This is the fourth post in the 2021 Kindness series. Each month I will make a donation to a different nonprofit and write about the organization.


This month’s donation is in memory of my mom, Arlene Summers, who passed away one year ago. Mom was an artist and an educator who devoted her career to helping kids learn about and enjoy art. I selected a nonprofit with a mission close to her heart. (The image above, “You gotta have ART’ is a button Mom had on her inspiration bulletin board that now sits on my desk.)

Arlene Summers

 

About P.S. ARTS

P.S. ARTS supports under served public schools and communities by offering visual arts, dance, music, and theater programs.  The organization was created to fill a gap after funding cuts reduced or eliminated art programs in some California schools. (Over the years, my Mom talked about the challenges school districts faced. Sadly, when some schools needed to cut spending, arts programs were reduced. )

P.S. ARTS has several arts programs.

Classroom Instruction – Kids in the partner schools attend weekly dance, music, theater, and/or visual arts classes throughout the school year. They also have programs like the Student Art Club that gives kids a chance to do art project during lunchtime.

P.S. ARTS classroom programs serve 57 schools and 25,000 students

Community Outreach – P.S. ARTS organizes free arts events for families that include hands-on arts activities and resources parents can use to help their kids do art at home.

P.S. ARTS community engagement programs serve 10,000 students and families

 

Art at Home

Here is something cool you can do at home…  P.S. ARTS has an entire section on their website, Art at Home, with free video projects that anyone can try. You can find visual arts, music, theater, and dance projects.  I love that many of the visual art projects are themed around famous artists like Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Wassily Kandinsky, Georgia O’Keeffe, and more. Kids can learn about art history and works of art while making their own masterpiece.

 

Support P.S. ARTS

If you are interested, there are a few ways you can support P.S. ARTS valuable work in underserved public schools and communities.


  • Follow P.S. ARTS on social media and spread the word.
  • Make a one-time or recurring donation.
  • Try out their free arts projects with your kids. You can even post your creations on social media with the hashtag #psartstogo.
  • If you live in Southern California, become a volunteer or guest artist.