Every piece of artwork tells a story, and for 25 years El Paso’s Creative Kids, a local non-profit, has provided El Paso youth with an artistic outlet through collaborative and individual art projects over the past two and a half decades.
From the very first program, founded in 1998, Project Arts-in-Motion (AIM) for patients at The Children’s Hospital at Providence, to the Resiliency Art Program (RAP) for those affected by the Aug. 3 tragedy–fostering creativity, confidence, and critical thinking among El Paso youth, is the focus of this organization.
Founders Andrea Gates-Ingle and Stephen Ingle were both two ambitious college students at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) who had an idea of creating a space that could connect the community with art. Gates-Ingle studied special education and fine arts, and Ingle studied graphic design and printmaking. The two quickly learned they’d have to carve their own path to create the Creative Kids program.
They both explain how risks need to be taken to become comfortable with rejection and be successful.
“If [Andrea Gates-Ingle] and I can stay in El Paso [while doing] something purposeful, I am hopeful that kids at UTEP can also follow suit and say ‘I want to do something for my community’… its possible you can do this starting at UTEP, but you have to have your heart in it,” Ingle said.
As the years went by, the organization grown and touched the lives of its participants and employees. Creative director, Oscar Camargo has been with Creative Kids for 15 years. Camargo oversees the six public art displays around the city displaying real collaborative artwork from the children in these programs. Recognizably, the ‘Points of Light’ sculptures underneath the Durango St. Bridge, or the bright mural on the Missouri Avenue side of the El Paso Museum of History.He expresses his gratitude to the program and says seeing the work from the participants truly “re-energizes the purpose” of himself and fellow employees.
They celebrated their 25th anniversary in November by re-uniting participants from their early days and honoring them with their own testimonies in a short documentary that can be found on the Creative Kids’ website.
The program is introducing a collaboration with the El Paso Juvenile Detention Center for a program working with incarcerated youth growing outreach not only in El Paso, but nationally, with plans to spread the curriculum throughout 22,000 schools across the country.
Twenty-five years in, Creative Kids continues to reflect the hope and dedication of its creators. This organization is not only the abstract art seen throughout El Paso, but the stories of hope behind the hands that crafted it.
Vianah Vasquez is a writer contributor and may be reached at [email protected].
