Kimberly Abler, Founder and Co-Director
ablerka@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us
Teri Sullivan, Founder and Co-Director
teri@artsatlargeinc.org
Ryan Hurley, Program Coordinator
ryan@artsatlargeinc.org
Beth Luck, Eau Claire Program Liason
beth@artsatlargeinc.org
Darrell Garrett, Intern
darrell@artsatlargeinc.org
Letter from the Co-Directors
There is a passion for arts education that is sometimes hard to explain. It begins when
you walk into a classroom of 1st graders, some sitting quietly, some fidgeting and you
see the variety of personalities and sense that each child is capable of learning, given the
opportunity to explore their own style – their own creativity.
The passion grows when you meet a visual artist keenly in touch with the value of using
symbols to bring cultural exploration alive through making giant banners and masks that
represent worlds far away from the central city. You see it in the eagerness of students to
add their own adornment to the sculptures, putting a personal stamp on the classroom’s
collective piece of artwork.
The excitement grows when a teacher fully adopts the use of multi-media technology into
everyday projects, helping her students tell their own stories in a way that, perhaps, only this new, young generation can grasp.
Our passion for arts education and equity for ALL students set us on the path to Arts
@ Large. Making the dreams of teachers and students come alive, helping to build
community, tapping into the creativity and imagination of our rich cultural arts community
fuels our efforts. Each day we feel honored to welcome the support of the local, regional
and national funding community to build stronger connections between arts and academics
in our schools. Every moment that we are able to provide the resources for teachers to work side-by-side with artist educators, community partners and higher education we are grateful.
Time and again, we are thankful that a paintbrush can be put in the hands of a child that
would otherwise have no opportunity to find their creative voice, or a digital camera can be the tool that helps youth visualize their story. We believe that a harmonica can be the key that opens the door for a student to socialize among his or her peers. These and many more reasons are why we strive to build a sustainable program, a program built with the help of teachers, administrators, specialists, artists, and funders for our students.
When art meets academics, the left and right brain merge. Arts @ Large, from its very
beginning, has been a collaboration. It requires creativity and organization, risk taking and
vision. It is a balancing act with an outcome that meets the needs of every child and teaches
the whole child. It might be easier to create a “canned” stagnant program where one size
fits all, but that would only reach either the left or the right side thinkers. We create unique
programs for each and every school because that is art. And, that is Arts @ Large.
- Kim Abler & Teri Sullivan, Founders and Co-Directors