This past June, Blick Art Materials and Fresh Artists teamed up to deliver much needed art supplies directly to public school Art Teachers during Blick’s summer Give and Get donation drive.  Sixty-one Blick stores throughout America participated, with store staff enthusiastically encouraging customers to donate essential supplies to fill their local Art Teachers’ classroom shelves. 

“Thousands of public-school art teachers across the United States are given a ZERO-dollar budget for art supplies. Art education shapes young minds and builds critical life skills needed for success. It is really sad that so many students are missing out on these vital learning opportunities just because of their zip code. It’s partners like Blick that help us give young people access to the arts so they can build a brighter future.” Fresh Artists Founder, Barbara Chandler Allen.

It didn’t take long for Blick’s Give and Get donation boxes to overflow with art supplies. Now tens of thousands of K-12 children will be able to create their masterpieces and express themselves using brand new quality art materials in partnership with Blick. 

Katie Latona, Fresh Artists’ director of Art Kit Grants, researched more than 500 schools in order make great matches for Blick, “Fresh Artists’ years of experience serving America’s underfunded public schools enabled us to match each Blick store with a specific local art teacher. Then I helped them curate a custom list of art supplies that fit their art curriculum’s critical educational needs.” 

Customers who donated to the campaign chose art supplies from Blick’s wide selection of quality products to fulfill each Art teacher's classroom wish list. Students benefitting from the program will get to create with new materials such as markers, sketchbooks, colored pencils, and much more. Customers who donated supplies received an in-store 20% off coupon to thank them for their generosity.

"Thank you so much for the donations of art supplies. It is really incredible and we’ve never received a donation like this before.  Students are thrilled beyond belief to get brand new art supplies who could never, ever get them for so many reasons." - Art Teacher

Blick customers collectively donated over 54,000 art materials to their local public school Art Teachers and students this school year. The schools that received the supplies are severely underfunded with as many as 70%-100% of enrolled students coming from economically disadvantaged households.

"For many artists, their creative journey begins in the classroom. The success of our Summer Give and Get campaign is attributed to the generosity of our customers, the dedication of our staff, and the inspiring mission and work of our partners at Fresh Artists. Blick is proud to continue championing the creativity and innovation that only access to quality art education can provide," said Barton Veghts, Vice President of Retail.

“I believe in Equity in the art room. Every student deserves equal access to the positive and healing effects of artmaking, especially during this time… Every child deserves an equal shot to create, nurture and discover their inner artist.” - Art Teacher

"Thank you Blick Art Materials and Fresh Artists for all of these amazing supplies. We are thrilled to receive this donation!!!" - Art Teacher

Blick Art Materials and Fresh Artists are excited to announce that a second round of Blick’s Give and Get to support public school Art Teachers will roll out next year. If you are an Art teacher working in an underfunded public school, click here to register to receive information about Fresh Artists art supply grants and programs. If you missed the Give and Get but would like to make a donation to deliver art supplies, click here. Fresh Artists fundraises year-round to deliver art supplies and art programs to public schools, click here to learn more about our mission.

About Blick Art Materials:

Founded in 1911, Blick Art Materials is the largest provider of art supplies in the United States. Its products cater to the full spectrum of artists — from the youngest child to gallery-represented professionals. A long-time advocate of art education in the U.S., Blick also provides support for scholastic, collegiate, and professional art shows, both financially and through a variety of materials that emphasize the benefits of art education. For more information, visit DickBlick.com.