Fine Arts Program

Art education is a vital component of the overall development of our children and youth at UrbanPromise. Weekly visual art instruction provides opportunities for our young people to enrich their lives by practicing skills in observation, imaginative thinking and creative production, building self-esteem and confidence.  Each week, exciting things are happening in art class for UrbanPromise students.

Our newly renovated art studio, courtesy of the generous efforts of The First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown, is a light-filled space that is inviting for students’ creative abilities.  What a joy to watch our young people participate in their artistic endeavors as they gain confidence in self-expression and the sharing of their gifts.  

Prints and note cards of selected works are available for purchase as well. Our art students depend on your generosity to provide the resources needed for their classes. It is only through your purchase of these reproductions, as well as your donations, that we can continue to fund our art program and keep these talented young people creating.

Art students meet with renowned Wilmington, Delaware Artisit

Ten students from our UrbanPromise fine arts program were recently blessed to have the amazing opportunity of visiting with award winning Wilmington painter Edward Loper in his home and studio. Introduced to the work of Mr. Loper by a friend of UrbanPromise prior to our visit, students learned about this amazing 93 year old painter who began his career as a WPA artist and has continued to teach and work in the Wilmington area throughout his life. Mr. Loper and his wife graciously welcomed us and shared with our students his painting techniques and even critiqued some student art.

Following the visit students toured The Delaware College of Art and Design in downtown Wilmington and then completed the day with an educational program at The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art. Students eyes were open wide throughout the day, taking full advantage of these incredible experiences, expanding mind and spirit.

Primary Grade Students Encounter Master Works of Art

Thanks to generous donations from UrbanPromise donors, our Kindergarten, First and Second grade students travelled to The Philadelphia Museum of Art the during the last weeks of school to engage in the “Learning to Look” tour provided by museum docents. The children were given an interactive overview of the museums amazing collection and came back with lots of stories to tell of water lily ponds, horses in armor and dancing statues. A wonderful introduction to what will hopefully be a lifelong enjoyment of the arts. Museums are magical places!

UrbanPromise Academy 9th & 10th grades create Lino-Cut Totem Animals

Students in Mrs. Karen Baker’s high school art class studied the totem pole art of the Pacific Northwest Coast Indians. Learning of their spiritual connection with animals, each student chose to depict one that embodied characteristics that they identified with themselves. Carving each design carefully into linoleum blocks, the animals were printed and arranged into a vertical totem pole format. Students created several prints in a variety of colors to take home. Each animal print remarkably represents his or her own unique qualities, as the students came to understand their symbolism.

Students enjoy ceramic art with thanks to friend of UrbanPromise

Mt. Ephraim resident and ceramic artist Donna Bunnell was introduced to our UrbanPromise art program at the annual banquet and kindly offered the use of her kiln for our students to experience the joy of creating in clay. Several classes were excited to model animals and create hand built pottery and tiles that were fired and painted.

We are so grateful for the generosity of Donna and others who contribute in such significant ways to our art program. We have been offered a used, working kiln by another donor, but lack the funding to install and vent it for safe use. Having a kiln on site would greatly expand our students’ ability to explore this medium and provide opportunities for all classes to participate. The cost would be approximately $1,000.00. Anyone interested in making a donation may contact Julie at jkring@urbanpromiseusa.org.

UrbanPromise artist helping Haiti

Following the devastating earthquake this past year in Port Au Prince, fourth and fifth grade students in our Discovery Studio art program considered ways to use their artistic gifts to help in the aid effort. It was decided that they could create some artworks based on some traditional Haitian proverbs. Each artwork was then copied and reproduced on notecards to sell and donate profits to earthquake relief. A youth group visiting from a church in Oklahoma aided us in preparing the notecards. To date nearly $200.00 has been sent to Beyond Borders for the purchase of temporary housing for victims of the quake. Students not only created some amazing work, but discovered the joy of giving from their efforts. Such great life lessons!

Student Illustrates Children's Book

CamdenForward 6th grade student, Justin Johnson, has become a published illustrator of a wonderful children’s book entitled Carson’s Happy Dance, written by a friend of UrbanPromise, Dr. Kevin Warr of San Francisco.  Dr. Warr was introduced to the artwork of our talented students through a friend while  exploring possibilities for an illustrator.  Upon seeing Justin’s work, he knew it was a good fit. 

Over the course of two months, Justin stayed after school a few days a week to work on the drawings, with help from students Tamia Verlander and Jamaal Gillespie.  The charming story of a little boy who learns the important lesson of self-confidence through positive thinking  has been very well received and is available for purchase at www.carsonshappydance.com.   Dr. Warr is generously donating half of all proceeds to UrbanPromise. 

Eighth Grade Painting Series

In May of 2009, fifteen 8th grade students from The CamdenForward School completed a set of paintings that have become part of the UrbanPromise permanent art collection.  The Creation is a series of 16x20 inch tempera paintings based on the famous work of the same name by Harlem Renaissance poet, James Weldon Johnson.  Studying the style of African-American artist, Aaron Douglass, the students each represented a portion of the Genesis account as interpreted by Johnson in his poem.  Using concentric circles and Egyptian-like silhouettes as in the style of Douglass, our artists used the same color palette to unify the series. 

The dramatic works have been exhibited in galleries in Medford, NJ and Alderson Broaddus College in West Virginia.  Each painting stands on its own as a testament to the students’ hard work and creative ability.  Collectively, they represent a remarkable group of young people who have blessed us with the beauty and inspiration of their work. 

Students display oil pastels in the Evearts Gallery

In May of 2009, George and Irma Evearts of the Evearts Gallery in Haddonfield, NJ welcomed students from the CamdenForward School to display a collection of their oil pastel still life artworks in connection with an exhibit by Haddonfield artist Anthony Morrow. 

Mr. Morrow graciously donated a percentage of his sales to the art program and presented a demonstration on monoprints and monotypes to students and their families at the gallery.  This past winter, our students experimented with this same method of printmaking, creating a set of monoprints based on birds and sea creatures.  It was a privilege see our student work on view in such a beautiful space and receive inspiration from such a talented artist as Mr. Morrow. 

Pop in for Pippin!

In June of 2009 our fourth and fifth grade students were treated to a trip to West Chester, PA as a follow up to our study with guest teacher, Mrs. Trish Maunder, on the art of self-taught, African-American artist, Horace Pippin.  Before the trip, students studied a familiar painting by Mr. Pippin entitled The Domino Players, which depicts a childhood memory of the painter’s home and family.  The painting was brought to life for our students by UrbanPromise Academy actors posing as the figures in front of a backdrop replica of the work.   Student artists created their own version of the composition based on what they saw in the “living painting”.  

The trip to West Chester, Pippin’s home town, was a treat, as the classes were invited to visit the historic Chester County Courthouse and create drawings from direct observation in the same way that Pippin had in the 1940’s. 

Earlier in the month, the classes were invited to view several Pippin paintings at The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.  Education director Judy Ringgold graciously allowed students to visit the storage area of the galleries and have a private viewing of the paintings that were off view.  Our students have become experts on the work of this remarkable artist thanks to these unique opportunities. 

Castle In the Classroom

The Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists has partnered with UrbanPromise’s CamdenForward students to embark on a special series of art lessons based on the work of an artist from rural Idaho, James Castle (1899 – 1977).

Profoundly deaf since birth, Castle spent his entire life creating drawings and assemblage artworks using found objects and print material from his home environment. Our students were fascinated with his complex drawings using a “soot and spit” medium as well as his constructions and books. Creating original artworks inspired by James Castle, fourth and fifth graders recycled boxes, letters, twine, wire and a variety of other materials into unique creations from their own imaginations.

The results will be featured in an exhibit in May of 2010 at The Russell Byers Charter School in Philadelphia. A video documentary of the student’s work is also in production for use by the Foudation and WHYY in Philadelphia.

Birth of the Cool

In December our UrbanPromise Academy art students joined instructor Mrs. Karen Baker on a trip to The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts exhibit of the work of Philadelphia artist Barkley Hendricks entitled Birth of the Cool.

Students were captivated by his life sized, finely detailed portraits, strong with presence and expression. Our students followed this experience with a painting project of their own in our UrbanPromise art studio, creating self-portraits with attitude and style. The students were challenged to capture their likenesses in paint and surprised even themselves with their success.