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October 2009
Chameleon is excited to be making a local, regional and national impact with its fall 2009 programming. Chameleon, StonelLion and the Hip Hop Academy will all be taking part in a variety of arts and educational activities. We hope to see you at a Chameleon event or exhibition this fall.
Chameleon supports Synergy and One Homeless Night
One Homeless Night is an event to raise awareness around the issues of youth homelessness in the Kansas City metro area. On any given night in the area there are more than 2,000 youth unattached from their families, struggling to make it on their own. Many come from homes where there are family problems such as low income, substance abuse, domestic violence and child abuse and neglect. Through an organized metro-wide “sleep out” on Friday, November 13, youth simulate what it would be like to be homeless for a night. Last year nearly 800 youth and community members spent the night out, sleeping in little more than cardboard boxes and sleeping bags, bundled in donated thrift store clothing, eating food prepared by a “soup kitchen,” participating in educational activities and listening to speakers who work with this population. Each young person helped raise money to support the construction of Synergy’s new Youth Campus, home of the new Synergy House, a short-term emergency shelter for teens. This year Chameleon has joined in the efforts to raise awareness around the issue and raise funds to support the Youth Campus.
Chameleon Presents its Arts Programming to the Continuum of Care Symposia for Johnson County Kansas Homeless Providers
Chameleon presented an overview of its arts programming to the Continuum of Care symposia comprised of area support agencies for Homeless Youth in the Metropolitan area on September 23. Hugh Merrill and Staci Pratt gave a 90-minute workshop on how the arts can provide academic, social and family support to the homeless. The symposium was facilitated by Valorie Lynn Carson, Community Planning Director of United Community Services Johnson County Kansas. We hope that this is the beginning of an opportunity to integrate the arts into homeless services in eastern Kansas.
Fort Hays State University and the National Association of Educators of Homeless Children and Youth 2009
Chameleon has been invited to present the Chameleon process and an outline of our programming to art and design students at Forth Hays University. Hugh Merrill will conduct two days of workshops and facilitate a community arts project November 12 and 13th in Hays Kansas. From Hays, Chameleon will travel to Denver to attend the National Association of Educators of Homeless Children and Youth conference. Chameleon has a booth to discuss the use of the arts in Homeless youth programs and sell newly printed posters from our community arts project 2008, Faces of the Homeless.
Teacher Training for St Marks Family and Child Develop Center
Chameleon and Stonelion, for the second year are providing arts and educational programming to St Marks family and Child Development Center. StoneLion works with the teachers and children on a weekly basis using the arts to reinforce academic growth for the youngsters. Chameleon provides teacher training workshops 4 times a year. This fall Chameleon has put together a two part program that focuses on reducing violence through conflict resolution and using paper folding techniques to make clothes, puppets and sculpture. St Marks is at the center of major change in how the arts can be used in early childhood education and Chameleon has developed a long term partnership to facilitate this remarkable vision.
Hugh Merrill Divergent Consistencies, Leedy Voulkos Art Center, Opening Again!
October 2. Hugh Merrill director of chameleon’s exhibition at the Leedy voulkos Art Center features both his studio art and his community art of which Chameleon is a major part. There is a whole wall dedicated to Chameleon and the Faces of the Homeless Posters. We hope you will have the opportunity to stop by and participate in the interactive portions of the Exhibition, Our City Ourselves Xerox project and Pools of Belief. The exhibition closes October 23.
Grants
Chameleon has gotten all of its grant requests for 2010 out to the foundations and is completing its greater Kansas City Community Foundation Donor Edge qualifications. Cheryl Kimmi, working with McAully and Crandal, has completed the 2008 audit and taxes. With all of the administrative work behind us, we are ready to start fall programming. Chameleon has already received grants from the KC Arts Fund, Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation and Bank of America as well as funding from individuals from as far away as Florida for its youth development and arts programming. Thanks to everyone!!
Cheryl Kimmi, Best of Luck!
Cheryl Kimmi is moving on from Chameleon and leaving her position as director in charge of Chameleon accounts and helping with grant writing. Cheryl is director of the Fringe Festival and through her vision and hard work has grown the Fringe into a major leader in the arts in Kansas City. The Fringe is now a 360 day a year job and we wish Cheryl the best. Cheryl, by the way, will not be going to far. She will still be a supporter and resource for Chameleon, thanks for all of your amazing work!
We are looking for a replacement for Cheryl and if you know of anyone interested please contact Hugh Merrill at 816-686-8626 or hughmerr@hotmail.com.