DRAWBRIDGE ANNOUNCES ARTIST SELECTIONS

For more than 35 years, 2023 Giving Marin grant winner DrawBridge has provided free weekly expressive arts programs for children experiencing housing insecurity across the Bay Area. The 2024 DrawBridge Community Artist Program, supported by the California Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, builds on this history of service for the second year in a row, connecting local artists with youth in shelters, affordable housing sites and community centers throughout the region. A committee of arts leaders along with DrawBridge board members and staff have selected five Bay Area artists to develop art experiences and site-specific works with children ages 5-18. Each artist will produce community-focused art activities that offer authentic dialogue and mentorship for participants in DrawBridge expressive arts programs. • Amalee Beattie is a multidisciplinary artist from Los Angeles and will work with DrawBridge youth artists at affordable housing sites in Alameda. • Katie Nealon is a poet, artist and commercial letterpress printer and will work with DrawBridge youth artists at Marin County Free Library branches in Marin County. • Richa Priyanka is a Fremont resident and freelance artist specializing in Indian folk art and will work with DrawBridge youth artists residing in affordable housing in San Jose. • Zachary Sweet, a storyteller from Oakland, will work with DrawBridge youth artists at shelters and affordable housing in San Francisco. • Patanisha Williams is a fourth-generation Oaklander and co-founder of Pata Ali Love Club. She will work with DrawBridge youth artists in shelters and transitional housing in Oakland. “Celebrating the creativity and diversity of the communities we serve, DrawBridge community artists provide inspiration and mentorship for DrawBridge youth artists,” said DrawBridge Executive Director Tracy Bays-Boothe. “The program’s inaugural year was a true success and we are delighted to serve even more artists, children and families in the coming year.” For more information, visit drawbridge.org.