Amelia’s House Art Show

Emmory Shipley, Communications Coordinator

Every day, the residential team strives to create a positive environment for the children that live here. This mindset led Robin Drane and Lorraine Perriera, resident counselors of Amelia’s House, to create an art show with their teenage girls. They encouraged other team members, Adia Mathies and Carol James, to help them turn the idea into reality.

Their theme was “restorative art,” taking something ordinary and making it beautiful. Instead of each person creating their own piece, Robin and Lorraine wanted the girls to learn teamwork by creating pieces together.

They created art with used tiles, old calendars, and used canvases as bases. They decorated the bases with paint, beads, spoons, and ribbons. The finished products were inspirational plaques, 3D paintings, poem posters, jewelry, among other pieces. For Robin, one of the most emotionally touching pieces was a jewelry box the girls carefully decorated with her mom’s and grandma’s jewelry. It was the perfect closure she needed since her mom passed away, and a special moment she shared with the girls she works with every day.

Once all the pieces were complete, the girls set up their show with food and drinks for staff to enjoy while viewing their art. The residents were accommodating to team members and marketed their work. To their surprise, all the pieces were sold in less than an hour and raised over $500!

The money they made is used for special outings the girls plan with their counselors. So far, they have gone out for breakfast, hosted a food party, and ate at a Chinese buffet – and they still have money left for future outings.

The show taught the girls teamwork, marketing, dedication, communication, and confidence. One of the residents said, “Creating some of the pieces was difficult, but when I tried, I could do it.” The art show was a rewarding project for everyone involved, we are proud of the residents and team members that made it happen.