Most Americans—87%— recognize that access to the arts is important to quality of life. Furthermore, 63% say that arts experiences are uplifting, and 73% think the arts contribute something positive to the world ( Americans for the Arts). Because of these beliefs, there is a desire within KY to increase the amount of arts education opportunities available to all of its citizens. The Monroe County FCS Agent and I created a partnership with the William B Harlan Memorial Library to do an Art night once a month and provide more opportunities for art education to the residents of Monroe County. 

During these Art nights at the library, FCS agent Stephanie does a healthy snack demonstration, bringing ingredients to make the snack and share with participants, as well as copies of the recipe for participants to take home. Afterwards, I instruct participants on how to create a specific painting, step by step. This is a recurring program with 66 participants over 3 nights, reaching a diverse audience each time. Participants leave having created something with unique individual qualities that tie back to the artist. Through this process, participants have learned about color mixing, gridding, background painting, adding individual artistic details, and different brushes and brushstrokes.