Art in the Heart, an educational outreach program of the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, is a “hands-on” art program that brings artists into after-school programs and classrooms in public schools on an ongoing basis that allows the artists, their team teachers, and their students to develop relationships while learning skills by participating in sequential, environmentally conscious art projects.  These projects reflect multiple cultural and ethnic history as well as challenge students to think analytically, make decisions, solve problems, and other higher learning skills.
 
Art in the Heart is currently in four after-school classrooms at four Richmond Public Schools.  We serve 80 children each week at a cost of approximately $2.59 per child for each two hour class.  The artists choose their own reused materials from the Depot Store and develop their own lesson plans.  We have a lead teacher charged with the task of facilitating the cross-training of artists and teachers who will be working together for a year.  Team teaching is a core part of the Art in the Heart program.
 
Art in the Heart’s goals are to bring ethnically diverse, cultural and artistic enriching experiences to educational adjunct programs through hands-on eco-arts and crafts, taking advantage of the artistic, aesthetic, educational and practical use of recycled materials, while having fun.  What began as an outreach program for the Depot Store has blossomed into a program with a distinct artistic identity and purpose.