SOHO: A Space Of Her Own, a Richmond based creative arts mentorship program, is in search of “Big Sisters” for their u
SOHO: A Space Of Her Own, a Richmond based creative arts mentorship program, is in search of “Big Sisters” for their upcoming class of young ladies/young-artists-to-be this fall.
Going strong since 2008, The Visual Arts Center of Richmond started the program which SOHO provides a wide range of arts education for young girls, and leadership opportunities and development for mentors.
SOHO: Interviews from Briget Ganske on Vimeo.
”We definitely want people to feel a commitment and connection to the mission of the program,” said Nicki Stein, Arts Programming Coordinator for VisArts. “It is really important to us that the mentors are benefitting from the program as much as the students are”.
Rooting the program in the style of a mentor-mentee or Big Sister-Little Sister agenda, “Little Sisters” participate in collaborative workshops with guidance from their mentors or “Big Sisters.” This partnered work allows the young girls to develop a genuine and reliable bond with their mentors. And Stein hopes those relationships last beyond the creative sessions held on site.
The program offers workshops that are geared towards establishing skills and outlets for the young girls to express their emotions and creativity.
“Every night there is an hour devoted to girl talk within the program, which is all about the more internal portion of the program. Talking about the most important things in the girls’ lives like trust and communication,” said Jordan Roeder who is the Interim Director of Adult Programs. “But then the girls also learn some really great workshop and creative skills by the time the program ends”.
With help from their mentors, the girls who participate are first able to piece together vision boards reflecting their inspirations and tastes, create art through the program’s workshops, and then have their own space or rooms decorated with the pieces that they have created.
Partnered painting, sewing, screen printing, photography, and creative writing are just a number of mediums on the ever-expanding list of workshops offered to participants.
The workshops are held at the Vis Arts center on Main st., which has been renovated within the last decade into a modern arts facility. The spacious renovation provides an up-to-date environment for the hands-on workshops that are developed by the SOHO program’s teachers and coordinators.
SOHO: A Space of Her Own at the Visual Arts Center in Richmond is looking for young women in our area who wish to participate in this cultivating experience that works to inspire the minds and skills of young girls within the program. Creating more than just a bond. Commitment is an integral part of the program.
Click here to find the mentorship application and contact information.
The deadline for application is September 1st.
