My Nonprofit Reviews

I have been working with the Bigger Sky Kids group for the past two years as an artist resident specializing in instruction through oil paint and traditional fine arts mediums.

Having worked as an arts education specialist in one capacity or another for the majority of my career I cannot speak highly enough of this program and the dedication of its founding members, support staff, and volunteers. These individuals identified a need among the community of Wolf Point, MT. in giving students access to quality fine arts materials, programming and instruction. They have more than surpassed their goals to meet those needs.

My experiences with these students over the past couple years have transcended those of "instructor/student". I feel myself a mentor and confidant to many of the kids. Our classroom feels like a "safe creative space", where the kids convene, among snacks and oil paint, to unleash their creative energy. We talk about what they want to make and why; about what they want to say through their art. I attempt to draw the creative spark from within these children and help them to grow their own artistic voice. The programming at Bigger Sky Kids supports the growth of the students creative voice by connecting the children with quality art materials, with giving them the space to comfortably investigate their art and expand their creative spark. It was important to me at the creation of this program to connect the students with oil paint, to give them ownership over an art medium grounded in history but rarely instructed in within rural Montana; rarely instructed in, outside of collegiate settings. I feel that through BSK! I have had an opportunity to leave a lasting impact with the students I have worked with through the knowledge they have gained about oil paint and through the ability I am nurturing in them to express themselves through their art.