A VOICE – Art Vision & Outreach In Community Education

The primary goal of A VOICE-Art Vision & Outreach In Community Education is to foster excitement and confidence in youth who may not otherwise have this opportunity. It is our hope that the skills and self-confidence nurtured in visual arts learning will provide tools for young people to aid them in their decisions and endeavors, and to guide them toward success. We carry out projects in rural Tribal communities. We amplify our work through partnerships with community leaders and teachers. We provide them the tools to become expressive art makers, moving storytellers, and engaged citizens. In addition to our daily work in local schools and communities, we collaborate with organizations beyond the beautiful Flathead Valley so the young people we serve can experience other peoples, landscapes, and cultures and share their work with wider audiences. In everything we do, we are committed to reach out to and have a positive impact on each young person we serve. A VOICE was incorporated on June 21, 2006 by photographer David J. Spear and Polson, Montana native Jill L. Erickson. Jill and David, who have provided arts programming for decades in Montana and New York City, have a rich history of collaboration with other local non-profit organizations and educational institutions. In 2002, they founded Our Community Record Two Eagle River School, an ongoing partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which has been funded through A VOICE since the fall of 2006.