Imagined Worlds @ JFK Fundraiser

The mural is complete! Our artists have been working all week transforming the brick wall into a work of art inspired by JFK students' art.

We are having a celebration and ribbon cutting on Friday June 7 from 6-7pm to celebrate the completion of the mural. Come join us at JFK Middle School at 100 Bridge Street in Florence!

It's not too late to donate! Your continued donations help us to pay the incredible artists who have helped paint this mural over the past year. Help support collaborative public art at JFK Middle School and other public schools in our area.

Thanks all!

Sharon, Ryan, Amelia, and Maddie

The Imagined Worlds Team

What is Imagined Worlds?

“Imagined Worlds” is a year-long therapeutic art initiative proposed for JFK Middle School. This program utilizes an art therapy approach which asks students to imagine and visualize a space where they can feel safe and positive. Beginning in Fall of 2023, art teachers will bring this prompt into their classrooms through an art-therapy-informed abstract art and collage unit, in which students will create their own “safe spaces”. Additionally, school guidance counselors will practice this tool with students throughout the school year.

The art created throughout the fall and winter will then be collected and transformed into a community created mural on the entrance of the school. The full program will culminate in a ribbon cutting and celebration in May 2024.

This project will reach all 570+ students and the greater school community

Why?

This would be the first ever project in the school that brings together students, staff, and caregivers around the theme of mental health. The “Imagined Worlds” program is based on a prevention/resilience model. Researchers note that early interventions are helpful in supporting children, and teaching them how to cope with everyday challenges, before more serious mental health issues may arise. By introducing coping tools early on, children are more prepared to handle problems they may face in the future. When art therapy is woven into the educational system, it can help to address children’s emerging needs and have a positive impact on their overall wellbeing!

THANK YOU TO OUR LOCAL SPONSORS:

This has already been supported by a $15,000 contribution from the Northampton Education Foundation, as well as generous contributions from Wohl Dentistry (Materials Sponsor), Northampton Arts Council, D.A Sullivan and Sons Inc, Western Mass Heating Cooling and Plumbing; Martin Wohl and Marisa Labozetta, Keiter, Dead River Company, Berkshire Design Group, Northeast Solar, Maple & Main Realty, and Cooley Dickinson.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT + TO VIEW SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES CLICK HERE

About Us:

Sharon Leshner (also known as Sharona Color) is a Northampton based artist, educator, and community activator. Sharon has been creating community engaged murals since 2017. Sharon has extensive experience creating community engaged murals, including at 6 Public Elementary Schools in her hometown of Philadelphia. In her work, she seeks to bring people from vastly different life experiences together by playfully acknowledging the deep, sometimes hidden, inner thoughts and feelings that we all share. Sharon runs a collective studio space and mural initiative in Easthampton called The Color Collaborative. The Color Collaborative creates public art opportunities, as well as educational arts programming for artists of all ages. Sharon has received grants from Mass Cultural Council, New York Foundation for the Arts, and Mass Growth Capital Corporation. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in Philadelphia, PA, Holyoke, and Northampton, MA.

Ryan Murray is a local artist and muralist based in Springfield, MA. Through the unflinching medium of spray paint stenciling, Ryan unearths and examines unsettling but important conversations about the stigma of mental illness, with the goal of normalizing the discussion and treatment of mental health in black communities. He has shown work in Pittsburgh, Springfield, and numerous other Western Mass locations. He is currently represented by Art for the Soul Gallery. Ryan has received grants from the Community Foundation of Western MA, Mass Cultural Council, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Amelia Moore is a Northampton-based art therapist and illustrator. Amelia currently works as the clinician for Clinical & Support Options’ PACT team, helping adults with complex mental illness live with greater ease in the community. Amelia practices person-centered art therapy, following the client’s lead about where they want to go and how they want to get there. From quick sketches following a walk in the woods to larger scale mixed media pieces to conversations about colors spotted out a hospital window, art making and creativity are cornerstones of Amelia's work. Amelia graduated with a Masters in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute in 2020, and since then has worked with all ages in community mental health settings.

Resilient Community Arts

Resilient Community Arts (RCA) is an Easthampton based non-profit arts organization whose mission is to sustain collective efforts for social progress and equity through affordable arts programming. Resilient Community Arts is built on the philosophy that when community members have a place to voice their experiences, to harness cultural power, and amplify their stories and what is important to them, we take steps forward together towards a more just and equitable world. RCA exists to provide an accessible, community-driven arts space that fosters meaningful independent creativity and nurtures collaborative efforts to bring marginalized identities into the center of the arts. Maddie McDougall, the founder and director of RCA is a former Springfield public elementary school art teacher. Click here to learn more about Resilient Community Arts.

The money raised will go towards:

Artists' fees

Contract labor

Community Engagement Events

Materials

We are nearly to our goal but need your help!