Dallas Kids and Artists Creating Magic Again
2nd ArtLoveMagic Youth Workshop July 24th

Deep Ellum reaches out to Dallas kids with its youth art program. 501(c)3 organization, the Deep Ellum Foundation, teams up with Dallas art and performance collective, ArtLoveMagic, to host the second ArtLoveMagic Youth Workshop Friday, July 24th, 2009.

After a successful premiere workshop in May, new energy for the interactive art program sparked the interest of Deep Ellum benefactors.

Jeanne Blanton, local real estate and property owner, is founding the Don Blanton Art Endowment Fund in memory of her late husband. Cultivating an appreciation for art, especially in kids, is very important to Blanton. Her first donation from the endowment is a sponsorship of the ArtLoveMagic Youth Workshop.

Madison Partners, LLC is a mainstay property management and real estate company in the Deep Ellum community. Madison Partners’ CEO Susan Reese is happy to support the new program.

“I believe that the interconnections between solid community and the arts are far-reaching. It is with exposure to the arts and hands-on experience within the arts that young people experience the joy, challenges and beauty of creating. In return for supporting this opportunity, our community becomes the beneficiary of more involved, more sensitive, more complete citizens.”

The July workshop will connect kids from Boys and Girls Club Dallas and Arlington’s SafeHaven with artist mentors from ArtLoveMagic. Five visual art genres will be offered to the students. The kids will draw, paint and cartoon alongside the artists. Students will also try their hand at creating pottery and graffiti art.

The interactive model is a fun, different approach to teaching art techniques, tells Michael Lagocki, ArtLoveMagic co-founder.
“This is not like a classroom where the children are taught from the front of a room, using a pre-planned lesson. The kids are in the mix, touching the tools, reacting to what the artist is creating live, just as the artist is reacting to them. Every outing is absolutely unique because it is dependent on what the artists and the kids create together.”

Art, fun, and learning make the workshop an unforgettable experience for all involved. Pizza at lunch tops off the day, and leaves lots of smiling faces in its wake.