Art Smart

Lancaster Creative Factory

Art Smart Program

"Under the folded arms and orange shirts, beneath the tattoos, the rolling eyes and shrugged shoulders are kids who are creative and smart; who are willing to experience the transformational power of art if given the chance. The residents at the Lancaster Youth Intervention Center worked hard; passionately creating super heroes, bird cages, mandalas and taking photographs. Despite a troubled time or a bad decision, the kids found a meaning in art making and took ownership of their accomplishments. With the guidance and knowledge from the teaching artists at the ArtSmart program, the residents at the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center found healing through the use of art and creativity and are very pleased their work is on display."

Lyndsay Hoke

"Under the Surface" show statement at The Ware Center, April 2014

5-1-14

Listen to Kevin Lehman's interview which aired on

WITF regarding his work with

Lancaster Creative Factory/ArtSmart at YIC.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Winner of JDCAP’s 2009 Special Event of the Year Award

Our association with ArtSmart started in the fall of 2008 by being introduced to Roberta Little, the visionary for the program and all that it includes. For our first ArtSmart project we were able to include both detention and shelter residents (at separate times) in the creation of a mural with artist and Hurricane Katrina survivor Bill Myers from Mississippi. This mural project won the 2009 Juvenile Detention Center Association of Pennsylvania’s award for being the top special event of its kind in the state. The program has since expanded to include weekly programs that work with each of our populations, on Tuesday afternoons or evenings they meet with either our shelter residents or our detention residents to conduct this great program which provides a unique outlet and is so encouraging for our residents to be involved with the growing number of ArtSmart volunteers. They also have donated boxes and boxes of art supplies and paper for use by our residents and to keep our Multi-Purpose Room stocked.

Click here to view our residents' artwork.

This mural was the inaugural work completed by the Shelter residents, Detention residents, volunteers, and staff of the YIC ArtSmart Program in June of 2009. This amazing piece of art can be viewed in the Main Lobby area of our facility.

Click here to view this artwork.

Click here to view this article.

ArtSmart Volunteers

Download the ArtSmart Volunteer Handbook