On a typical Tuesday in New York City, a team of Free Arts NYC weekly mentors work with a group of 6-8 year old children at a permanent housing facility in the Bronx. For the first week of their "Out of This World Art" curriculum, they create space-inspired journals that will be used to write about their feelings, ideas, and experiences throughout the program.

The Weekly Mentor Program provides caring, supportive role models for at risk youth ages 6-18. Working in partnership with a trained Program Facilitator, teams of volunteer mentors are matched with small groups of children (the adult to child ratio is 1:2 or 1:3) each year from October to May. Using curriculums developed by Free Arts NYC as a guide, mentors lead participants in creating and discussing art during weekly 1.5 hour sessions to help them strengthen critical outlets, increase their self esteem, build confidence, and develop positive, trusting relationships with adult mentors.

Sample themes and projects:

• Folk Outsider Art - A series of projects based on the work of outsider artists.

Projects include: Howard Finster Inspired Self-Portraits, Bottle Cap Sculptures, and Ceramic Face Vessels.

• Out of this World Art - An explanation of outer space through the art projects.

Projects include: Starry Night Kaleidoscopes, Astronaut Helmets, and Solar System Mobiles.

• World Festivals – Art projects focused on festivals that take place all over the world.

Projects include: African Masks, Asian paper puppets and lanterns, Russian nesting dolls, Balinese Kites and Incan capes.

• Masters of Modern Art – A series of art projects inspired by well-known Modern Artist’s works.

Projects include: Tom Friedmans’ paper sculptures, Takashi Murakami’s pop icon sculptures, and Barbara Kruger’s text and image collages.