Local nonprofit Art for All cultivates community through creative expression

Elizabeth Dull Culture Editor

Art for All is a nonprofit, mobile art studio based in Raleigh that promotes arts education and making through community-oriented workshops.

Jennifer Seaver, the founder and executive director of Art for All, aims to make artistic endeavors accessible throughout the Triangle.

“Our mission is to cultivate community through art by providing arts education and experience to all regardless of means,” Seaver said. “We do that through different programs, including pop-up mobile art studios and paywhat-you-can art classes.”

Seaver graduated from NC State with a bachelor’s in leadership in the public sector and noted that her coursework helped her to create the idea of the organization.

“I used my coursework to develop the business plan and feasibility study for the organization,” Seaver said. “There were a lot of NC State students who helped and professors who helped me kind of create this idea and move forward with making it real.”

Many of Seaver’s classmates at NC State have helped cultivate the image of Art for All.

Elizabeth Chen, a board member and design committee chair for Art for All, met Seaver at NC State and helped design visuals for the organization, which she said has been a rewarding experience.

“I’m currently getting my master’s in graphic and experience design at NC State, and [Seaver] was looking for someone to help her out with social media,” Chen said. “It’s been pretty rewarding to help bring art into communities who may not typically be exposed to art.”

A main priority for Art for All is accessibility. It has diverse program offerings to make sure there is something of interest for everyone.

“[Art for All] wants to make art accessible to people who say they’re not creative or don’t make art,” Seaver said. “Art is very relative to the individual. … I’m trying to get people to access that creative part within themselves that they don’t necessarily tap into normally.”

Pay-what-you-can class offerings are a large part of the work Art for All offers in the Triangle, which is consistent with its dedication to accessibility.

“Anybody can come in and donate any amount,” Seaver said. “Fifty percent of our participants pay less than half the suggested donation to nothing at all. We do allow people to come in and do art activities with us at no cost.”

Recently, Art for All has been introducing its programs to NC State. A poster design competition will be held in Talley Student Union Thursday, April 20, from 3-6 p.m., where participants design posters based on Art for All’s core values.

The competition came about during Art for All’s project cycle with 180 Degrees Consulting at NC State, an on-campus organization where undergraduates provide high-level, pro-bono consulting services to local and international non-profits. Students receive training and support from a global team as well as large consulting firms such as McKinsey and Deloitte.

“We have three posters being printed for the poster fundraiser on Thursday, April 20,” said Sharon George, a project lead at 180 Degrees Consulting. “We will also have Art for All T-shirts, tote bags and things like that.”

Art for All has collaborated with various businesses in the Triangle to reach multiple audiences. Maggie Kane, founder and executive director of A Place at the Table, said she having another pay-what-you-can organization to collaborate with in the area.

“Art for All has run a couple of art classes at A Place at the Table that are pay-what-you-can and community art,” Kane said. “She’s worked with our community to create art pieces where everyone has a hand in it.”

With a volunteer staff that is growing, Art for All encourages those passionate about its mission to consider volunteer work with the organization. Volunteer tasks may include setting up tables and helping with registration.

“We are 100% volunteer based, so we’re looking for generous people willing to give their time and talents to make this run,” Seaver said. “It’s quite fun [to volunteer] because it’s very social and engaging.”