Art Studio Inc

I have been a volunteer with Art Studio World: MIAMI for years now and love working with the team and the students... Creative-Holistic Art Integration programs for personal and professional development are improving the lives of these students! Its amazing to be a part of it...

ArtStudio has a powerful goal. The community needs that they try to address are worthy ones--the best even. They are well organized and they don't proceed with their goals without time well spent planning. They know what they want to do and they do a good job doing it.

I've served as a volunteer for almost two years now. I began having workshops at the studio location and for the fall semester that just passed I began an after school program at one of the local middle schools. From the beginning when I first stepped foot in Ar Studio, I knew I was going to really like the organization. There is something about the way that Rachel talks about the program that makes you realize just how important it is to her and how truly dedicated she is. I've seen first hand how important these programs are to these kids and it is a remarkable feat to try and make a difference in their lives.

I'm a local artist who have taught for Art Studio Miami in the past. My experience with the organization far exceed it's expectations for me and I'm sure for the participants as well. I have seen how the program transformed the students within just a short semester; they think differently, their behaviors change for the best, and they learn to become more creative individuals. Last year, for example, I taught a portfolio class at Edison Middle School in attempt to prepare some students to audition to enter DASH. Three students went for the audition and one of them was accepted, a success story the for both me and ASM.

Art Studio is a wonderful organization. Everyone pulls together to help these children achieve their goals and give them the opportunity to have experiences that so many kids deserve. They are doing what we all should be doing and that is supporting those in need. To see their smiles and sense of achievement is an incredible experience... that I will never forget.

I LOVE Art Studio, the groups integrity and dedication are top quality. Even with all the struggles they have encountered navigating extreme poverty scenarios and finding consistent donors, this team of creatives, volunteer mentors, professionals, comes together to serve kids that are slipping through the cracks of poverty. The Miami location is serving in an impoverished community that has been rated the the most below the poverty line of the entire USA. http://bit.ly/1gfOjdm and the schools are suffering because of this. Art Studio's goal to bring LIFE ARTS to the schools and provide a foundation of personal and professional development to students is being implemented with their amazing ability to DO MORE WITH LESS. If you want to support ending poverty in the world this is a great organization to team up with. LOVE IT!

I volunteered at this site for a day and was amazed at the love and passion this group have toward their mission to help children in the community through the Arts.

I was a Volunteer Youth Mentor during the 2013 Summer Session at the Art Studio. I assisted the teachers in preparing art projects, chaperoning field trips, preparing meals/snacks, etc. But the most rewarding experience was being with the children one-on-one, learning their stories and offering support as best I could. The skilled teaching artists planned fun lessons for the kids, and it was inspiring to see them create some truly great pieces of art. I had such a great time that even after my car was totaled in a terrible accident, I still walked an hour round-trip in the blazing summer Miami heat to be with the kids for about 8-10 hours a week! The Art Studio Inc is the type of organization that you make a life-long commitment to. When you see how beneficial the work is, and the response the children have to it, you can't help but want to be involved!

I was priveledged to be given the opportunity to be able to help out this organization . They are truly reaching out to needy children in our community and extending a helping hand. Every child has different needs and this organization is targeting those needs.

If ever heart was involved with art - it's true with Rachael Hughes dedication to Art Studio Miami. CSP CONNI GORDON

Its now been over 20+ years since I became a volunteer teaching artist for at risk youth, writing curriculum and volunteering in NY, Brooklyn, DC, Philly, Baltimore, LA, San Fran, and Miami etc... My in-the-classroom experiences came to a halt when I became chronically ill after 3 months of exposure to the 911WTC toxic dust that effected my kidney, liver, immune system and lungs. I had to stop working and volunteering and now have a 4 hour daily medical treatment routine that keeps me functional, and in 2006 when I began staying in Miami for medical reasons, I felt like my life's volunteer work of being a teaching artist was over... Then, even though it was from my bed at home with my computer, I found a new way to help the kids - by sharing my art integration curriculums and using my "good days" to train other teaching artists who are now the ones running and providing programs to the kids in the Art Studio's current programs. We have been joined by so many amazing people of integrity and dedication that my life's work lives on through those who are able to teach using the arts as learning tools and provide our Healing LIFE ARTS to so many youth, who would other wise fall through the cracks created by poverty... instead our Art Studio youth are on a cradle to career path using Creative-Holstic Art Integration to do this... ("C.H.A.I." LIFE ARTS) ... Sometime my treatment schedule and ill health relapses take over, and I go long periods of time not being able to visit the Art Studio team or see the kids... but I know Art Studio is in good hands, the kids have excellent role models and it is all thanks to an amazing team of Teaching Artists and Volunteers... I especially want to thank Ms Soralee Ayvar and Ms Lisa Pike for their years of dedication. I want to thank all the hundreds of consistent volunteers who have made Art Studio what is it today - serving 200-300 youth in need per year. You are all a blessing and I am so proud to be apart of an organization that has grown and been able to help so many.

As a nonprofit professional with a decade of experience working with out-of-school time organizations, I am blown away by the work of Art Studio Miami. Since the organization has become part of the Healthy Out-of-School Time Initiative, I have had the delight of visiting the Art Studio Miami after-school program coordinated by Ms. Lisa Pike at Jesse J. McCrary Elementary School, twice. The first visit, I was impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and skillset of the youth. I was also astounded by the number of high-quality volunteer Ms. Lisa had to assist her with the kids. The second visit, I was absolutely astonished by how warm and affectionate the children were...not only did they remember me (from one visit), but they had hugs and smiles and lots to say to me! This level of openness by the youth is testimony to the fact that Ms. Lisa and the Art Studio Miami team creates an environment where it is safe to be expressive and where it is safe to trust adults...two attributes sorely needed for kids in this community. On this second visit, I was surprised to see another full team of professional, compassionate and thoroughly engaged volunteers working with the kids. Art Studio Miami's ability to attract, train, retain and manage volunteers is testimony to their high-functioning administrative leadership. They truly are making magic with the very little (in terms of resources) that they have to work with. I'm looking forward to witnessing Art Studio Miami evolve and grow to serve more students as I support them in becoming even more of a positive example of a holistically healthy environment for at-risk Miami-Dade County youth.

I've had the opportunity to volunteer and work closely with Art Studio Miami through the Marlins front-office program, Marlins Ayudan. They are a terrific organization and they're changing the lives of so many young people in the Little Haiti community. I definitely recommend Art Studio Miami to anyone looking to do some volunteering with youth in South Florida.

The staff is fantastic and the children seem to truly appreciate the volunteer visits. It's great to see kids gravitate towards this organization instead of hanging around the streets where they could get in trouble. Kudos to ASI!!!! Keep up the good work!!!!

A wonderful organization that makes real impact in Miami's Little Haiti community. I highly recommend a visit!

On my spring break, I spent my time on Alternative Sprig Break for Florida Atlantic University volunteering at Art Studio Miami. I enjoyed volunteering for this organization. I learned a lot about myself, leadership, teamwork, communication, and the Art Studio Miami organization. I learned about myself by living in a house with 7 other women and working together with them. I learned about leadership, teamwork and communication in the orientation and workshops held by Art Studio Miami. I also learned about leadership in working with the children in the after-school program. Throughout this whole process, I learned about Art Studio Miami. Art Studio Miami is an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth obtain self-empowerment skills so that they may change their future and better themselves to release them from the environment they were born in.

I volunteered with Art Studio of Miami for a week for my alternative spring break in March 2013. I was very impressed by the program, the people (the staff), and the way they apply their creative holistic approach to empowering young minds and restoring hope in the community. I have lived in south Florida my whole life and never understood the reality of poverty in my own backyard. Little Haiti is a community that is benefiting greatly from the work and presence of this organization. Their use of a creative holistic approach (mind, body, soul) attempts to empower children through more than academic learning or artistic creation. I love this philosophy because I believe kids at risk for the things these kids are at risk for need a safe place to create, express, learn, grow, ask, and build. Art studio of Miami is all of this and more. Not to mention, I could see the positive impact our presence made in the lives of these children after just one week. They are guarded and a bit rough around the edges at first but with a smile and some one on one encouragement, they soften up and are incredibly responsive to our presence. I really believe that having the mentors here helps them to see they can succeed too.

After spending a week with Art Studio Miami, I am amazed at the impact and message of this wonderful organization. What Art Studio Inc is doing is wholesome, holistic and unique, and that is why the impact is so great. The kids who partake in Art Studio are involved and learning with everything they do in the studio. Most of all, the kids come on their own accord, and through this they are exposed to skills that will last them a lifetime. It is so easy to be involved, and every volunteer can bring something to the table.

I volunteered at Art Studio Miami as part of my Alternative Spring Break 2013. We spend the week helping to clean out the space and assisting with ASM's after school programs. Our trip was very informative and eye opening. Soralee helped us become aware of ASM's mission through activities that that they would often use with the kids, and there was a lot of useful discussion. Spending the week with them helped me to learn about the underlying issues of childhood poverty and some possible solutions.

Art Studio Miami is currently collaborating with my organization, Camillus House, to provide an art program for our children. The program provides a teaching artist who teaches the children how to draw and write their own cartoon. They also get to go on field trips to the museum, various art performances and showcases. It has been a pleasure working with ASM and all the people we have encountered has been very generous. We look forward to continuing our relationship with ASM and expanding the current program.

My name is Algenelerro Frazier I work with United Cerebal Palsy and I had the previledge of visiting Art Studios with a friend of mine whom happen to be a volunteer. While I was there I was touched that inner city kids had a head start on having ideas that they otherwise wouldn't obtain in school like critical thinking and better social skills other than the ones they learn from their peers or families wich are generally wrong due to the lack of education. Florida is more geared for students to pass a f-cat test instead of basing the kids knowledge and potential with what they learn through out the year so teachers are stuck being a disiplinary figure instead of preparing them for a future in the real world. Art Studios is a vessel that gives these children a fresh and new way of thinking not limiting their thinking to what they see on tv or their surroundings which you can see on A&E's The Next 48 living here in Miami.

I had come to Miami with a group of students from Rollins College on an Alternative Spring Break trip. Miami would serve as a microcosm in which to study immigration and the human effect of it. During our first two days we were in Homestead learning about the rural migrant community and their lives working in the field. After which we began our service with Art Studio Inc. Located in the heart of Little Haiti, an impoverished community located in Miami, yet rich in culture and tradition, the students that we got to work with had quite a bit to share about their experiences and some of the stories that we heard were heartbreaking, yet they were a testament to their strength. Despite their home situations, the students were eager to participate in the projects arranged by the teachers of Art Studio Inc. and appreciative of the volunteers who had given them the attention that you could see that they had so desperately desired, but which was often not provided to them at home or in school. Whereas some may have viewed these kids as "hopeless," working with them helped me find hope in each and every one of them through their wit and character. This organization, is so necessary; with funding for the arts becoming harder to come acroos in public schools, these children are being deprived of a unique medium through which to explore their ideas. The arts foster creative and critical thinking, expression, as well as breaking through established barriers of class grade, language, and culture. Overall a phenomenal experience, there should be more organizations like this throughout the country!

I am a student a Rollins College in central Florida. I came to Art Studio with 12 other volunteers and I can speak for every single one of us when I say that our experience was eye-opening and inspirational. There are so many different words and emotions that I wish to express to describe this experience but I will only say a few; Our experience was a one-on-one tutoring with the kids who were in the process of executing a play. Within the first 10 minutes, as the children innocently blurted out their home lives, we were able to catch a glimpse of the harsh lives of these kids.
A few of the volunteers admitted they were desperately trying to hold back their tears for these kids but they knew that must to continue to help.
When the day was through and we volunteers had a moment to reflect our experience, this is what we had to say:
we have fear, fear that these kids will go to bed beaten, defeated and with no hope for the future. Afraid that they will give up on themselves because everyone else has and they will not have the opportunity to attend college.
Hope. Hope that with the help of more volunteers and kind souls that these kids will hear about hope and have the courage to follow it.
Respect. Resect for the women who we watched restlessly keep up with these kids and treat them as if they were their own. These women who can do this for hours and days while we the volunteers could barely keep up for an hour.
Purpose. Finding our purpose again as to why we came on this trip and why we have a passion to help these children. These kids opened our eyes and helped us remember why we continue in school, in life, with hope, and with courage to finish school and to come back to help these children.
I will never forget this experience and neither will the rest of the volunteers. Art studio I thank you for your dedication, your committment, and your love and passion for this work. Thank you.

I came to Miami with a group of students from Rollins College to learn more about immigration in the area. We started off in Homestead, working with the farmworkers association. We then came to Miami to work with Art Studio Inc. We've been working one on one with these children and it's been a great opportunity to get to know each and every one of them on an individual level. These children presumably do not get enough attention and at times, do not feel loved. We, as a group, provided those for the Art Studio class. These children need stability in their lives, since they are not getting much elsewhere whether because of family or political or financial reasons. The two days we've been working with the children we were able to provide some love and some stability. I just hope that Art Studio Inc and their cause isn't forgotten, because those children would be given up on as well without anyone to depend on. They need volunteers. They need some sort of stability from a person or mentor they can look up to.

I found out about Art Studio Miami about a year ago when I read an article in The Miami Herald. I went to the studio to determine if this could be a place where the Friends of Little River charitable organization could team to provide additional services to the children in the neighborhood. I found the amazing leadership and passion of Rachel and Soralee to be inspiring and I encouraged my organization to support their after school programming at the Jesse J McCrary Elementary School and work toward supporting other programs offered at ASM.

I have also taken my young children to programs offered at ASM. My 4, 7 and 8 year old loved the guided imagining session and the mask making lead by Ashley. They talked about it for weeks. It is truly amazing what the arts can inspire in all of us.

I came to Art Studio as a volunteer mentor early in the summer of 2009 and immediately felt as if I'd found home. The Art Studio team of artists and volunteers are so passionate about the work they do to inspire, encourage, and empower the youth of Little Haiti through the integration of creative-holistic arts, and the core team is equally dedicated to providing a supportive and welcoming environment for all volunteers and contributors.

My family and I are devoted participants in Art Studio Miami. I have been in the arts for over 30 years , organized exhibitons around the world , from the DIA Art Foundation in New York , the Bronx Museum to Rufino Tamayo Museum in Mexico and Centro Colombo Americano in Medellin, Colombia , many others. But I must confess that none have brought the satisfaction that I feel when an ART STUDIO student smiles. It is a great achivement. Thank you to all ASM friends for allowing the me opportunity to feel this satisfaction.

Art Studio Miami has been working tirelessly to help the Haitian community in Miami. It is a primarily volunteer run organization that was started by a New York transplant. They give free programming to the youth in the community and have a holistic and arts education approach. Their hearts are in the right place and approach what they do with integrity and passion.

I am happy to be a part of the Silent Auction Fund Raising Committee for Art Studio Miami. The silent auction items will help raise funds for artistic programming and self expression for the children and youth of "Little Haiti" in Miami. Art Studio Miami provides an outlet for the youngsters to be creative and imaginative. They eagerly welcome this opportunity since there is no art curriculum in many of their schools. Faced with a limited budget art is typically one of the first subjects to be cut by many schools. This young organization is certainly working wonders for the youth with limited resources. "Hats off" to the management, staff and volunteers who give of their time and energy.

The Art Studio of Miami provides our students with an opportunity to express themselves through ART. The team of people involved in this organization are incredible. They are dedicated to ensuring that our students receive as many opportunities as possible to succeed. I can honestly say they put a smile on our students' face. The students enjoy attending the classes becasue they feel safe and welcomed. Th Art Studio of Miami has provided a safe haven for our students to spend their afternoons involved in fun, interactive learning experiences.

Art Studio Miami has been great in establishing their own programs for community outreach. Not only do they focus on their own organizational goals but they also volunteer and aid other non-profits. Art Studio Miami has helped tremendously in helping Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami obtain and reach out to potential volunteers within Little Haiti and many of them have volunteered as Bigs themselves. They also run great programs in their art studio and out in the community. Its a great, fun way to get involved.

As a Teaching Artist with Art Studio Miami I have had the chance to experience first hand, the influence that this Hollistic Art program has on the lives of the youth. Over a short period of time I have been able to experience the difference in the individuals and how they have developed their artistic skills along with building up their self of steam. This program creates inspiration and exposure to take the youth beyond what they could have ever dreamed to experienced. From project to project I have seen the growth in the individuals, respect, strength, and confidence is becoming more prevalent in their lives. We empower these children to have a better future, and they are eager to experience more.

The Art Studio, Inc. in Miami, Fl. is an amazing organization. It has recruited countless children from low-income families into a program that has broadened their horizons. Weekly the children are exposed to numerous topics and are taught to combine these topics through art expression. The program collaborates with our school curriculum so as to supplement and support the educational goals of our school. The children absolutely LOVE the program and are more enthusiastic and eager to learn than I ever hoped for. The employees and volunteers are deeply committed, work tirelessly and care about the individual needs of each and every child. Through this wonderful program our students have taken a more active role in their education, have learned about subjects never before presented to them and are eager to take on new challenges as their confidence in themselves has increased dramatically. Our school and community is greatly enhanced through the hard work and dedication of The Art Studio, Inc.

I first heard of Art Studio Miami through a neighborhood outreach program for start-up new non-profits. I was looking for help starting my own not for profit program that teaches youth filmmaking and art. The outreach program director told me that they were not taking on any newbies at that time (lack of funding of course) and then she told me all about a local program that they helped start up four years ago that sounded awesome and totally in tune with what I was trying to achieve. The program sounded innovative and exciting. She spoke in such glowing terms of Rachel the Founder and all the people at Art Studio that I just had to meet them right away. The next day at Art Studio's purple door, I found a supportive and nurturing environment to grow my own program in and a new family of dedicated artists, educators and volunteers. I have never seen the type of selfless dedication to children's emotional and practical needs that I see here at Art Studio around the clock. The kids come first in every decision of volunteers and staff. Everyone here is totally committed to making a difference in the lives of every child in Little Haiti. And it shows in the personal stories of the children over the years and the high regard with which Art Studio is held after only a few years in this community. I wish there was an Art Studio in every neighborhood.

during this past summer, 2010, I worked as a volunteer summer program coordinator. I gathered teachers and scheduled classes and recruited local and non-local students. Together we created over eight weekly classes that lead to a student art show with the sculptures and paintings and a play that was performed at Fairchild Tropical Garden's annual Mango fest. The students developed relationships for each other and art. I feel the strengths of art studio were Rachael and Soralee who diligently work everyday to try and bring programs into the community. I feel Art Studio's location is vital for being successful this community. The only disappointment is the lack of funding for an organization who is actually serving children on a holistic level balancing art with daily life.

I wanted to share with you alittle about Art Studio. I had the pleasure of meeting Rachel through a mutual friend. It was clear after speaking to her that the children at her Studio were lucky to have her in their lives. Her passion for these kids was evident in my first meeting with her. I decided to get involved and volunteer my time. I saw what one person could do when they put their mind to making a change in their community. I hope that others will become involved by giving of their time and talent but also by giving donations. Art Studio needs donors in order to ensure that the it continues to be a safe, creative place for the children of Miami.

Hi Art Studio Miami Supporters! In 2009 I was given the chance to run a Make Art Matter –Eco-Art projects at Art Studio Miami. I did a few projects with Art Studio students coming from Mc Crary Jr Elementary/ and The Bridge. I’ll never forget the kid’s faces when we picked them up after school and walked them to the studio. The kids were amazed of how beautiful the inside of the building, they ran up the stairs screaming ART STUDIO! ART STUDIO! LOL it was quite loud and surprising for us! The first project was for the everglades the kids got a chance to learn about saving water and the everglades from Young Friends of Everglades, they all worked together to draw out tile pieces. I was happy with how much effort the kids put in to their tile work. The day that they worked on their tile pieces they blew me away. They all sat quietly and drew their favorite everglades critter. They really made me proud that day – what was even better was we were invited to “march for parks” @ the everglades. That was awesome being able to take them to see the everglades after a month of seeing animal pics, hearing from eco-orgs about the everglades and working on animal pics they got a chance to experience it one on one. The coolest thing was when some of the parents came to me to say thank you for giving them the experience that there was priceless. Being at Art Studio Miami was one of my greatest experiences to date. It became like a family for me. That summer I worked on an ocean awareness project “one I wanted to do the following year with the Mc Crary students, but have not yet”. I did the project with the bridge kids from the Miami Bridge Youth Services. This was also a huge learning/growing experience for me. The first time I met the kids from the bridge I was nervous I thought they would laugh at me if I showed them picture slide show about sea turtles. The kids where hard on the outside and softer then marshmallows on the inside that’s what I learned the day I pulled out a sea turtle lesson plan for the group. At first they looked puzzled but they were interested they all surrounded me and watched my presentation; they openly talked about what they knew about ocean litter, and the environment. Some of the girls were really in to this project! That’s when I learned that we “label” children like we label in society. Kids want to know they want to understand themselves and the world around them- the bridge touched my heart in so many ways I tear up just thinking about it a lot of times questioning my own strengths and weaknesses at hand. One of the kids that will always sit in my heart is Lee Lee first walked in to the studio very quiet and withdrawn. His eyes were filled with anger and all it took was me to hand him a sketchbook and challenging him to draw a shark this inspired him so much that soon after he became interested in furniture design. I saw a complete 3/60 in lee he started making friends, and talking in class he would take home books on design and practice in the shelter. I fell in love with all these kids these kids that reminded me so much of myself as a teenager. Lee finally left the shelter after pretty much his entire life being in and out of that place he was given the chance to join the job core where he would be inspired to take up art. Lee was not the only student we seen change from the Art Studio experience kids all over the neighborhood started hearing about us. They would show up on the door step hungry for knowledge, hungry to expand their creativity and learn, they wanted to talk and see the world. They know in their hearts that this is a place where they’d come to be cultured, where their gifts and talents won’t be short handed or overlooked from the world and where passionate, hard working people look to inspire youth! Love and Light to Art Studio and all the community!

Art Studio Inc has been instrumental in the education of both the direct clients that it serves and the students from Barry University. Through involvement in the community, our students at Barry have been able to understand the importance of participating in the communities that they are a part of. Art Studio Inc. has proven to be of the highest caliber of professionalism in field of service and is one of our most treasured community placement sites. Our students have been able to help Art Studio Inc on both the administrative and client service level and the feedback that I have gotten each time has been of a positive experience where they felt they have made a difference.

Being around the kids is a thrilling experience in itself. They don't just learn about art, they get to interact with other kids their age, they learn about self respect as well as others, they learn that they must think big and positive about life, they stay out of trouble. Art actually stretches their brain and help them to touch their inner self, they get to express their imagination and create from their heart, the encouragement and support they find from us build they self esteem day in and day out, most importantly they learn to be leaders. The smile that pop on their little face after each piece of art they create is unexplicable. the amount of fun they have we just can't put a number on.

Art Studio Miami is a wonderful organization that seeks out underprivileged children in Little Haiti to them vital life skills before it is too late. With their holistic and artistic approach, the teachers and volunteers not only teach the children art, but how every action affects the world around them. The leaders of the program are open and friendly that truly have a passion for the work they are doing and for making Art Studio Miami the best it can be. I look forward to volunteering again in the future.

This is such a worthwhile endeavor. Kids of all ages served here have no opportunity to experience and have fun with art other than at the studio. The volunteers treat the kids with respect and caring and try to have an impact that goes farther than art. The studio has become a safe and friendly gathering place in a community with very few services for them.

I became affiliated with art studio as a museum educator from Miami art Museum. one year and a half, ago, Art Studio called MAM to schedule a filled trip for her students. As a costume, i pre-visited the art studio's children to prepare them their visit. When arrived at the art studio facility, i was was impress with how the warehouse had been transformed into a working space for the children from the neighborhood make art. When i ask Rachel for more information about space, she told me their visions, goals, and aspiration for the students. I thought it was brilliant to consider using art and holistic concept to reach out to children coming from poor families. So, i decided to contribute to the cause as an artist, gallery teacher, and as a mentor to the children from Little Haiti. Also, because i can speak their language i can better relate to their realities. Asser saint-val www.assersaintval.com

Hey Art Studio Miami, as an educator of 15 years, I was very excited to see all that you are doing with Art Studio. First of all, the space that you all have chosen is amazing! It is in the community where you are serving and I do mean serving. Having your home base in that location tells the community with concrete actions (not empty words)... you are important! Second, the open layout of Art Studio, the art up everywhere, creates an atmosphere where kids can feel at home, even if it is for an hour or so during your programs. Those are the times that the students will remember for the rest of their lives. Many will use those times of feeling important and welcomed as a launch pad for success in other areas of life. We really enjoyed seeing all the students working and discussing the "statues" they were making. They were truly proud of themselves and their creations. Beyond art education, Art Studio really empowers kids, by teaching them to take responsibility for their lives and how it turns out. I am so proud of all you do. I am excited to see Art Studio expand and bring its program to more students, public schools and beyond. Keep making a difference! Fondly, Josh Hughes

Art Studio Miami is doing something amazing for a community in Miami. Little Haiti has a large population and a lot of poverty but not many resources. Many of the children there live below poverty and are never exposed to art or creative thinking. Additionally, the schools in this area do not have funding for music or art programs so the problem is compounded. Art Studio Miami uses art to teach these young people a different way of thinking. The artists / teachers / councilors use visual and performing arts to show these kids that they can create beautiful things. Art Studio Miami is an amazing charity that is an example of art therapy at it's most useful. I am very glad that I found this organization to give my time to.

I met Rachel (Art Studio Miami) over 3 years ago at a function in St. Thomas University. Her energy and pizzazz charmed me from the moment we met as she spoke of her non-profit Art Studio Miami. She invited me to an open house the following week which i beleive was a work shop for young children. The moment I entered the Art Studio Miami space, i immediately felt the incredible energy it possess. There is something very special about Art Studio Miami which I have not been able to find anywhere else. So much so i spoke to all my family members about Art Studio Miami and they as well have become volunteers and members. More than 3 years have gone by and my friendship with Rachel has grown as well as Art Studio Miami's popularity. Children find a home at Art Studio Miami, volunteers return and spread the word about Art Studio Miami, and I am proud to say i am a member and loyal friend to one of the greatest dreams turned reality. I love Arts Studio Miami, and i especially love my friend Rachel Hughes. If there is ever an organization which is worthy of greatness, I would vote for Art Studio Miami for all it genuinely does for its community and all those involved....

Art Studio Miami is a truly great place. They help children find expression and greater self-awareness and realization of their value and importance through art in an area that is challenged economically and in other ways as well. They create and develop incredibly strong relationships with children through art that reach far deeper into their experience than simply drawing or painting. The expressions on the kids faces as they are creating their works and then the pride in their finished projects - its is truly great to see. It is inspirational. And they are making a difference every day in the lives of their kids and how they perform outside of the art room as well.

Art Studio is amazing! Children learn so much and feel great through creative holistic arts. Many of the kids in this program are from impoverished communities and have limited resources. Art Studio provides them means with which they can channel their energy in positive and empowering projects.