SAWDUST ART FESTIVAL PARTNERS WITH PROJECT ACCESS TO INSPIRE LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH FIRST-HAND ART EXPERIENCE

July 21, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAWDUST ART FESTIVAL PARTNERS WITH PROJECT ACCESS
TO INSPIRE LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WITH FIRST-HAND ART EXPERIENCE
(Sawdust will host groups of Project Access students on July 24, August 7 and August 14)


Laguna Beach, CA – The Sawdust Art Festival is hosting two groups of students from Project Access’s Family Resource Center and Warwick Square Apartments, low-income housing units in Santa Ana, to participate in a unique two-part ceramics class on the festival grounds.  The first group, comprised of ten students between the ages of 8-12, arrived for their first field trip day on Tuesday, July 10 and participated in a ceramic hand-building clay mask class taught by long-time Sawdust artist and ceramicist Ora Sterling. The students will return to the Sawdust on Tuesday, July 24 to glaze their creative masks, and to further their first-hand experience of interacting with Laguna Beach artists.

The second Project Access group consisting of ten students between the ages of 13-18, is scheduled to visit the Sawdust on Tuesday, August 7 and again for glazing on Tuesday, August 14. This second group will be taking a class from another long-time Sawdust artist and ceramicist Walter Reiss, where they will learn the craft of hand-building clay pottery.

For many of the students at Project Access, this will be the first time they are exposed to high quality art and professional artists. The idea behind this collaborative experience is to offer low-income children the opportunity to spark an interest not only in expressing themselves through art, but also to be inspired to create art as a living. Ten students were hand-selected per field trip based on having a propensity for art. 

“With the Sawdust Art Festival’s mission of educating the public on the arts created in Laguna Beach, we were more than happy to extend the talents and resources here at the Sawdust to support the programs at Project Access. The two organizations are a great fit,” said Maggie Spencer, Sawdust artist and committee member of Sawdust Art Enrichment Fund.  Project Access is the leading provider of vital health, education and employment services for families, children and seniors living in low-income housing communities. Their goal is to keep families employed, children in school and seniors active. 

Project Access was founded in 1999 by Jonathan B. Webb and has continuously delivered programs and services to our residents by way of family and senior resource centers established in the low-income housing communities where they live, as well as through providing outreach and referral services.  Project Access believes in eliminating barriers and setting individuals up for success. Today, Project Access serves residents in more than 40 low-income housing communities in California, which benefited more than 10,200 youth, adults, and seniors in 2011.

Project Access, Inc. (IRS EIN# 33-0834635) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with corporate offices located in Newport Beach, California. For more information about Project Access, contact Rachel Sanchez at 949-253-6200, ext. 305 or visit www.project-access.org.

To check out more details about the Sawdust Art Festival’s 46th annual summer season and calendar of events, please visit www.sawdustartfestival.org or call 949-494-3030. The Sawdust Art Festival is open 10-10 daily June 29 through September 2, and is located at 935 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach with free City trolley service to and from the Act V parking lot. Admission prices are: Adults $7.75, Seniors (65+) $6.25, Children (6-12) $3.25, Children (5 & under) Free; Summer Season Pass $15; Annual Pass $20.

The Sawdust Art Festival is a non-profit art organization dedicated to educating the public and promoting the art created in Laguna Beach.

The Sawdust Art Festival thanks its 2012 sponsors Honda, 104.3 MYfm, Hoegaarden and Kendall-Jackson.

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