Megan Fortman

Art with a Heart

Art with a Heart's mission is to enhance the lives of people in need through visual art. With art as its vehicle, Art with a Heart provides Baltimore's vulnerable children and youth with access to positive and productive programming, caring and nurturing adults on a consistent basis, and the chance to embrace new ideas and skills. Art with a Heart works to make participation in its programs a transformative experience, emphasizing for its participants that their new ideas and skills can be a foundation for creating change in their lives. In addition to more than 14,500 annual core programs, Art with a Heart offers the following complementary initiatives: • HeARTworks - a workforce development program, uses art as a vehicle to teach job skills • Art to Market - teaches job program participants and volunteers to create marketable art which is then displayed and sold to the public • Apprenticeships - encourages qualified participants who have graduated from the job program to earn money while assisting in HeARTwares and targeted sites • Arts Integration - provides engaging visual art programs to supplement academic curricula in elementary/middle schools • HeARTwares - Art with a Heart's social enterprise/retail store • Public Art Projects - often in the form of mosaic murals by community volunteers • Community Service and Service Learning • The Art of Leadership - introduces and/or reinforces leadership competencies to provide students the skills to help solve community problems and enhance their civic participation.