Art Director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami -Dade entitled the Music and Art Challenge

During the winter of 2017 into March of -2018  I was hired as MAC’s Art Director, I worked at four Miami-Dade Boys and Girls Clubs locations each with a team of staff and other professionals. I began by introducing 120 elementary and middle school children the techniques of drawing and then watercolor, next guiding them to create and illustrate their stories with paintings that told their stories. The children enjoyed hands-on-experience working with 140 lb. D’arches French watercolor paper and watercolor paints of seven colors personally chosen by me to introduce them to the magic of color. They learned how to mix colors and express their feelings and visions through art. The children were amazing to watch as they discovered these expressions.The children’s paintings and stories were given to a pre-selected panel of judges at Miami’s New World School of the Arts, led by its School of Music Dean, Daniel Andai, Ph.D., for inspiration and judging. As I read the stories aloud, it was as if every word I said would make the colors on the paintings more vibrant and vivid until each story came to life before the judge’s eyes.The panel of judges chose five winning paintings and stories. These winners will be given to a group of student and faculty composers who will create an original musical composition for each. The World Premiere compositions of each of the five winners will commence at the New World Schoolof the Arts School of Music 2018 Graduation Ceremony. Every emerging student artist, their families and friends will be able to enjoy the musical compositions, the paintings and stories that inspired each creation.