FREE ARTS MINNESOTA

HELPING YOUTH IN LA, NYC, PHOENIX, AND MINNEAPOLIS SINCE 1997 An Art Therapist founded the first Free Arts for Abused Children in Los Angeles over 30 years ago. She was motivated by the belief that art and positive adult relationships are not a luxury for children dealing with physical and sexual abuse, but a necessity. In 1997, Free Arts Minnesota began serving children in residential treatment center, domestic abuse shelters, and therapeutic pre-schools. We began as a project of the Junior League of Minneapolis. Soon thereafter, we received our first major funding from Lifetouch. They are still supporting us today! In 2001, Free Arts Minnesota became a separate nonprofit with Michelle Silverman as the first executive director. Our aim was to help at-risk kids have a more positive and productive future. Our art programs for homeless and abused youth began to impact even more youth in the Twin Cities. In 2010, Dan Thomas was hired as executive director. He started the “Twice the Healing Campaign” which brought about the expansion of Free Arts Weekly Mentorship program to many more social service agencies and gave 4,000 young people each year more access to art. In 2012, the Free Arts board changed our name from Free Arts for Abused Children of Minnesota to Free Arts Minnesota. This was in recognition of a revised mission to “inspire hope and build self-esteem for youth who have experienced poverty, homelessness, abuse and mental illness, using the healing powers of artistic expression and caring adult mentors.”