Arty FACTs
The kids are alright—at 20
Fine Art for Children and Teens—otherwise known as F.A.C.T.—celebrates its 20th anniversary March 18 at Santacafé with an auction and fundraiser (with proceeds going to the nonprofit’s various programs). In the two decades since it was founded, by Juliet Myers and Rosanne Kadis, it has grown from its one-room haven for artistically passionate grade-school children near Warehouse 21 into a group that now reaches over 4,500 children throughout Northern New Mexico.
On March 19, the organization hosts a reception and public exhibition of F.A.C.T. alumni artwork at Warehouse 21. Kids from its current programs will be there, as will some of its alumni—most of whom remember F.A.C.T. fondly, and more than a few of whom have gone into art as a career.
Nick Pena, for example, found his calling at F.A.C.T., and in some ways personifies F.A.C.T.’s mission: using the visual arts to help kids find out more about themselves, their worth, their talents. “It’s real validating for kids who are overlooked by society,” says Pena, 27, who majored in art and art history and now plays in a band (La Junta) and has his own recording studio. “Art kept me in school, and F.A.C.T.’s why I went to college. It’s social activism. It was also a safe, comfortable place and,” adds Pena, “we got snacks.”
“We take our methods and adapt them to the needs and skill sets and cultures of the kids,” says interim executive director Anna Marie Tutera Manriquez. “We make it accessible and relevant to them.”
Madeleine Tozzi, for instance, who started there as an eight-year-old student before finishing up as an instructor’s assistant at 18, remembers F.A.C.T. as a safe place, too. “It definitely turned me on to art in a way I hadn’t previously been,” she wrote via email from Santa Barbara, where she’s pursuing a degree in community arts. “I owe much of my inspiration and passion for the arts to Juliet and Rosanne, and to F.A.C.T.”
Molly Weisse-Bernstein, another out-of-town alumnus and onetime studio assistant, also characterized F.A.C.T. as a refuge, and wrote from Washington, D.C., also via email, that, “It helped me realize that all art is important.” Although she recently earned her degree in psychology, “To know that I am an artist,” she wrote, “whether I make art or not—is important.”
And, yes, just in case you were wondering: there will be snacks at all the events.
For tickets and a complete schedule of events, call 505-992-2787, or visit factsantafe.org.
