The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council is on a mission to enhance the community by exposing local groups and organizations to art and culture.
"We mentor youth, so we work with Title I schools in Montgomery County," said Kayleen Barton, coordinator for the council's outreach effort, Because Art Matters. "We also work with senior citizens, and we work with [residents] with special needs and special circumstances."
Title I schools are low-income schools in which 40 percent or more of the students are eligible to enroll in free or reduced lunch programs. Many of the students are considered at-risk, or more likely to fail academically or drop out of school due to personal circumstances, and many are in The Woodlands, Barton said.
"We're giving these kids an opportunity with music and culture that they don't normally have," she said. "We're giving all the members an opportunity to experience arts and culture. We try to work with groups and children who don't have those opportunities."
Barton said the council focuses on the arts because scientific evidence has linked the arts to many factors that improve student performance. Activities might include making a clay pot or attending a symphony performance, she said.
The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council is celebrating its 10th year, and Because Art Matters launched five years ago. Since then, the organization has served more than 17,500 people through Because Art Matters, Barton said.
Beyond Because Art Matters, the council has served tens of thousands of people, WWAC President Cindy Hardin said. Its annual festival, The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, attracts about 18,000 attendees during the two-day event in April.
The organization's scholarship program has also awarded $175,000 to 136 students since its inception, Hardin said.
"The scholarships recognize exemplary student achievement in the visual arts through an art contest held before the festival, and it provides an opportunity for students to display their works to the public at the festival," she said.
The organization also awards the David Gottlieb Teacher Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts annually to two deserving local teachers.
About Because Art Matters
- Outreach pillar within The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council
- Program for at-risk students, youth, senior citizens and residents with special needs
- Has existed for five years and has served more than 17,500 people
- Works with students at Title I schools in The Woodlands and throughout Montgomery County
2099 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, 281-745-7126, www.woodlandswaterwayartscouncil.org
