Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to SJ Spreng. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
SJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
Give Kids Art (GKA) is committed to supporting underserved and low-income communities, with a focus on children who often lack access to arts education and creative outlets due to financial constraints or systemic inequities. We provide free art programs and workshops through a variety of partner organizations, such as Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) and various branches of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. By providing opportunities for kids to create fearlessly, we aim to help participants develop stronger self-awareness and self-compassion.
For instance, through our partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, we are able to reach families within the community who face challenges like underfunded schools, limited extracurricular programs, and economic instability. One particular student, a 10-year-old named Max, came to GKA’s program with little exposure to art, feeling unsure of himself and hesitant to participate. He expressed to the facilitator of his group, SJ, that he often felt stuck when he tried to create art, out of fear that it wouldn’t be “good enough.” Over time, through our 10-week programming, Max engaged in our process-based approach that focuses on enhancing children’s social-emotional growth and exposing them to a variety of visual arts media. We aim to help our little artists, just like Max, understand that there is no right or wrong way to create. Throughout his time in our program, Max began to grow excited about the idea of making “mistakes” in his art, eventually telling SJ that he loves to turn something that was a mistake into something else beautiful. By the end of the 10-week program, Max developed confidence, improved his emotional expression, and built a sense of community with the other children. Not only this, but he sought out to create his own comic book featuring the character designs he started developing during his free time at school. For kids like Max, GKA is more than just an art program — it’s a critical space for self-discovery, healing, and growth.
SJ, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Give Kids Art (GKA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in California, dedicated to providing free art programs and art supplies to underserved and low-income children. Our hope is to empower our youth through self-expression and creative exploration, ensuring that financial barriers don’t prevent them from experiencing the therapeutic benefits of the arts. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to fearlessly discover their innate artistic self, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
The inspiration for GKA comes from a deep belief in the transformative power of art. Art can foster emotional healing, personal growth, and community connections, particularly for children who face challenges such as poverty, trauma, or lack of resources in their schools. Our founder, Kara Anton, recognized that many public schools, especially in low-income areas, often lack funding for arts programs, and GKA was created to bridge that gap. We offer quarterly 8-10 week art programming, a variety of art workshops, and community events where children can engage in painting, drawing, sculpture, and other visual art modalities. Similarly, during the pandemic, Kara recognized that many children lacked access to art supplies at home, so we developed our Art Kits initiative. Through the unwavering support of our volunteers, partners and donors, we are able to provide children with comprehensive Art Kits to allow them to create fearlessly from anywhere. All of our programs not only nurture social emotional growth, but also provide the unconditional environment and tools for kids to explore, discover or develop their inner artist. This September, we celebrated our 5-year anniversary! In the last five years, we have worked with our communities to hand-deliver 4,500 Art Kits to kids in need, and provide 1,650 children with our 8-10 week art programming.
What sets us apart is our focus on the joy of art. Every step of the way, we encourage children to create fearlessly – to release their own expectations or any learned rules in order to allow their innate creativity and voice to flow through them – to enjoy the process of making art! We believe every child is an artistic miracle, and it is our mission to empower as many children as possible to experience this within themselves.
One of our proudest achievements is seeing the impact our programs have on the children we serve. Whether it’s a child overcoming shyness or perfectionism through painting or discovering a passion for drawing that inspires them to pursue art as a lifelong interest, we witness firsthand how art can change lives. We are so proud and grateful to be a part of these moments of discovery, growth, and joy.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When Give Kids Art began, we focused on in-person programming (i.e., facilitate art sessions and workshops). However, in March 2020 when the pandemic hit, we were faced with a whole new challenge: how to create spaces for children to make art without being in the same space. The circumstances required several pivots in how we work and ultimately opened the doors for amazing new avenues for our work. For instance, when we transitioned our programming to virtual, we found that many of our students did not have access to even the most basic materials, like a pencil. This is where the current iteration of our Art Kits initiative was born. We decided to make sure that every child had all of the materials they needed to create at home and engage in our programming. This experience strengthened our commitment to flexibility and finding creative solutions, helping us better serve the children who need us most, no matter the circumstances or location!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
At the very core of Give Kids Art, we believe in the notion that there is no right or wrong way to create, and that each and every one of us is an artist. In fact, our first organizational value is to “embrace beautiful mistakes.” Though it may seem obvious, this is something that we must continue to unlearn everyday. Far too many people are exposed at a very young, formative age to a restrictive and regulated approach, sometimes even punitive approach, to art and creativity. For example, through the education system, certain students become encouraged to label themselves “creative,” while others learn that they should focus their time elsewhere if they don’t excel in certain types of art-making.
In the same way that we believe that art should be accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, we believe, too, that no factor should prevent anyone from creating. Everyone IS an artist. The social, emotional and cognitive benefits of simply engaging in art activities are innumerable and far outweigh any end result; the benefits are in the process itself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.givekidsart.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/givekidsart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/givekidsart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/69127531/admin/dashboard/
- Other: Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/b4d73205b677/2023-09-12-gka-newsletter
Image Credits
In support of Give Kids Art, many of these photos were contributed by various individuals and facilitators from our partner curriculum program organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica and the Boys & Girls Club of Venice (now a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles.)