It is truly a privilege when one is able to know early on what their true calling in life is, and that is exactly what it was like for Cheryl Brown who is a clay artist. Cheryl is an artist and owner of Cielo Clayworks. On her website www.cieloclayworks.com, she states in her bio: “The first time I touched clay, I knew I had found my calling. Since the early 1980s, my work has been defined by themes of ritual and ceremony…”.
Cheryl has since dedicated her life and life’s work to create unique art through ceramics being influence by her creativity, experiences abroad, and cultures, as she notes that cultures have more similarities than differences. Cheryl’s guidance to create comes from the clay itself and its characteristic qualities as she describes. She is owner and artist of Cielo Clayworks, but her passion for art drives her further into the community.
ArtStART
As well as having a love for the arts, Cheryl is also an advocate for the Arts in Education. For many reasons surrounding the birth of ArtStART, Cheryl’s main push from concept to reality was a grant hat she received and so decided to go through with what she hoped would be a success. She founded and is the director of ArtStART, a professional development program for “career track” and emerging teenage artists. As it states on the Facebook page for ArtStArt, “Currently ArtStART is offered to visual art students at Dillard Center for the Arts and Emerging Computer Technology county-wide magnet programs. Dillard High School is a Broward County public school located near downtown Fort Lauderdale. ArtStART will be adding other area schools to the program this year.”.
How ArtStART Helps
ArtStART was created for the aiding of young people to grow artistically and the program helps secure continual growth of the local artists and help promote and enrich a cultural environment in the community. The mentorship program guides young artists to produce, curate, submit, and exhibit their artwork. The program consists of a series of workshops which all comes to fruition in a group exhibition where the artists are able to engage with the public and showcase skills learned.
Cheryl adds, “Mentoring students helps to grow the local art culture. The best way of keeping young talent in their home communities is to remind them what these communities have to offer. ArtStART demonstrates that there is a place for young emerging artists within their local art culture, and it teaches them how to secure this place.”
Where to See ArtStART
As it happens this very Saturday coming up, May 29th, at 6pm, ten emerging teenage artists will be showcasing their talents and hard work during the FATVillage Artwalk.
ArtStART will have their 6th Annual 2021 Exhibit. It is a free event and tickets may be secured going to www.eventbrite.com/e/artstart-mentoring-emerging-teenage-artists-2021-exhibit-tickets-154458261819. The event will also feature the ArtStART Alumni Collection in the Caboose Gallery. All ArtStART 2021 Exhibit and Alumni artwork will be for sale during the exhibit.
