Adam’s Gala Remarks

Over 120 supporters gathered for a Summer Gala on Thursday, August 29, 2024 to help Peninsula School of Art celebrate 59 years as a leading innovator of creative experiences and arts education. During the event, PenArt’s Executive Director, Adam Erickson, shared this message:

“When I was a little boy, 5 or 6, my grandmother brought me to a community art center and we took a drawing class together. I still remember vividly, and fondly, the sound and smell of the room, the quality of the light, and the feeling of picking up a pencil to begin.

Youth art class at PenArt. Credit xoMe Studio.

“I remember the thrill of making something with my hands that didn’t exist before I started. It was like magic to me. But that experience was about so much more than the physical object I could bring home to show my parents or give as a gift to someone I loved. Looking back, the power and meaning in that experience was in the confidence I built through it. It was about unlocking a way to express my thoughts and feelings in healthy, positive ways, and realizing that I had something valuable to offer the world.

“Tonight, we are gathered in a place not unlike the one where my grandmother and I went, all those years ago. You may turn a corner or get close enough to one of the colorful creations just outside these doors to catch the scent of a crayon, pencil, or sheet of paper. Remember what that smells like. Remember. Because that is the smell of creative expression and the development of critical thinking skills, dexterity, social skills, and other tools for wellbeing that all of us – and especially children – need today.

“Study after study confirms that making art builds our empathy muscle. So when I have a student who begins to understand another culture by studying textile patterns, or becomes curious about an event in our country’s history by taking a closer look at the photographic process, or finds new appreciation in the face of a loved one whose portrait they draw, then I know in my bones that our work could not be more important nor more timely than it is right now, today.

“This is a place where each year, hundreds of grandparents and parents lovingly bring their young ones to unlock their innate creativity. To find confidence in the act of making. It’s an experience that for some will be profound enough to stay with them, even guide them, for their entire lives.

“Just a few weeks ago, we had a group of young artists gathered in this very room, and with the help of our volunteers they designed and created the napkin at each of your place settings. Those young people learned about composition, color, and negative space, and they learned how to realize their ideas through a screen-printing process. The napkin is more than its utilitarian function. It’s a gift from a young artist to you, and it’s their way of thanking you for your support tonight of this magical place we call Peninsula School of Art.”

Gala place setting with napkin created by young artists.