Artists First

The Integrated Youth Open-Studio is a weekly program for youth with and without disabilities. Under the tutelage of professional artists, students explore their creativity while developing interpersonal communication skills and character development. Young artists are given total access to the studio to explore and experiment with different mediums as they begin to find their own unique vision and voice. Not only are youth creating art but they are enhancing their communication and interpersonal skills though contact with their peers, Artists First staff and volunteers. The Youth Open Studio encourages a greater sense of self-worth and self-reliance for the participants. Moreover, the Integrated Open Youth Studio encourages empathy and compassion building for participants without disabilities as they are witnessing first-hand the challenges that those with disabilities face on a daily basis.

Lifeworks, supported by the St. Louis
Office for Developmental Disabilities, is a
program tailored to professionally
minded artists with developmental
disabilities to reach their greatest
potential in employment, social,
emotional, and physical domains through
the arts.

Artists First for Veterans is a nontraditional creative support program for veterans that supports the development of positive self-identity, self-expression and community re-integration. We have seen firsthand the healing affects art can have on individuals with a variety of needs such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and brain injury as well as for individuals who require a supportive outlet to process their unique experiences and personal stories. Having full access to the studio stocked with professional art supplies, veterans can choose what they want to express and create. If needed, structured creative projects will be prepared specifically for veterans.

Artists First has partnered with the evidence based program Opening Minds Through Art (OMA). Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) was founded by Dr. Elizabeth “Like” Lokon in 2007 and is grounded in person-centered care principles. It is headquartered at Scripps Gerontology Center, an Ohio Center of Excellence at Miami University. OMA is an intergenerational visual art program for people with memory loss. OMA participants create works of art on a weekly basis, while paired with volunteers who are trained to rely on imagination instead of memory and focus on remaining strengths instead of lost skills. OMA enables people with dementia to assume new roles as artists and teachers and leave a legacy of beautiful artwork. The art projects are failure-free, and allows participants to show others the creative self -expression capacities of people with dementia. An exhibit highlighting the participants work is held at the end of the 8-week session. The program at Artists First is offered with the support of the Alzheimer's Association, Greater Missouri Chapter and Maryville University.

Healing Trauma of Isms is a trauma and culturally informed, strengths based creative self-expression curriculum to aid individuals heal from the negative effects of experiencing racism and other forms of oppression. The program is specifically designed to address the trauma and grief endured by those who have been discriminated against and who have been exposed to intersectional oppression. The intent of the program is healing and empowerment by providing a safe and supportive space using specific creative self-expression activities to address intersectionality based trauma and to address subsequent health inequities and to heal.