BATH

ArtVan, that beloved, iconic movable artistic feast for the eyes, is celebrating its tenth birthday by hiring a Director of Operations and Development, and allowing founder and Executive Director Jamie Silvestri to get back to doing what she loves … using art as therapy.

The Van brings arts to the children and teens who live in lowincome neighborhoods. But the program does much more than offer enrichment programs.

“ArtVan children are able to communicate what is going on in their worlds through art,” Silvestri said. “The art-making process is a way for kids to channel their feelings and come up with creative solutions to problems.”

The kids served by ArtVan are those who have the least access to formal therapy or other social services. The program can help them to build trust and adjust to new circumstances in their lives. For instance, ArtVan works with children of Somali immigrants in the Lewiston-Auburn area. The children, either experiencing major culture shock themselves or through their parents’ difficult transition, find that they can express themselves most easily through visual arts.

They get other benefits, too. They are able to make connections outside of their insular communities, and are encouraged to take healthy risks, through artistic expression.

ArtVan began in Bath, working in low-income neighborhoods and in after-school programs at the community center. Most of the children who participated had no hope of enrolling in any other sort of enrichment programs; their parents could not afford music or dance lessons, or even to pay for participation in sports. But Art- Van was free; it was initially funded by a Community Development Block Grant with the support of Councilman Jack Hart to target families living in those neighborhoods for summer programs.

Over the years, they had different nonprofit sponsors, including Volunteers of America and VSA arts of Maine. Eventually, however, ArtVan got its own nonprofit designation in 2012.

It was time to grow up.

Erika Weidner was hired to administer the grants and run the day-to-day operations, leaving Silvestri more time to get back to the therapy part of art therapy.

The program still offers free services to Bath and Brunswick targeted neighborhoods through grant-funding, and matched grant programs to some neighborhoods, with grants covering half the fees. There are some situations where the program charges a fee for service, usually a short-term program or a one-time event.

In addition to working with young children, ArtVan also works with teens, including homeless teens living at Oliver’s Place shelter in Bath. They also work with seniors with memory impairments.

There is an additional art therapist working with the program, allowing it to expand beyond its original local roots.

Young people who have been members of ArtVan sometimes become mentors to other young artists. The internship program allows youth to continue working with ArtVan even though they are beyond the age of the program.

“Sometimes older kids just drop in and volunteer,” Silvestri said. “I wish we had more resources, that we were able to pay these kids something for their time and support for the program.”

Donations to that part of the wish list, and other parts of the ArtVan mission, are always welcome.

An exhibit of ArtVan participants’ work will be on display at Little Dog Cafe, 87 Maine Street in Brunswick, through the month of May, with two special “Meet the Artists” events on May 20 from 2:30-3:30 and May 22 from 3-4 p.m.