Facilitating fine arts and art appreciation classes at Shelter for abused homeless women with children living in hardship. Additionally, we will facilitate various Art Events and Exhibitions. Participants are at-risk children and one parent families motivated to get their lives back on track. Most participants (97%) are living with psychiatric disabilities and in recovery of substance abuse and PTSD. We are including and integrating a diversity of underprivileged students and artists. We connect students with real life experiences, so that students can use their personal knowledge in areas such as, creative career opportunities, their everyday experience or the understanding of arts forms and community arts resources We teach hands-on according to each student’s unique talents, abilities and interests.   We challenge our students to learn about fine arts, art appreciation and the principals and elements of making works of art, drawing, painting, ready-made art, sculptures, design, photographs, color theory, mixed techniques, new media, contemporary trends, music, poetry and dance, as well as preparing portfolio.  

“The children and mothers love it when the artists The American Art Academy come tot facilitate… They don’t ever want to do anything else when they come, and they look forward to it all week. This is a wonderful art program and it has really taught them to love art, music and dance… For many of our art students, art has been a vessel for a much more powerful message” -.Director Dream Center

“During this art program we have been taught us to be ourselves, and whatever is on our mind to just draw it out and express how we feel. With our self-portraits, the art teachers encourages to draw and express how we see ourselves, and this is how we see ourselves — as future Architects, Designers and Artists.” – as expressed by a student living at the shelter.