MINNEAPOLIS — This week, local creative agency, Periscope, partnered with Art Buddies, a nonprofit mentorship program, to surprise local children and bring awareness to the arts in celebration of national “Keep Kids Creative Week.” The Art Buddies kids were surprised with a special experience at what it’s like to work at a marketing agency.
Art Buddies focuses on matching kids from high-need schools with mentors in creative fields such as advertising, graphic design, commercial photography, illustration and architecture. For the event, children and their mentors built a concept and costume that reflected that child’s unique interests, strengths and dreams. Periscope surprised a few kids with their own professional video and photo shoot, where they could wear the costumes they created and act out their characters. The event took place at Periscope’s P4 studio and gave kids a unique behind-the-scenes look at jobs in video production, photography, design and more.
“Creativity is at the heart of everything we do at Periscope and in the advertising industry in general,” says Taylor Lovaas, Periscope creative and Art Buddies volunteer. “So it’s important that we continue to arm future generations to think creatively, and inspire them to pursue jobs in our field to ensure Minneapolis marketing can thrive for years to come.”
Art Buddies runs this local mentorship program for around seven to 10 weeks every fall and spring in hopes that they inspire kids to grab ahold of their creativity and never let go.
“Our main goal is to show kids that creativity is something that everyone has inside of them. It’s a skill set that can be learned and practiced, just like playing soccer or doing math,” says Art Buddies Program Director Sydnee Bickett-Rodrigez.
Art Buddies works directly with schools in the Twin Cities to bring these programs to life, such as Whittier International Elementary, Loring Elementary, Bancroft Elementary and Barack & Michelle Obama Elementary Schools.
“The best part is seeing kids be creative and supportive of each other in a classroom setting without any judgement. They’re just having fun and expressing themselves with the most off-the-wall ideas,” says Art Buddies volunteer Miles Dombrovski. “It is my hope that these kids will feel encouraged to be creative and fully explore where that can take them in life.”
To learn more about Art Buddies or donate to its classroom programs, visit www.artbuddies.org/donate.
