Our Vision
Our Vision is to provide the opportunity for people of all ages, cultures and socio-economic walks of life to build self-confidence through the process of making art and learning about arts and culture of local, national and international communities. Building self-confidence is the key to success in all areas of life.
Urban River Arts is a community-based, non-profit organization devoted to the artistic, emotional and social development of children and adults, according to each person’s needs. Through individual and group activities that honor creative expression and through partnerships with educational organizations in the neighborhood, students build self-confidence, verbal and social skills, and the ability to express and communicate their deepening understanding of the world through the visual arts.
Urban River Arts fosters the development of core human values: self, civic, social and environmental responsibility; respect; truthfulness; compassion; and, courage. Teachers, employees, students and all members of our community discover the meaning of these values in three primary ways:
Making: Exploring art materials and building marketable skills in two- and three-dimensional mediums through individual, group and community-based projects.
Seeing: Developing critical thinking skills and an understanding of formal art elements (line, shape, color, composition, etc.) by learning how to look at and talk about a diverse range of artwork. Students also have the opportunity for their works of art to be exhibited in regular shows throughout the community and on our website.
Reaching Out Across Time: Contextualizing artwork historically and culturally by studying traditions of art-making worldwide, in partnership with existing museums, parks and libraries in the neighborhood.
