RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, SkyART is a non-profit organization located in the South Chicago neighborhood of the 10th Ward ofthe City of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, SkyART is dedicated to utilizing art forms, ranging from painting and sculpture to digital media and cuisine, in order to provide therapy for youth and students on the Southeast Side of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, Sarah Ward is the founder and current Executive Director of SkyART; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Ward began her career as a visual arts educator in 1993 in New York, and came to Chicago in 1996 in order to pursue a master's degree from the School ofthe Art Institute; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Ward became a licensed art therapist and, in 1998, created an art therapy program at the Cook County Juvenile Court, the first such program in the United States, with victims of abuse and neglect alongside juvenile delinquents; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Ward subsequently founded the South Chicago Art Center, the predecessor of SkyART, in 2001, with only one employee teaching 18 students in a small rented studio; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Ward, along with her colleagues, have expanded the mission of SkyART to provide youth in the South Chicago neighborhood with an accessible safe space to participate in visual arts programs, including in-school and after-school programs, local outreach, and urban farms; and,
WHEREAS, under Ms. Ward's leadership, SkyART has grown into an established community focal point, including a 15,000 square foot Artist's Garden, a 6,000 square foot indoor art studio, a Technology and Design Studio, a studio dedicated to ceramics, sculpture, and metalwork, a kitchen, gallery, and studios for group art therapy as well as one-on-one meetings; and,
WHEREAS, SkyART's programming now employees a staff of 8 along with 15 Teaching Artists and Art Therapists, and reaches over 4,000 participants annually with its rich variety of programs, partnerships, and initiatives; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Ward has tirelessly dedicated herself to helping any and all youths who have entered SkyART to cultivate their own imaginations and provide a safe and calm space to explore their aspirations, goals, and dreams; and,
WHEREAS, the youth of South Chicago, as well as the 10th Ward community, benefit substantially as a result ofthe presence and the contributions ofthe SkyART, and are deeply indebted to the vision and commitment of its founder and executive director Sarah Ward; therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Chicago City Council on this 14th Day of September, 2021, does hereby embrace and endorse the honoring of Ms. Sarah Ward for her efforts, expresses its sincere and enduring gratitude and support for SkyART; and