Message from the Executive Director: Coming Together During COVID-19

To our supporters,

What a moment we are living in. The COVID-19 outbreak has left many bewildered, facing circumstances not witnessed in generations. Grocery store shelves are empty. Businesses have shuttered for the foreseeable future. Schools are closed here in Massachusetts, where ARCK provides under-served children with enriching arts education. These closures have left our organization and many others at a loss as to how we can continue fulfilling our mission. 

ARCK is operating remotely, offering our students of the Boston Public School lessons to do at home. Our students have been enjoying our lessons.  More than ever, our students need arts activities as therapeutic and healing measures to help them cope with their emotions and support their mental health at a time of anxiety, fear, and disruption.   In addition, incorporating art in remote learning helps reduce the risk of academic regression; studies by the Americans for the Arts show that students who are engaged in some type of art, are “...four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement” and “low-income students who are highly engaged in the arts are twice as likely to graduate college as their peers with no arts education.” 

We fear for our families, friends, and the state of society. We worry about the economic hardships caused by this pandemic. COVID-19 has exposed the many ways in which our society, built for function, forgets subtleties.  In the spirit of education and creative learning, the team here at ARCK seeks the teachable opportunity amongst this chaos. How can we find a silver lining by learning from this time of trial?

ARCK strives to help kids think outside the box, practicing the power of their own imagination through hands-on artistic learning. While our programs have been postponed due to the present school shut down, our instructors are working to complete two new social justice projects, one titled ‘Couture’ and the other ‘Movers and Shakers.’ Both projects will promote the importance of clean air and teach the concept of ‘upcycling,’ or renovating existing objects so they can be used for new purposes. 

Now, more than ever, we must provide our children with a model for how to handle crises. This crisis presents an opportunity for our society to examine itself and make structural changes that could ensure we’re prepared next time the unexpected strikes. ARCK believes that new problems call for artful measures. We thrive on experimentation. 

We would love to ask our community members to get involved. If you would like to contribute to ARCK please email info@arckboston.org

All the Best,

Sara and the ARCK Team