On Feb. 12, Arte de Corazón (“Art of the Heart”) raised more then $4,200 for The Community Foundation’s BRAVO Fund, focused on improving the quality of life for Latino communities throughout Boulder County.
Featured artworks on display at the Kay Carol and Pricila Working Art Studio – co-owned by Marcelo Fernández – attracted record attendance, and included contributions from five talented students.
At first, the predominantly low-income Arapahoe Ridge students in Sarah Flynn’s Arts of the World class didn’t quite grasp the concept of making art to give away.
“These kids may never have been asked to donate something,” says Flynn. “The concept of donating to a fundraiser wasn’t necessarily familiar to them. And they didn’t necessarily believe they had something to offer that someone else might want to buy.”
Indeed, according to Flynn, most students at the alternative high school – part of the Boulder Valley School District – hold down some type of job to help buy their clothes, or help support their families.
So Flynn sweetened the deal to donate. “For students who worked to create and submit their artwork to the BRAVO fundraiser, we set aside money from a Youth Opportunities Advisory Board grant to take them to lunch.”
Specifically, the YOAB grant allows some monies to be allocated for students to “experience the world through food”; students who contributed to the BRAVO fundraiser were thereby treated to international fare, deepening their engagement in the project.
All told, works by the handful participating students – 10th-grader Ramiro, 11th-graders Carly, Isaac and Myranda, and 12th-grader Ahmad – garnered $10 to $30 per piece for the BRAVO Fund. Each student’s alebrije was sold.
“I landed on the theme of alebrijes as these imaginary creatures are easily identifiable as Mexican art,” says Flynn. “Traditionally, they’re made from soft wood, but we used papier-mâché.”
“As a class, we talked about what the BRAVO Fund does and whom it serves,” continues Flynn. “Once the students understood the goal of the project, it became very personal to them. They came to class and got right to work on their art. They were focused and inspired. It was awesome.”
In addition to the Longmont gallery, other community partners that ensured the event’s success include contributing artist Louie Lopez and the Latino Chamber. Delicious hors d’oeuvres were underwritten by Intrado.
