Megan Ruff

February 25, 2016

Period 6
First Year Composition (DE)
Proposal
Art is present in every form of life, whether it be visual, physical or auditory and has both
a historical and cultural hold on society, shaping the world to what it has become today. The
Oxford Dictionary defines art as The expression or application of human creative skill and
imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be
appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power (Oxford Dictionary). Art has been
seen to be a resource in mental health, preserving cultures, and bringing communities together.
Whether it is music, theater, or drawing, art has taken over almost every aspect of my life and
calms down my anxiety, keeps me aware, and makes me feel empowered. It has been proven that
art relieves stress, encourages creativity, boosts self esteems, increases intellectuality, advances
children, improves qualities of life, and much more (Alban). Unfortunately, the City of Surprise
has not developed a program to sustain the artistic needs of youth and has a minimal, as well as
near non-existent, artistic outreach. It is necessary to unify and inspire Surprise through art and
expressionism. We are proposing to bring awareness to the issue of the lack of
expressionism, culture, and unity within the youth surprise through a local
non-profit art-based center.
Within this project, I, Megan Ruff, as well as my group members, Isabella Ortiz and
Valeria Ortiz, have discovered a solution for this issue. We can enable Surprise and, more
specifically, its youth to come together in expressionism through a non-profit youth art event and
center. Features of our center that further this would be workshops, classes, galleries, and
festivals that all promote cultural pride and awareness to the artistic and at-risk youth. While it
has many uses and purposes, this center will give a voice to these youth and provide for them a
medium to express themselves. We would provide key speakers to address issues within the
youth and inspire activism within the youth, as well as how to find a solution and using art to
communicate their issues. At the conclusion of our final event, there will be a gallery that will
display all of the art created within the program and gain interest. All of the funds raised would
go to several art and youth based charities or would further the center to give better
opportunities. The overall focus of this center is art for the youth and providing an outlet for
them to express themselves and find their purpose.
The three key points that are necessary to achieve this project are: advertising along with
outreach, event planning, and fundraising. Potentially, this center would partner with the nonprofit organization, Wham!, to achieve a similar goal and gain assistance. Within the events, we
would focus on cultures found around the world and their different forms to enrich cultural
awareness within our community. For this reason, our center would promote artistic expression
through the empowerment of artistic youth and guide them to new areas of activism and
harmony. Most of our resources and research will be obtained through the internet via reliable

websites and articles, enabling us to gain reliable information and sources. We need to inspire the
change in Surprise by promoting artistic expression and helping the youth. While this is not a
simple project to achieve, working as a group with one common goal to progress us to the
betterment of society will enable us to problem solve and advance.
"Art." Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/art>.
Alban, Deane. "The Mental Health Benefits of Art Are for Everyone." Be Brain Fit. Be Brain Fit,
2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. <http://bebrainfit.com/the-health-benefits-of-art-are-foreveryone/>.
"WHAM." WHAM. Wham Art Association. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. <http://www.wham-art.org/>.