The Whitley County Extension Community Art Center has traditionally provided arts access to the residents of Whitley County via face-to-face, hands-on arts engagement classes.  Due to COVID-19, the Arts Extension staff has had to pivot their approach in order to best reach community members during this time of social distancing and social isolation.   In order to continue to provide high-quality arts experiences to Whitley county residents, the arts extension staff created Take Home Art Packets for residents to pick up at the Community Art Center and Whitley County Farmer Market to take home and learn a new art form in a safe, contactless way. 

These activities range from oil pastels, to watercolors, to soft pastels and mixed media.  Most recently, Arts Extension staff have incorporated STEM lessons into the arts packets as well to help parents educate their children about science and history through an arts project.   These packets include all necessary art supplies, a lesson plan, and directions for participants to follow to create their own interpretation of a famous artists’ work or art from around the world.  After several weeks of successful distribution to general clientele, a local agency that works with children of incarcerated individuals contacted Arts Extension staff to provide Take Home Kits for their youth.   Arts Extension supplied 169 kits for these children with limited access to arts education.  

Over the course of several months, Arts Extension staff have distributed approximately 1400 Take Home Art Kits to both youth and adults within Whitley County.   One participant stated “These art packets have been such a wonderful addition during this hard season with busy little boys! It has been a great parent/kid cooperative activity since they couldn’t quite handle the projects on their own.  We have had great conversations and laughter and enjoyment while working on these projects.  I love the bits of history and science that have been included with each packet as well.”   By creatively addressing ways to provide arts experiences to Whitley County residents during COVID-19, Whitley County Arts Extension has expanded their reach to new clientele, enhanced the quality and variety of art lessons offered in the community, and addressed challenges that families are facing during social isolation.