Erin Fimbel painting with her mentor Jan Lipes

Putting the Fun into Fundraising

By Chris Snyder, Grant Committee Chair

Artsbridge’s Mentoring Project paired up 16 local artists/mentors with local high school students to create collaborative art. It culminated in a silent auction of all the art work at the reception of our gallery’s April show.

The evening was marked by a sense of accomplishment and enthusiasm. The silent auction raised $2,200 for Artsbridge’s ArtCamp.“

The reason we mentor,” said Valorie Johnson, a goldsmith and one of the mentors, “is to bring our next generation of artists along. We want to pave their way, to help them along with our knowledge and insights, and to make becoming an artist easier for them.”

Ashley Haughton, a junior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, collaborated on bottle art with Hong Foo and enjoyed it. “It was an opportunity to learn about art that I might otherwise not have had,” she said, “and it made me feel good being able to use my art to help the ArtCamp kids.”

Painter Jan Lipes experienced being a mentor as a gift. He said: “Watching a youngster’s face glow with her own sense of accomplishment and discovery of the world through the medium of art provided me with a deep sense of satisfaction and enjoyment. Both my student and I came away better for the experience.”

Many thanks to all who participated and to those of you who attended, purchased art, and made donations. You not only supported the mentoring-project students but the future ArtCamp students as well.