Local Youth Works Through Grief with Art from the Heart

Seven small children in black smocks sit shoulder to shoulder around a large rectangular table. In front of them are tubs of Crayola molding clay and bowls of warm water. Their task at hand: to create something — anything they want — but it has to make them happy. Some of the children tap their heads, thinking about what they will create, while others start twisting lumps of grey clay to get their brains going. Another student shouts, “I’m going to make a triple chocolate layer cake because it’s my favorite dessert!” This group of children is more than just beginner art students learning sculpture techniques at the Lucien Crump Gallery Art Education Resource Center – they’re young troubled hearts on the mend that are learning to use art as a form of therapy.

The program is called Art from the Heart, and it was founded by Lucien Crump Gallery Art Education Resource Center, Inc. executive director Loretta Tate. With the volunteer help of Chestnut Hill’s Natural Cuts Salon owner Ellen Contrevo, the Lucien Crump Gallery hosts selected students between the ages of 8 and 10 years old to create personal paintings, masks, and other projects to help them cope with the unfortunate grief and loss they’ve been exposed to at a young age.

“This engaging program relies on the belief that we’ll successfully teach children to use imagery as a way to express troubled emotions,” says Loretta Tate.

Throughout a 2-hour art session, held weekly over a 16-week period, the children receive a healthy snack, work on an art project, and present their final masterpieces with the help of a certified school counselor. During the last hour, the counselor leads a discussion that focuses on the child’s feelings as it relates to the artwork created.

“The children recommended to the program aren’t forced to come to Art from the Heart – they come because they truly enjoy it – you can just see their faces light up as they focus on creating something meaningful for themselves,” says volunteer and program co-coordinator Ellen Contrevo.

Both Tate and Contrevo are deeply invested in this project because they want to help kids work through sadness that might not have a strong support system at home.

“Our goal is to see negative behavior change, and to give these kids outlet tools they can use on their own after our program ends,” says Contrevo.

Tate, Contrevo, and the volunteer school counselor can see the program working. “The kids have come so far from week 1 in January – now they’re not afraid to talk with the group about their feelings,” says Tate.

At the end of the 16-week session, Tate and Contrevo plan to compile each student’s work in a book for the kids to keep.

“This way, when sadness waves over the child, they can turn through this book of happiness and remember our discussions and afternoons together that focused on working through feelings,” says Tate.

Planting Art from the Heart Roots

Tate turned to art herself as a means of coping with the loss of her husband, Lucien Crump Art Gallery Founder, James Lucien Crump, II.

“When James passed in July of 2006, there was an outcry from the community to keep the gallery open,” says Tate.

In the weeks following Crump’s death, Tate began efforts to create programs to reflect elements of her husband’s commitment to children and humanitarianism. She launched Art from the Heart for adult female inmates in 2007. The adult program meets Monday evenings, and Tate coordinates projects for the women ranging from pillow making to creating wall decorations.

Tate wanted to create another program that would use the same art therapy theory to aid children in her community.

“In all his years of teaching in Philadelphia public schools, James always stressed to me: there is never a bad child,” says Tate.

Tate and Contrevo met over a framing project at the gallery and got to talking about their joint passion of using art as a means of emotional healing. Together, they ran with this conversation and got the first children’s Art from the Heart session up and running in January 2010.

Since starting this children’ pilot group, both Tate and Contrevo have been approached by school principals from 15 schools in North Philadelphia.

“I think both Art from the Heart programs are a great extension of my husband’s legacy,” says Tate.

Looking to Fall 2010

In September 2010 Tate aims to have Art from the Heart sessions running 5 days a week to reach her goal of assisting as many youths as she can from pre-school through high school with loss and grief.

“I am proud to say we already have a wait list to get into our fall program,” says Tate.

Help Grow Art from the Heart

Funding is the main handicap of Art from the Heart. Tate is actively looking for volunteer school counselors and art teacher volunteers to help fill her projected fall programs.

Donations for the purchase of cameras, camera memory cards, art supplies, writable DVDs, and photographic paper are gratefully being accepted by the Lucien Crump Gallery.

If you or your business is interested in partnering with Art from the Heart please call the gallery (215.843.8788), e-mail Loretta Tate, or send a check payable to Lucien Crump Gallery Art Ed Resc. Cntr. to 6380 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144.

The IRS granted advance status of not for profit to the Lucien Crump Gallery Art Education Resource Center in May 2008. All donations are 100% tax deductible.