The downtown-based nonprofit’s van will be an art resource to after-school programs, community centers and libraries across Raleigh. 
by Ayn-Monique Klahre

Artspace has been a fixture for creatives downtown for nearly four decades, but a new program will extend its reach even further. Called Artspace on the Go, it’s a colorful van outfitted with supplies galore that connects working artists with the community.

“The idea was birthed with access in mind, to have a mobile program that could take the arts to under-
represented communities,” says David Moore, director of community engagement at Artspace. They initially tested the model by hosting workshops at Dorothea Dix Park, Step Up Ministry and the Salvation Army, as well as at street festivals and other community gatherings.

This fall, they will be focusing on working with after-school programs, community centers and libraries in Southeast Raleigh. 

The big differentiator between Artspace on the Go and other arts programs is the artist-led programming, says Moore: “Unless you’re in school or can afford to pay for an art class, you’re not always learning from real artists.” Installation artist Jane Cheek, for example, has led programs that invite people into her process, painting and cutting sheets of acetone that she assembles into installations.

As they build out the programming, Artspace’s partner organizations will be able to choose from a menu of artist-led experiences to suit their students. “We want them to be able to decide what their students would like the best,” says Moore.

Mixed-media assemblage artist Patrizia Ferreira has also participated in Artspace on the Go. “It’s so amazing because we can work together to create a large-scale work of art that incorporates the hands and voices of so many participants,” she says. “It brings this larger sense of meaning into my work.”

In one of her workshops, Ferreira, who works with found materials, gave children socks, stuffing materials and scraps like ribbon and yarn to create characters. “It’s really sweet because they tended to make these little alter egos — maybe a dream character like a superhero or princess — and they were all so interesting and slightly different,” she says. She’s planning to incorporate these characters into a large piece she’s currently working on in her Artspace studio.

“It’s a wonderful program that offers such easy access to art, it’s like we’re bringing the studio to you,” she says. “And for me, it’s such a blessing. Kids are so ingenious and spontaneous, it has an effect on the way I’m making and creating, too. It loosens me up and keeps me humble.”  

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of WALTER magazine.