Art education is a vital component of the overall development of our students at UrbanPromise. Weekly visual art instruction provides opportunities for our young people to enrich their lives by practicing skills in observation, imaginative thinking and creative production, building self esteem and confidence.

Each week, exciting things are happening in art class for students at the CamdenForward School and UrbanPromise Academy.  Our newly renovated art studio, courtesy of the generous efforts of The First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown, is a light filled space that is so inviting for the students’ creative abilities.  What a joy to watch our young people participate in their artistic endeavors as they gain confidence in self expression and the sharing of their gifts. 

Prints and note cards of selected works are available for purchase as well. Our art students depend on your generosity to provide the resources needed their classes. It is only through your purchase of these reproductions, as well as your donations, that we can continue to fund our art program and keep these talented young people creating.

ART NEWS:

* UPA Art Students attend Camden County Arts 4 Teens Festival


On Wed., March 19, ten students from UrbanPromise Academy attended the Camden County sponsored Arts 4 Teens Arts Festival on the Rutgers University Camden campus. Each student was invited to present and display one artwork which they had created in our weekly art classes this year. Artworks were then individually critiqued by festival judges.The works were exhibited along with art from 12 other area high schools. Judges were extremely complimentary of all the UPA student works, and chose five pieces out of the ten to become a part of the county and state wide traveling exhibits later this year!

Congratulations to all our fine art students, Daniela Martinez, Andre White, Carmen Minquela, Samantha Lugardo, Josh Daniels, Richard Gaines, Braheem Williams, Jennifer Rosado, Jessamine Marquez and Ken Rodriquez. Artworks that were chosen for the County exhibit were done by Josh Daniels and Richard Gaines. Traveling to the state wide exhibit will be artworks by Daniela Martinez, Andre White and Braheem Williams.

* An Incredible Journey

In February, UrbanPromise art director, Julie Kring-Schreifels, journeyed with the Monarch Teacher Network to the central highlands of Mexico to experience the completion of the incredible journey of the migratory Monarch butterflies that she and the rest of the CamdenForward School community have been studying.

These photos were taken at the El Rosario Sanctuary just west of Mexico City in the Oyamel Fir forests which provide the temperate climate the Monarchs need from November through March to overwinter before beginning their journey back north. This sanctuary is one of twelve forest locations in the surrounding mountains where millions of Monarchs, virtually all of the ones whose life cycle begins in the United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains, will gather for the cold weather months. While on the trip Julie and other teachers from New Jersey visited a small school on a remote island within a lake located near the butterfly sanctuaries to share our their common interests in this miraculous migration of more than 2000 miles. She brought a book to present to the teachers which chronicled in English and Spanish the CamdenForward School students’ study of the life cycle and celebration of the release of the Monarchs that were raised on their way to Mexico last September.

UrbanTrekkers director, Jim Cummings, is very interested in continuing this relationship with our friends at Monarch Teacher Network and possibly planning a trip for his high school UrbanTrekkers in the future.