Steffanie Lorig

Art with Heart

Grant Awarded: $20,000

Art with Heart empowers young people to deal with crisis through creative publications and programs that foster self-expression. It began as the community outreach brand of the Seattle chapter of AIGA.

Everyone in the family is affected when something bad happens and it’s very easy for things to get knocked out of balance. The activities in this are all based in tried and true therapies designed to help children explore the myriad of feelings they are experiencing and express what’s going on inside of them. Children benefit from having a safe place to record their innermost thoughts and feelings and work through them. Because of the engaging art, the activities in this book may just look like pure fun, but each page will be carefully designed to help the child work through their anxieties, remember that they are important, and allow them a place to express loss — among other things.

This book will be perfect for children who prefer to draw and color more than write. It can be used privately and alone by the child or with the guidance of a caring adult, counselor or therapist. It is not intended to take the place of one-on-one professional therapy, but can be used in conjunction with it if the situation warrants it.