On a beautiful summer afternoon at Ascension Catholic School in Minneapolis, middle school students gathered in a classroom around a U-shaped table with paintbrushes in hand, building their own night skies one star at a time. Acrylic paint in shades of blue and white. Stars and galaxies beginning to take shape. And in the middle of it all, COMPAS Teaching Artist Moira Villiard, moving from student to student, helping each one find their own galaxy.
This session had some extra company. Representatives from the Genesis Inspiration Foundation were there to watch it unfold and to share some wonderful news of their own. They were presenting COMPAS with a grant to ensure that creative experiences, like the one taking place in the Ascension classroom that afternoon, would continue.
There’s something fitting about a grant for arts education being announced in a room full of kids actually making art. Moira worked her usual magic, showing the group a finished sample and a step-by-step video, then made her way around the table, encouraging students to experiment and see what textures they could create. Each student got to decide their own composition, whether that meant filling the canvas edge to edge with stars or leaving room for something more. They quickly understood: There’s no wrong way to paint a galaxy, and you could feel that idea in the room.
The kids, participants in Ascension’s after-school program, leaned into it with total focus, hands going up again and again asking for more paint. When the painting wrapped, it was time for more excitement: the ceremonial ‘big check,’ and a group photo with hands still covered in paint. Somewhere along the way, someone had the idea to press those paint-covered palms right onto the check itself, and just like that, a grant announcement became an art project. Messy, joyful, and entirely on brand for a room full of young artists.
“Genesis Inspiration Foundation is dedicated to empowering young people to experience an education through the arts,” said John Guastaferro, executive director, Genesis Inspiration Foundation. “We are grateful to work with nonprofit partners like COMPAS to increase accessibility, spark imagination, and bring the transformative power of the arts to more children across the country.”
Ascension students posing with the ‘big check’ decorated with their handprints
“We’re deeply grateful to the Genesis Inspiration Foundation for this generous investment in COMPAS and in the creative potential of young people across Minnesota,” said Dawne Browne White, executive director of COMPAS. “And we’re grateful to Ascension Catholic School for welcoming us into their community and giving us the chance to celebrate this gift where its impact is most visible: in a room full of young people creating. This support will help us bring more experiences like this to more young people, in more communities, across the state.”
This is only one chapter in a longer story about the collaboration between COMPAS and Ascension. The school will host new COMPAS programming again this fall, and COMPAS is offering a program of its own at no cost, a thank-you to a school that has always been generous in opening its doors to our work.
Thank you, Genesis Inspiration Foundation, for seeing what we saw in that classroom: kids reaching for more paint, asking if they could take their galaxies home, and hearing yes. We’re deeply grateful for your investment in our mission.
And thank you, Ascension Catholic School. We couldn’t be more thrilled to continue working with you. Here’s to the next canvas we get to fill together!
About Genesis Inspiration Foundation
Genesis Inspiration Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to connecting youth to the transformative power of the arts. Our mission is to improve educational outcomes by providing access to arts programs that engage and inspire children in under-resourced communities. Founded in 2018, the Genesis Inspiration Foundation has awarded over $16 million in grants to expand youth arts at museums, schools, and community organizations nationwide. With the support of Genesis and its retailers, we are introducing children to a new world of possibilities. To learn more, visit us online at www.genesisinspirationfoundation.org.
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COMPAS partners with schools, festivals, libraries, parks, businesses, healthcare environments, communities, and anywhere else to connect people of all ages with professional Teaching Artists. Whether you’re looking to inspire young artists, strengthen your community through the arts, or create unforgettable artistic experiences, we’d love to help. Reach out today to start the conversation.
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