2021 Annual Fundraiser

Our 2021 Annual Fundraiser is on! You can donate via this link or the button above in the upper right. Below you’ll find our fundraising letter - thank you in advance for any support you can give!

Dear Youth Arts Supporter,

Over the last forty-seven years, Youth Arts has worked with teachers to add arts enrichment into the Camden Rockport and Five Town CSD schools. As we all know, this year’s demands are like no other school year in our organization’s history. We may not be able to hire teaching artists to come in and demonstrate puppetry or create a musical based on the science of sound and we may not be watching our middle school students parade down Knowlton Street in their kinetic sculptures, but Youth Arts has continued to serve our schools and students in an unprecedented way. 

This year, Youth Arts responded to the requests of art teachers and sponsored art supply packets for both remote and in-person students at both the elementary and middle schools. Individual art supply packets for remote students allow those students to have the same high-quality art supplies as those learning in-person. In-person learning students also benefit from having their own set of supplies without the risks of sharing. Youth Arts met this need for hundreds of art packets and continues to assist in whatever way we can to connect students to art. 

A tax-deductible donation of $25, $50, $100 or more makes it possible for Youth Arts to continue providing these supplies throughout the school year for every grade level from kindergarten through high school, and to continue to provide our traditional arts enrichment as things return to normal. 

Youth Arts has always sought to make our community and our schools truly arts-infused. Please help us continue this important tradition by sending in your donation in the enclosed envelope or visiting our website at youthartsmaine.org.

With gratitude,

The Youth Arts Board of Directors:

Jim Nickelson, Liza Gardner Walsh, Kristen Andersen, Michelle O’Dwyer, Kerin Lindahl, Caroline LaFiura, Kate Donovan Cohen, Tara Gardner, and Victoria Marshall

The Youth Arts Program Committee:

Molly Fedarko, Courtney Lanphere, Kim Nicolet, Kelli Sabatini, Jessie Tobias, Lakshmi Butcher, and Jessica Wheeler

2020 Annual Fundraiser

Our 2020 Annual Fundraiser is on! You can donate via this link or the button above in the upper right. Below you’ll find our fundraising letter - thank you in advance for any support you can give!

Dear Friend of Youth Arts,

Over the last forty-seven years, Youth Arts has worked directly with teachers to add arts enrichment into the Camden, Rockport and Five Town CSD public schools. Youth Arts is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that strives to inspire and enrich our entire school community by exposing students to a variety of dynamic arts experiences by bringing in visiting artists. All programs are based on curriculum needs and allow teachers to extend and reinforce learning frameworks.

Visiting artists have taught tens of thousands of students over the years, broadening the reach of their education. Over the past few years, Youth Arts facilitated residencies on Kinetic Sculpture, Latin Dance, The Science of Sound, Traditional Chinese Art Forms, Circus Arts, Shakespearean Acting, Colonial Embroidery, and Boatbuilding, just to name a few. These remarkable learning opportunities could not have happened without the generous donations of our supporters.

A tax-deductible donation of $25, $50, $100 or more makes it possible for Youth Arts to continue providing these inspiring programs throughout the school year for every grade level from kindergarten through high school. We have known from the beginning that arts enrichment creates a more well-rounded student who is able to think critically. Lately, numerous studies have shown that arts integration is imperative as young people navigate a more complex and layered world.

Please help us continue this important tradition by donating today.

With gratitude,

Youth Arts Board of Directors: Jim Nickelson, Liza Gardner Walsh, Kristen Andersen, Michelle O’Dwyer, Caroline LaFiura, Kate Donovan Cohen, Hillary Steinau, Kerin Lindahl, Tara Gardner, Jennessa Tyler, Kate Lee

Youth Arts Program Committee: Molly Fedarko, Kelli Sabatini, Jessie Tobias, Courtney Lanphere, Kim Nicolet, Jessica Wheeler, Lakshmi Butcher

Flatbread Fundraiser Tomorrow Night!

Join us tomorrow (Tuesday, June 11th) at Flatbread on Route 1 in Rockport for a fundraising event! We’ll be there from 5-9 pm to help raise funds for Youth Arts, a local non-profit that brings artists of all types to the public schools to help provide enriched educational experiences for local students.

The event will include a 50/50 Raffle and a silent auction, and Flatbread has generously offered to donate a portion of the proceeds from pizza orders on Tuesday night to Youth Arts. We’d love for you join us to enjoy great pizza and to support both Youth Arts and Flatbread. Thank you also to Flatbread for the support they provide to organizations like ours in the community.

Youth Arts has funded programs K-12 in Camden-Rockport Elementary and Middle Schools as well as for Camden Hills Regional High School. Youth Arts has been providing these programs for over 45 years and we rely on the generous contributions of the people in the communities we serve to make it happen.

Cabin Fever Reliever Party and Fundraiser

Shake off the winter doldrums and get ready to dance! Youth Arts is sponsoring a dance party with music by the Dolphin Strikers, Midcoast Maine’s Original brine-ska dance band. The event is on March 16th (this Saturday night!) from 8:00 -10:30 pm. 

The dance party will be held in Union Hall, located at 24 Central Street in Rockport above Nina June Restaurant. Cash bar is provided by Nina June and comfort food appetizers will be on hand. Tickets are available online for $12 per person or two for $20 through Eventbrite. A limited number can also be purchased at the door for $15 per person or 2 for $25.

2019 Annual Appeal

As a non-profit, Youth Arts relies on donations from members of the community to bring arts enrichment to students of Camden, Rockport, and the Five Town CSD. Help support our efforts by donating to our 2019 Annual Appeal!

Fiesta Fundraiser Just Over a Week Away on May 5th!

Here's the press release:

Join Youth Arts to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the arts with a fun-filled night. The fiesta will be held at the old CMCA building in Rockport and events include a silent auction, food by Cold Toes Tacos and a cash bar by 40 Paper. Attendees will have a chance to buy raffle tickets for a Joyce Tenneson print. Student circus performances as well as Latin dancing will be held throughout the evening. A slide show and exhibit of some of the residencies and artwork created through Youth Arts sponsored events over the years will be displayed. The silent auction will feature art-related items including fine art photography by Jim Nickelson, a Linden Frederick reproduction, paintings by artists Anneli Skaar, Hillary Steinau, Chip Hemingway, Maureen Egan and many more. 

Tickets are $30 per person and $50 per couple and can be purchased at www.youthartsmaine.org. 100% of proceeds raised from tickets and the auction go to support upcoming Youth Arts residencies and programs in the Five Towns CSD Public Schools. 

Youth Arts serves to inspire and enrich each student and the entire school community with a variety of dynamic arts experiences in the Midcoast Maine community. We bring art residencies, workshops, and performances to the students of Camden, Rockport, and the Five Town CSD (including Hope, Lincolnville, & Appleton) in the form of residencies, workshops, and performances. We are a non-profit funded entirely by individual and business supporters in the community. Youth Arts is comprised entirely of local volunteers.  Over the years, hundreds of individuals have organized and conducted educational art residencies, workshops, and performances, as well as participating in fundraising efforts to keep these projects happening.

Our programs are designed to provide experiences that the school system does not deliver.

• Youth Arts activities are responsive to the teachers' requests and integrate with the      curriculum. 

Students and faculty are linked to the arts community through the experience of Residencies, Workshops, and Performances

2018 Fundraiser - May 5th!

Our 2018 fundraiser is just around the corner on May 5th. Come enjoy the 2018 Youth Arts Fiesta & Auction at 162 Russell Avenue in Rockport (the former CMCA building). You can purchase tickets easily here. We hope to see you there!

Annual Appeal 2018

As a non-profit, Youth Arts relies on donations from members of the community to bring arts enrichment to students of Camden, Rockport, and the Five Town CSD. Help support our efforts by donating to our 2018 Annual Appeal!