Our Accomplishments

The number of projects ArtWorks has offered to date measures our effectiveness and success, as does the number of apprentices who have participated in our programs. ArtWorks collects three-month follow-up data from responding apprentices who have completed our programs. This information helps us determine our program’s effectiveness in regards to the skills they have gained such as staying in high school until graduation, going onto higher education and/or gaining meaningful employment.

Additionally, Manpower, Inc. selected ArtWorks as one of its 2008-09 partners for its volunteer corps. Their employees are helping us better collect and assess our results data by attempting to contact as many former Apprentices as possible since our inception in 2001 to find out, “Where are they now?” and what impact ArtWorks has had on their lives and careers. We had a kick-off event on November 6, 2008, and hope to have the project completed by January 1, 2009.

To date, with over 50 successful diverse arts-based programs being completed by over 250 Apprentices since 2001:

• 75% have gone on to complete high school
• 51% have secured gainful employment
• 23% have successfully applied to other apprenticeship projects through ArtWorks

Additionally, ArtWorks is committed to being a collaborative organization, and all collaborations are recognized publicly.  In 2008 alone and in addition to Manpower, Inc., we are partnering with 3 exciting organizations:

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and their focus on the Harambee neighborhood: In addition to funding a part-time Program Coordinator position for a minimum of 6 months, LISC is currently funding 2 apprenticeships in our Fall 2008 program, “Milwaukee Posters & Printmaking.” In exchange for this funding, the apprentices must live in the Harambee neighborhood (zip code 53212), and an art work unveiling event, currently scheduled for January 16, 2009, must be held at a venue in the Harambee neighborhood. This collaboration is testing the waters for future partnerships, and could potentially lead to a full program being dedicated to the Harambee neighborhood.

Project Excel to support new Safe & Sound initiatives: ArtWorks has teamed up with Project Excel and received funding from the Safe & Sound organization to support three 2009 ArtWorks programs. As ArtWorks is not located in a Safe & Sound targeted neighborhood, we were not allowed to directly solicit funding for any programs located at our studio/offices. In working through this issue with Safe & Sound, we were introduced to Project Excel, which is located in a targeted neighborhood. Together, we figured out how a collaboration could benefit both organizations while bringing value to deserving teens, and put together a exciting plan of action. Our first collaborative program is scheduled to begin in March, 2009.

Over the last seven years, ArtWorks has established collaborative relationships with many Milwaukee organizations, including but not limited to: