We bring creative joy to children.

Art Buddies helps kids from low-income families discover their creative gifts while building confidence and big dreams. We pair each child with a special creative volunteer: a mentor from the exciting fields of advertising, design and architecture.

Mentors work one-on-one.

At every program, creative volunteers work one-on-one with their child. The kids are amazed that they each get their own adult. One boy told us, “Art Buddies is cool, cuz you get your own person!”

Our workshops last from 7 to 10 weeks, with 40 mentors helping 40 kids create something fanciful and unique.  It might be a costume of a child’s future self, or a model of their dream city, or an image of themselves as “ruler of the world.”

No matter what the activity, our goal is always the same: to help the children believe in themselves and expand their vision of who they can become.

Each child is a star!

Art Buddies ends with the kids posing for professional photographers and showing off their creations in an exciting parade and performance.

Since our beginning in 1994, Art Buddies has paired over 1,800 children with over 1,800 creative people.  In the fall of 2011, we doubled the number of kids we serve to 160 per year. 

We believe in the power of creativity and one-on-one attention to change children’s lives!

Read our history, watch our video or join our list.