Milagro Center Introduces New Artist-In-Residency Program

The children who participate in Milagro Center's after-school programs are living proof that the arts have the power to transform lives. Now, local artists will have the chance to see the impact their work can have on under-served students thanks to a new artist-in-residency program at the Delray Beach nonprofit.

The arts have always been at the heart of the Milagro Center's efforts to serve children in economically challenged neighborhoods. The new Blueprint Gallery Artist-in Residency program builds on that by inviting area artists to apply for an opportunity to not only share their work and their process with students in grades K-12, but to also have their work featured in a two-person exhibition at the Blueprint Gallery.

"The Blueprint Artist-in-Residency will introduce our students to a variety of art forms, techniques and styles, while introducing the artists selected to participate - and their work - to our enthusiastic community of partners, sponsors and supporters," says Barbara Stark, Milagro Center President and CEO.

The artist-in-residency program will effectively expand Milagro Center's ability to educate and inspire under-served children in the community, while offering area artists a valuable opportunity to interact with a community of potential patrons who have a deep-seated appreciation for the arts at the opening reception for the gallery show - and through extensive promotion across Milagro Center's various social media platforms.

The new program will also reinforce Milagro Center's efforts to establish the Blueprint Gallery as a hub for emerging and contemporary art in the community. "We are excited about the opportunity to fill our gallery with exciting art and ideas," says Rick Rodriguez, the center's Cultural Arts Director. "And, because our gallery shows are free and open to the public, we'll be able to share the excitement with our students and their families as well as interested area residents who may never have the opportunity to visit a fine art gallery or museum exhibition."

Research has shown that the dropout rate for students with high arts participation and low socioeconomic status is five times lower than that of their peers. Low-income students who are highly engaged in the arts are also twice as likely to graduate college as their peers with no arts education, according to Americans for the Arts.

Two professionals in the art world - Michelle Drummond, a mixed media artist, and Marusca Gatto, a kiln-formed glass artist - will join with Rodriguez to review applications and select two local artists to be Milagro's inaugural artists-in-residence. Selected artists will be expected to work with the students for about six hours over the course of a 12-week residency, teaching them about their craft and introducing them to new ways to explore the world through art.

The call to artists is open to all visual artists. The deadline for submissions is Feb 21st, 2020. Details can be found at https://www.milagrocenter.org/digital-artists-in-residency/.

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