We know that strengthening the entire family unit increases the likelihood that kids will tap into the greatness within. We also know that when the entire community comes together, our collective impact can affect greater change and outcomes in the lives of those we serve.
With these beliefs as our guiding principles, we designed our Family Strengthening program to focus on educating, empowering, and equipping parents in our community to improve their family’s education, finances, and health through a strategic network of nonprofit and community partners.
This program also provides opportunities for families to work together as a unit through various creative outlets, including Family Cooking Nights, Family Game Nights, Family Zumba Nights, and one of our most popular activities: Family Art Nights.
Family Art Nights are hosted in partnership with Laguna Art Museum who provides Club families with all the art supplies they need for a given project and whose professional artists guide our families through designing their collective interpretation of the artwork.
For many years, these Family Art Nights were held in person at our Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana | Joe MacPherson Center for Opportunity. But when the world went virtual in March 2020, the Museum’s Education Department adjusted its curriculum and began hosting Family Art Nights via Zoom twice a month so that our families could continue experiencing this incredible program that introduces participants to a variety of artists, artistic styles, and art mediums.
Most recently, our families have been creating a series of artworks inspired by the Wayne Thiebaud: Clowns exhibition, and Laguna Art Museum is highlighting some of the pieces made by our Family Art Night participants in an exhibition entitled Class Clown.
For the Clown Compositions session, our families received oil pastels and cardstock in advance and created their artwork before meeting live via Zoom to share their pieces with the group and discuss their inspiration and process.
For the Clown Face session, sets of face paints and red clown noses were distributed to families in advance. Families and staff enjoyed the live face painting workshop during which they transformed their own faces into unique expressions with bright colors and shapes.
The Class Clown exhibition is installed at Laguna Art Museum in the LAM + LAB educational space along with some fun clown-inspired art making stations. When it is safe to reopen LAM + LAB, the Museum looks forward to welcoming visitors to the see our families’ art in person and create pieces of their own.
We are so grateful to Laguna Art Museum for their continued partnership, creativity, and flexibility over the past year. Our families look forward to each meeting and creative challenge thanks in large part to the staff who bring energy, excitement, and joy to each Family Art Night.
If you would like to explore ways you or your company/organization can partner with our Clubs to provide similar experiences for our members and families, please contact David Blair.