Sakshi Patel
Founder and President
Hello! I am Sakshi Patel and I am currently a 10th grader at South Warren High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. When I was in 7th grade I visited a special needs school in India, and I realized they didn’t have an art department, and the only classes and extracurriculars they had was tutoring for math, science, language, and history. And they only had those classes taught there as well. The students residing there had no other ways to express their interests and feelings. I soon came to a senses that because many students struggle with things at home and mental health, art is a way of getting away from those things and sorting yourself out. I always understood the ways art can help young students articulate their ways in life. As a student myself interested in neuroscience, I’ve learned that art brings a major benefit in adolescences’ growing stages. Art brings many joys in life and can be a way out for people.
Petra Gannon
Founder and President
Hi! My name is Petra Gannon, and I’m in 10th grade attending high school in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. I love art, and I've been painting and creating ever since I could hold a paint brush. Art is such a beautiful expression of our creativity, lives and thoughts. The emotion and meaning that art can express is amazing, and should be available to everyone. Around 2nd grade was the first time I truly realized the issues in access to art education. My school's entire art program was solely run by one teacher, and her classroom was the stage of our school's auditorium, which also operated as our cafeteria and lunch detention zone. She purchased the majority of our art supplies herself, and heavily relied on donations to be able to fund the supplies we needed. Art has always been one of the most important aspects of my life, and being able to make it more accessible is a mission I believe everyone has a part in.