Art Center Sarasota Receives Grant from The Exchange

The $10,000 grant will help fund the center’s free Youth Saturdays.

Art Center Sarasota received a $10,000 grant from The Exchange (formerly the Woman’s Exchange) during a grants ceremony on June 8. The grant will help fund the center’s free Youth Saturdays, a program that provides arts education and inspiration to youth ages 6-15. The weekly 3-hour sessions enable young people to learn about art, explore their creative sides, collaborate with other students, and have fun.

"Since launching our free Youth Saturdays program in fall of 2022, we have provided over 600 students with access to art instruction at no cost,” says Kinsey Robb, Art Center Sarasota’s executive director. “Receiving this grant from The Exchange will ensure that this innovative program will continue to benefit our creative youth and the community at large." 

Kinsey explains that participants in Youth Saturdays are divided into two age groups: Creative Kids (6-10 years old) and Emerging Artists (11-15 years old). To achieve personalized art instruction, classes are limited to a small number (10-12 in each group) and each class is led by one ACS artist instructor and one to two teaching assistants—juniors and seniors in high school who receive mentoring and school credits for their time. “Keeping classes small ensures that young art students receive guidance and individualized instruction,” says Kinsey. “This fosters creativity and provides students with foundational art practices that can grow their confidence and interest in pursuing the arts.”

Kinsey adds that the artistic and cultural contribution of this program is far-reaching and supports area artists and students. “Local artists teach the classes; high school students serve as teaching assistants; parents provide their children with a safe and fun way to produce art projects, and children get to explore their creativity in a non-judgmental environment that supports them and exposes them to a wide-range of skills and experiences that contribute to their growth as members of the community.”

This year, The Exchange awarded $500,000 to 24 regionally based arts and cultural organizations and 14 high school and college students.

"The Exchange's commitment to the visual and performing arts has been extraordinary and has made a profound contribution to our community,” says Kinsey. “We are incredibly grateful to be recognized by The Exchange for the work we do in service of supporting future generations of young artists."