Attitudinal Healing Connection Inc dba The Center for ArtEsteem

Since 1998, ArtEsteem programmin has culminated in an annual student art exhibition. Students participate in a professional process of submitting artwork and artistic statements, and, if they choose, selling their pieces to the public. They receive half the proceeds from the art they sell, along with information about financial responsibility and higher education. The other half of the proceeeds goes back toward ArtEsteem programming. The 27th Annual ArtEsteem Exhibition theme was "Lighting our Future." The ArtEsteem team crafted this theme of replenishment and regeneration to provide hope amidst the struggles seen in students, school sites, communities, and the world. The 2025 Exhibition contained a wide range of artwork, including pieces from ArtEsteem Visual Arts, Digital Media, and Animation classes at 11 school sites, Oakland Legacy Project classes, St. Mary's Center portraits by elders taught by artist Jack Leamy's workshop, and a selection of pieces from ArtEsteem's archival collection. Our guests, staff, and parents informed us that this year's Exhibition was the best yet. (We seem to say this every year.) The 27th Annual Exhibition took place of Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Studio One Art Center in Oakland. Students submit works they wish to show and our teaching artists submit group projects from their classes. Our Artistic Development Manager is the curator. Each staff member assits to transform Studio One into a two-floor celebration of our students' passion and efforts. We created elementary, middle, and high school display areas. This year we added an animation and film room. In the main hall, the featured exhibit was shared by high school students from Emiliano Zapata Street Academy and a Special Education class from Allendale Elementary. The Digital Media Externship class from Street Academy showcased the art practice of black and white photography, with the chosen pieces enlarged to 4' X 2.5' canvases. The Visual Arts class from Allendale's project was a 3-tiered collage sculpture made with watercolor paper strips that were interactive, spinning around and amazing viewers. Our staff personally invite the parents and guardians of every student who has work on display. The principal of Allendale wanted to ensure that every student had a skill-based art opportunity. Seeing the interactive sculpture on the main floor entrance made him so proud. But it was the reaction from a student and his father that moved us to tears. "My son has never had anything on display. I'm so grateful for the patience of Miss Alexa. Look at him, he's proud, and I'm thankful.