Want To Make A Difference?
DON’T DONATE!
Instead of making a donation, you can best support the mission and work of Claraty Arts by engaging the next developmentally disabled adult you meet with humility, equality, honesty and respect.
WE ARE HIRING!
Art Instructors wanted!
The Claraty Arts Project is seeking a compassionate and confident artist to help teach art to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in a program whose aim is to transform the culture around how people with disabilities are perceived, and treated.
We are an arts program, studio, and gallery in Santa Cruz operated by Mainstream, Inc., a Santa Cruz based organization committed to the equality, and empowerment of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Its purpose is to support and advance the development of a new, positive, collective identity for developmentally disabled adults via arts education, training, expression, and production.
To apply, email us with the subject line: FT Instructor.
Send a cover letter, portfolio link, and resume to claratyarts@gmail.com
Get Involved!
Thank you for your interest in Claraty Arts Project. Below you can learn more about our Internship Program.
But also consider shopping our store! Buying work from our Artists is a instant and meaningful way to get involved in their artistic journey. Click the shop button below to see for yourself.
Intern Audrey Schmidt, film student at UCSC, made ‘‘a documentary about the Claraty Arts Program, which serves artists with disabilities and fosters a unique creative environment.’’
Julia Schrader, graduate of Film from UCSC, prouced a portrait piece on surrealist artist Marshall Woodall.
Intern Lucinda Schwarz helped artist Marshall Woodall make a professional artist book that features a collection of his work from his ongoing series called ‘‘Stress Dreams.’’
Intern Allison facilitates a clay workshop with the studio artists. Last year was Claraty Arts’ first time showing ceramics at our art show! Thank you Allison for what you brought to the studio!
Internship program
The success of Claraty Arts is dependent on the folks who help occupy the studio. Volunteers and interns are an essential aspect of keeping the studio running smoothly and consistently. There are two ways to get involved with Claraty Arts: one is to become a volunteer and the other is to become an intern. While the roles are very similar, interns are expected to complete a project that relates to our mission statement, with measurable goals and a product at the end. Volunteers can complete a project, but are not expected to.
Our internship program is a project-oriented opportunity to engage with a dynamic group of artists who are challenging the social boundaries imposed upon folks with disabilities; social boundaries that prevent them to be perceived as equal, contributing members of society. At Claraty Arts, we believe every individual has inherent value to offer our communities and we seek to explore the diverse significance that occupies the studio. We acknowledge that today’s status-quo permeates from centering certain identities in our decision-making while leaving others out. We also acknowledge that the social practices keeping folks with disabilities marginalized and vulnerable stem from deeply embedded ideologies that have been passed down across generations; social practices that do not undo themselves unless we are aware that (1) they exist and (2) that there is both mental and physical work to be done in order to reverse them. We ALL have work to do if we truly seek to uncover and undo the ideologies that keep a broken society fastened to reality.
From this point, we can begin to think of solutions, of different ways to do things; we can change our direction from pity to passion and creation. And we get to do it through the use of art and creative expression!
Claraty Arts is looking for highly-motivated individuals with a passion for learning, engaging, creating, sharing, and building - both physically and socially. We hope to attract folks who have, or want to develop, goals and dreams for their own future and the future of sentience on this planet
No human is left behind in our visions for a better, more equitable future. We believe art is the best way to explore, interrogate, and process these ideas, and that through art education, production, and expression we can provide a structure for adults with disabilities to think about their goals, dreams, and desires in this lifetime. By giving folks with disabilities a safe space to re-assess, redefine, and re-assert themselves for themselves, we can begin to uncover and break down the social barriers that prevent us from perceiving each other as equals.
‘‘We have this studio to show that we are no more unique or ordinary than anybody else.’’ Marshall Woodall, Claraty Arts studio artist.
If this sounds like it might be a good fit, click below to learn more about the program and how to apply!
join mainstream support, inc. as a support staff
Since 1994, Mainstream Inc. has committed itself to the equality and empowerment of developmentally and intellectually disabled people. Our company balances a strong work ethic with a laid back approach. This allows us to focus on what matters: supporting our clients as they lead the lives that they choose.
OUR PROGRAMS include Supported Living Services, Independent Living Services, and the Claraty Arts Project. We serve clients in Santa Cruz, San Jose, and Watsonville.
