Blind:  http://www.mabnc.org/

Description

The outreach program of the Charlotte Art League is provided by its members for clients of the above organizations. The outreach director and teachers are volunteers. Classes are set up for each group on a weekly basis, and each class runs 90 minutes. Partner organizations provide transportation of the students to the art league. At the art league, there is a small outreach classroom that accommodates about six adults and eight children. The classes are small, but individual attention is a excellent advantage of the limited size.

Current Class Schedule

Tuesday 10:30 a.m.-noon  The Metrolina Association for the Blind

Wednesday 10:00-11:30 a.m.  Goodwill Industries

Thursday 10:30 a.m.-noon Metrolina Association for the Blind

Teachers and Assistants

Teachers for these classes are CAL members who wish to volunteer their time and knowledge to others who are rarely  provided opportunities to participate in the world of art. These teachers have differing areas of expertise and skills.  A teaching volunteer can be a guest teacher offering one or two classes in his or her special medium, and flexibility in scheduling is possible. Each class uses an assistant and assistants are welcome. Contact Outreach Director Sandra Gray to help with the program.

Outreach Exhibits

Two annual exhibits for outreach are scheduled in the Charlotte Art League Gallery.

In May, the Goodwill Exhibit goes on the walls, and there is a large and festive opening on the first Friday (during Gallery Crawl). One of the former participants named the first exhibit ”Color My Dreams,” and this title has been used each year since. The artists from the Goodwill classes attend with their friends and families to see their works professionally displayed and and admired by the public. Sales give 80% to the artist so each artist will know what all artists enjoy when their art is sold. It is the final art lesson of the year.

Art Beyond Sight is an exhibit that is scheduled for October, which is Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month. It is an exhibit that is for or by the visually impaired. Sighted artists are encouraged to enter works that can be touched, heard or sensed in ways other than sight. Artists from the yearly classes for the Metrolina Association for the Blind are also  represented in this show. Again, it is on the first Friday of the month (during Gallery Crawl) and the artists are present, as usual, to receive the public. Students experience the pleasure of having their works admired and purchased.

Sponsors

These outreach programs are sponsored by the partner organizations and the Charlotte Art League. The art league receives an annual grant from the Arts and Science Council in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. We also use many donations from area artists, both in kind and monetary.

Wish list of supplies for outreach:

• Small, cheap digital cameras. Maybe when everyone upgrades for Christmas they can donate.
• Photocopy paper for photos.
• Volunteers with table saws for cutting up masonite and luan sheets into art-sized pieces for collages and assemblages.
• Wood scraps from the shop floor.
• Tablets of paper different sizes and Bristol board and water color tablets are useful. Drawing paper is OK too.
• Canvas boards below the size of 16X20.
• Any non-corrugated cardboard, poster board, foam core, packing cardboard, etc.
• Roll of butcher paper (brown paper for covering the tables)
• Sewing scraps of all kinds, trim, lace, etc.
• Old jewelry … cheap glass, wooden or ceramic beads, etc.
• Rubbermaid bins
• Acrylic paints and watercolors
• Brushes
• Paper
• Drawing supplies, graphite, charcoal, erasers
• Large tables  6 long at least
• Metal supply cabinet
• Bookshelf
• Glues
• Magazines

Contact: Sandra Gray, Co Outreach Director

A message from Tess Mann-John, CAL Community Outreach Co-Director:

We are ready to start the fall off with great work at CAL. Knowing the importance art plays in our world, we at CAL are committed to creating real art experiences for everyone in our community. Art is a form of communication that conveys emotions and offers a vessel for creativity that makes us special. As artists, we know that we cannot be islands unto ourselves if we want to inspire or influence people. Passing on our expertise and giving opportunities to others who would not normally be privy to such a venue makes CAL an important entity for those who benefit from the experience. We take this responsibility seriously. As a creative force, we usher in the next generation of problem solvers and critical thinkers by providing outreach programs that offer free classes to our under-served neighbors.

We are currently renewing sessions for the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Clubs, the Metrolina Association for the Blind, and Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. These classes take place on the premises. Our students see, feel, create, and learn about art while at the same time experiencing an operational art studio and gallery. We are also seeking approval from Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools to allow students to participate in the Youth Art Volunteer (YAV) program, which would cover volunteering, mentoring, and mini-docents activities. The activities would prove valuable to the middle and high school students as well as to the artists who sign up to mentor. Further details are forthcoming.

We want to say thank you to all who have donated their time, supplies, and support for this mission. We know we can count on you as we continue giving all who desire to create the opportunity to do so. At CAL, we care, and we are determined to continue to be a part of the volunteerism in our community. Art alone is a statement, but when it is shared, it stimulates discussions. We look forward to such discussions in our 2011- 2012 outreach program. All are invited to join us. We would love to hear from you.

About Tess Mann-John

Tess Mann-John is a certified elementary education teacher. She has taught for over fifteen years in New York City, Aruba, Orlando, Fla., and now Charlotte, N.C. With degrees in retailing and elementary education, and with countless art classes under her belt, she activates the creativity children have inside them. Merging her love of art and her passion for education, she has been able to teach, volunteer, and create throughout her adult life. Her travels and experiences of many cultures add yet another dimension to her art lessons. Her students learn self-awareness, art techniques, and cultural influences that enrich their own artistic expression. In addition to heading up the outreach program with co-director Sandra Gray, Tess volunteers as an art instructor for the Boys and Girls Clubs and runs and develops the Family Art Days at the Charlotte Art League.

Come enjoy a fun art experience with creative Tess.