ART Acknowledging Real Talent

09/02/2026

A.R.T. in Action! Young artists need more than encouragement. They also need access to people who can show them what is possible.

On May 5, A.R.T. welcomed graphic designer and illustrator Gabriel Zuniga for a virtual presentation with our participants. The session gave our young creatives an opportunity to connect with a working professional, learn more about the creative industry, and see how artistic ability can be developed into meaningful professional work.

Experiences like this are important because many young artists possess talent but may not yet understand the number of careers connected to design, illustration, visual communication, and creative problem-solving.

Meeting professionals helps make those possibilities feel real.

It reminds students that creative success requires more than natural ability. It also takes practice, discipline, curiosity, resilience, and the willingness to continue learning.

We sincerely thank Gabriel Zuniga for sharing time, experience, and encouragement with the next generation of creatives.

Watch the presentation: https://artfandbjohnsonfoundation.org/gabriel-zuniga-zoom-presentation/

08/28/2026

Sometimes the best way to experience art is to step outside, slow down, and truly observe the world around you.

On April 11th, we enjoyed our first in-person Plein Art Session at the Greenville, Mississippi, levee. A.R.T. participants traded the traditional classroom for open air, natural light, and the scenery of one of our community’s most familiar landmarks, the Mississippi River.

Painting outdoors challenged our young artists to pay attention to color, shape, light, movement, and perspective in a new way. They were encouraged to interpret what they saw through their own creative lens because even when artists are looking at the same view, no two artists will tell the story exactly the same.

This is A.R.T. in action: giving young people the space, tools, guidance, and experiences they need to strengthen their gifts.🎨 View photos and video from the session: https://artfandbjohnsonfoundation.org/plein-art-media/

We also had two awesome artists join us! Mural Artist Andrea Kostyal and Fine Artist Kianna Smith. Check out what they had to say. We really appreciated them joining us!

08/11/2026

Our volunteers and donors are rocking their A.R.T. T-shirts and looking good while making a difference! 🎨🙌🏾

These shirts represent more than just A.R.T. They represent the incredible people who give their time, resources, energy, and support to help our mission come to life.

We’re grateful for every volunteer who shows up, every donor who gives, and every supporter who believes in what we’re building. Thank you for wearing A.R.T. with pride and reminding everyone that when community and creativity come together, amazing things happen! ❤️

08/03/2026

A.R.T. In Action!
Every Creative Journey Has a Beginning.

In February, students and A.R.T. Mentors, gathered for the 2026 A.R.T. Interest Meeting at Greenville High School.

It was an opportunity to introduce the kids to A.R.T. - Acknowledging Real Talent, discuss the vision for the program, and share how A.R.T. plans to support young people who are serious about developing their abilities in fine art and digital art. But the conversation extended beyond drawing, painting, and graphic design.

We talked about exposure. Mentorship. Discipline. Creative careers. Confidence. We talked about what can happen when talented young people are surrounded by adults who believe in their potential and are willing to help them grow.

These photos represent the beginning of something meaningful: new connections, new opportunities, and a shared commitment to acknowledging the creative gifts that already exist in our community.

The meeting may have been the introduction, but the real work was just beginning. A.R.T. is here to help young creatives learn, create, connect, and prepare for what comes next.

07/31/2026

A.R.T. in Action!

Hey y’all! It’s been a while! We’ve been busy with zoom presentations, sessions and even a field trip. Now, we want to share what we’ve done, with you.

Since February, Acknowledging Real Talent—A.R.T.—has been creating opportunities for young visual and digital artists to learn, explore, connect, and see where their creativity can take them.

From our first interest meeting to outdoor painting, conversations with professional creatives, and visits to local businesses, each experience has been designed to expose our students to something new.

Over the next few posts, we’re taking you behind the scenes of the A.R.T. journey so far. You’ll see young people creating, asking questions, meeting working professionals, and discovering that their artistic gifts can become more than a hobby.

This is what happens when talent is acknowledged, encouraged, and given room to develop.

Welcome to A.R.T. in Action.

04/10/2026

Happening tomorrow morning! We hope to see you there!

09/29/2023

Mission: Recruit a little kid to go too so that no one knows that you secretly like Legos as an adult!

Calling All LEGO Maniacs: Brick Fest Live is coming to the the BJCC on December 16 & 17, 2023! Early Bird Ticket Access Opens THIS Friday @ 10:00 AM. Get your invite here!

12/17/2022

Loïs Mailou Jones (1905-1998)

Loïs Mailou Jones painting in her Paris studio in 1937 or 1938 as her cat hangs out on her shoulder. Born in Boston, her mother, Carolyn Dorinda Jones was a hat designer and a beautician, and her father, Thomas Vreeland Jones, was an office building superintendent before becoming a lawyer at age forty. Ms. Jones was encouraged by both parents to pursue art and she graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1927. After studying art at Harvard and Columbia, she established the art department at Palmer Memorial Institute, the black preparatory school founded by Charlotte Hawkins Brown in Sedalia, North Carolina. Ms. Jones then moved on to Howard University in 1930 and remained there until 1977. Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Google Images of her art work
https://www.google.com/search?q=Lo%C3%AFs+Mailou+Jones&client=firefox-a&hs=sXk&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jGquUpXRJoqZrQGHqIDYAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=800&bih=470

(vintageblackglamour tumblr)