Making Art Accessible

“Art has always had such a therapeutic component to it,” says Jennifer Krueger, an artist and the founder and executive producer of the Estey Art Initiative. “COVID stressed everybody out in one way or another, and art was missing for the kids.”

The Estey Arts Initiative offers fine art programming to New Brunswick children and youth. Before the COVID-19 pandemic closures, they were teaching about 1,000 students from 70 schools across the province. 

In response to the closures, Jennifer and her small team from across New Brunswick made the decision to move to a virtual curriculum. Additionally, they launched a 2020 summer art camp with 250 student participants.

Parents asked Jennifer to continue the summer camp in 2021, but doing so came with significant costs at a time when fundraising was particularly challenging. As a charitable organization, the Estey Art Initiative charges families up to a maximum of 60 percent of the cost of programming. The rest is covered through fundraising and community support. 

Through the 2021 Community Grants and the generosity of donors, the Fredericton Community Foundation was able to provide support to Estey Art Initiative’s three 2021 summer art camps, with a $2,000 community grant.

“We’re very grateful for this contribution,” Jennifer says. “These camps were needed for the kids who love art. When many activities were cancelled, the mental health component of art was needed more than ever. We’re grateful that we could provide this to our students who need that creative outlet.”

If you would like to support projects such as Estey Arts Initiative, please visit fredfdn.ca/donate  or contact us at info@fredfdn.ca to learn how you can help.