My favorite Community service Project: Head Start Kindergarden Art Show

As far back as I can remember I was involved in community service. My very favorite project was when I was at Denison University and my best friend and I, senior year, decided to create our own project. I was a photography major and Katherine was a painting minor and one late night in the art studio over a few beers we were chatting about how we wanted to be able to share our passion with children who may be able to be inspired and potentially change the course of their lives.

We hand selected a Head Start school for under privileged children in Newark, Ohio. We visited the kindergarden class weekly, with a different art project each week. The projects ranged from leaf rubbings to potato stamps. At the completion of the projects each child had a handful of beautiful pieces. Katherine and I helped them to select their favorite for their 'art show'.

Over the next week the teachers beautifully hung their art in the hallway and send invitations to the 2nd graders to come and view their art work. Of coarse juice and cookies were served and the 2nd graders were taught how to ask questions about their art work.

This may all sound a bit too much for young children. But Katherine and I wanted them to be able to feel amazing about the art they had created and experience being an artist at their own art gallery opening as well as being a viewer. We will never know if any of those children, now 26-28 years old, every continued with art or even stepped foot in a gallery. But our passion to share our love of art with them was successful at the end of their Kindergarden Art Show.