In an ongoing exhibit, a group of teen boys explore humanity through the use of art after having faced difficult consequences from negative influences in their lives.
These boys, like many other children seeking healthy ways to cope with difficult situations, have been given the opportunity to creatively express themselves through Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona.
Free Arts partnered with First Studio to display a collection of art called “I Am Human.” With the guidance of artists and volunteers, the teens presented an array of work based on reflections of themselves, their stories and what it means for them to be human.
“Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is essentially here to transform children’s trauma to resilience using creative expression,” said Jessie Balli, the outreach coordinator for Free Arts.
Free Arts is a program that works with children who have experienced events of family trauma, homelessness and violence, and allows them to express themselves in a caring and safe setting, according to its website.
Balli has been working with Free Arts for a little more than a year. Balli said this group of young boys, who have been in treatment facilities, have not always been supported in their aspirations and “might have experienced drug or alcohol addiction.”
Balli said the organization has helped children in the program by allowing them to utilize multiple forms of art such as mixed media, culinary art, dance, beat-making, spoken word poetry and photography.
“The creative expression part is part of it, but definitely having that mentorship and guidance from a positive, caring adult that they might not have in their lives, gives them the opportunity to try something different and to build some different skills,” Balli said.
Kristine Kollasch, an artist and curator of First Studio who also worked with the teens, said watching the boys grow through the creative process was one of her favorite parts of the experience.
“We really believe in giving kids options — helping them see that they have a voice,” Kollasch said. “They get to see that they can be part of something bigger.”
Laurie Provost, a photographer whose art is also in the exhibit, worked alongside Kollasch with the boys from Free Art and said the experience was overall “transformational.”
“They got to paint and write and draw and create what it meant to them individually to be human,” Provost said. “They really opened up and were able to show what their lives were like as these young, little humans that are stuck in the system of either homelessness or abuse.”
Balli said that while working with the children through the program is a fulfilling experience on its own, working with volunteers has also been an enjoyable part of the process.
“My favorite part of [working with volunteers] is knowing that there are so many caring adults in my community that care about these children that have experienced these things,” Balli said.
Using these creative methods to help teens and children cope with hardships have proven effective. According to the Free Arts website, 91 percent of children involved in Free Arts programs have experienced increased resiliency.
“They got to express themselves very freely, and I think that’s what’s so powerful,” Provost said.
This year, Free Arts is celebrating its 25th anniversary. According to their website, the organization has impacted more than 122,000 Arizona children since it was first formed.
“Every child matters, and that’s what we truly believe is that every child matters,” Balli said. “Even these children who are living in group homes, foster care, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, treatment facilities — these children matter, and we all believe that.”
The artwork will be available for viewing during First Studio’s regular hours through the end of November.
Contact the reporter at vahill1@asu.edu.
