LaNora Long, Art Instructor – LaNora taught art for more than 35 years in the Fayette County Schools and now brings that light and experience to the boys at the Center every Wednesday of every week. Her counterpart at the Warren Regional Juvenile Detention Center is Ms. Callie Denham. LaNora has this to say about the boys she teaches at the Center:

 

My experience at Future Forward Education and Career Center has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. I have always loved and enjoyed teaching, but teaching these young men truly gives me purpose. One thing I want everyone to know that all these young men want and need is for someone to believe in them. They need to know they are not disposable. They want to know someone loves and cares for them. I pray for each and every one of these young men every single day. I pray for their success. Another thing they want is acceptance and consistency that someone will always be there for them. As my grandfather would always say “Just because you stumble doesn’t mean you have to fall.” In other words, if you make a mistake, get back up and persevere. I know I can’t save all of them, but if I can make a difference in just one of their lives, I would feel forever blessed and thankful. And one more thing, they ARE still children.

 

On the Move Art Studio - The boys are detained at the Center for a variety of reasons. Some stay for a while and leave. Others stay until they age out at 18 and are moved to an adult prison to serve out the rest of their sentence. The great majority of the boys have experienced ongoing, severe trauma due to poverty, abuse and neglect, parental absence, and living in violent housing and neighborhoods. This trauma affects their emotional and physical health and leads to entry into a violent cycle. The goal of the Center is to disrupt that cycle. We believe art is a vehicle to support them as they create a different life for themselves. We are honored to play a role in their personal revival.  

 

On the Move Art Studio is a nonprofit mobile art room that brings free art classes to children in underserved communities.  Launched in 2015, OTMAS has served over 45,000 children using its refurbished vintage trailer to provide art lessons directly to the communities where the children reside. The Co-Founder and Board President of OTMAS is Josh Nadzam.  For more information about OTMAS see www.onthemovestudio.org.

 

Kathy Werking, Former Executive Director of OTMAS – The young men at the Center may not be named in this exhibit, but their voices are strong in their artwork and words. The purpose of this exhibit is to bring their stories to the public so a greater understanding of their lives may take root. The pride the artists feel as a result of being included in this exhibit is enormous--and life-changing. 

 

Someone sees them. 

 

I am very proud of the work we’ve done, and will continue to do, at the Center. Our instructor, Ms. LaNora Long, is beloved by the students. And for good reason as she has poured her heart into every facet of this program. 

 

We thank the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice for funding this instruction and Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange for providing grant money to create this exhibit.

 

Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange – RUX is a statewide network that unites Kentuckians in common purpose through programs that strengthen intercultural leadership, narrative change and civic health.  See www.kyrux.org.