Alex Reyes, 16 yrs old.
Other than those who criticize spending taxpayer money on art programs geared toward 'at-risk' youth, the power of art to transform lives is generally not disputed.
Local organizations that understand the value of channeling the creative energy of youth are working to turn the tide from potential law breakers to contributing members of society through art education.
Art in Reality, the Tucson Parks and Recreation and Pima County funded afterschool program, provides free visual and performing arts classes for kids between the ages of 13-21 who live in Pima County. AIR has fall and spring 10-week sessions, ending with the "Keepin' It Real" performance showcase.
Classes range from poetry to break dancing, and also include sewing, aerosol art, DJ school, yoga, belly dance, martial arts and capoeria - an Afro-Brazilian martial art. It even offers elective and P.E. credit to students in charter schools that lack such amenities.
Additionally, for the last two years, the Tucson Police Department (TPD) and The Drawing Studio (TDS) have been collaborating on what they call the Gang Outreach Project.
At-risk teenagers, TPD Officer Pablo Camargo and TDS instructor Betina Fink meet at The Drawing Studio, 33 S. 6th Ave., for three hour sessions on Saturdays during each semester.
These students are bused in from several schools that serve disadvantaged youth. The curriculum, in addition to basic drawing, consists in particular of how to focus, how to see, how to concentrate.
Fink said that initially kids complain about the seemingly interminable length of time involved (so she removes the clock); shortly thereafter the complaint is that three hours is too short - can they stay longer?
And child by child, one at a time, instead of young criminals, they morph into people who discover their creativity, learn about discipline and process and find a positive way to self-esteem.
Scholarships for the Gang Outreach Project are provided by TPD and TDS, making the program free for at-risk youth, and are available for summer programs as well as school-year programs. For information, call Betina at 620-0947 or email youth@thedrawingstudio.org. For information on Art In Reality's programs, call 882-8012.
