As a child, Bianca D’Arcangelo lived at Maritime Apartments in Bath. When the ArtVan pulled into her neighborhood, she found a sense of calm that could be elusive in her home with four siblings.
“I’m an artist now,” said D’Arcangelo, 27. “I think ArtVan really influenced my knowledge about how to use art to calm down.”
At the wheel of the ArtVan is Jamie Silvestri.
Silvestri used to work as an art therapist in clinical settings, including St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston. But she wanted to bring her work to kids before they needed more serious intervention. In 2004, she started a mobile program that brought her van full of art supplies directly to neighborhoods. Twenty years later, ArtVan is a nonprofit that travels to 15 neighborhoods in four counties. The program costs are covered by grants, donations or partner organizations. It is always free to the kids who participate.
“We’re really aiming and striving toward providing the resources …