Arts Empowering Door County Youth

Beginning the week of April 21, the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts (FHCA) in downtown Ephraim will kick-off the arts mentorship component of its new art education program, Exposure to Creativity (ETC).

The FHCA’s Exposure to Creativity (ETC) Arts Mentorship Program uses arts education to create a spark that lights the imagination and creativity of the youth in our community. Through a partnership with Gibraltar Area Schools and Friends of Gibraltar (FOG) the FHCA is able to reach out to young people ages 14 to 18 years old and expose them to creative-related professions including photography, theater, dance, songwriting and music recording and culinary, literary and visual arts. The FHCA believes in the importance of exposure to the arts and hopes to empower young people to develop creative practices they can sustain throughout their lives.

“Over the past six months, we have identified an astonishing sixty-six students with sincere interest that wish to further their development through a mentor relationship,” says Jan Comstock, the center’s executive director.

ETC officially launched in September 2007 with field trips to the Francis Hardy Gallery, bringing in 350 middle and high-school aged students to view the exhibition which explored the creative process. The field trips were followed by a series of 32 hands-on workshops in early November. The FHCA recruited creative professionals with an interest in working with local youth to teach the workshops, serve as mentors and participate in other capacities with the program. The FHCA is still enthusiastically recruiting creative professionals – active or retired – with knowledge in their respective fields to participate in the ETC program. Individuals with professional experience in the culinary or performing arts, architecture, literary and fine arts, landscape, graphic and interior design and anything in between are encouraged to contact the FHCA.

A winter survey of Gibraltar High School students reflected areas of interest for the ETC Mentorship Program as well as the fall 2008 workshops. The 12-hour total mentor experience will begin the week of April 21 with sessions that are scheduled to take place at Gibraltar High School and various community locations, under the supervision of FHCA and FOG staff.

“The relationships and authentic artistic experiences will enhance the lives of Gibraltar High School students,” writes Kirk Knutson, Gibraltar Secondary School Principal. “The ETC Program strengthens community connections and promotes wellness for area youth. It may launch a student onto a post-secondary education in the arts and undoubtedly, it will allow the area youth to understand that we value them and want them to succeed.”

For more information about ETC or the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts, please contact Executive Director Jan Comstock at 920.854.2210, or via email at [email protected] or log onto thehardy.org.