Newark Mom, Tamara Remedios, used art funding from the City of Newark to create Art Supply Bags for Newark preschool families. The art bags are bulging with supplies such as paints, markers, glue, tissue paper, scratch boards, dry erase pockets, and much more for children to create at home while they are remote learning.
Remedios has been leading arts classes for children aged 3-5 and their parents for the last five years in Newark through Cool CAT and another organization she co-founded called Newark Mommies. “I have made art a part of my daughters’ lives since they were months old and wanted to offer classes to other Newark families.”
Cool CAT was launched in the of Spring 2018 in partnership with Newark Board of Education’s Office of Early Childhood and with assistance from Newark Arts and United Way of Greater Newark. Cool CAT (CAT standing for Cultured Artsy Toddler) was created to bridge the gap between young Newark families and the blossoming arts and cultural scene in Newark.
According to Remedios, “In 2018, Newark was getting national attention for the arts community, but our families were not taking advantage of it. Family programming at institutions like Newark Museum and NJPAC were well attended by suburban families but we (Newark residents) were missing on the scene. So I wanted to change that through Cool CAT. I distributed monthly cultural calendars to preschool families and filled programming gaps with local artist partnerships through Newark Arts with new classes in performing, visual and culinary arts.”
“Newark Arts is proud to partner with the City of Newark and the Creative Catalyst Fund to support the Cool CAT Art Bag project for our youngest residents, ages 3-5. We’ve been a supporter of Cool CAT since their inception, and we applaud their mission to connect Newark’s families to arts and culture, especially during the current pandemic.” stated Jeremy Johnson, executive director of Newark Arts.
Due to the pandemic and virtual schooling, families have been forced to spend more time inside their homes. Remedios applied to Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s call for the city’s artist relief fund and became a recipient of the Creative Catalyst Fund. Within a week of posting about the Cool CAT Art Bags, families depleted the supply, and there is now a waiting list of over 100 families. Remedios is now appealing to friends with means and the community at large to Buy One Art Bag for their child and “get one” for a Newark preschool family. You can find ways to support this project here: https://www.coolcatnewark.com/artbagsupport/ . Families can join the wait list for an art bag here: https://www.coolcatnewark.com/freeartbag
