Arts Visalia received grant funding through the City of Visalia’s Measure N Grant and the Board of Supervisors Step-Up program. Through this funding we target participation of at-risk and under-served youth in our after school and summer art classes.
Working with at-risk and under-served students has enabled us to see how art impacts these children. Art has been considered a deterrent to negative behavior. Not only working on art projects, but also interacting with others in the classroom and with the instructor creates a positive atmosphere for these children.
We all put our heads together and decided that we should pay tribute to not only students that participate in our Young at Art Summer Program and Exhibition, but students that participate in Arts Visalia’s art classes year-round. In response to this need, we decided to dedicate a permanent space for children’s artwork. After seeking the community’s input of the naming of the gallery space, the community chose the Young Imaginations Gallery.
The new Young Imaginations Gallery displays monthly artwork created from our 5-17 year old participants of our children’s classes. This is an exciting venture of continuing to stimulate creativity from our young generation. This space provides a safe place for children and families to visit during gallery hours.