Young people ages 5 to 15 will be showing off both their artistic and entrepreneurial sides at the 3rd Annual Art Gallery Night at Northport Community Learning Center on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 5-8 p.m.
“The first year that we hosted this event, we had about 130 pieces up on the wall, and we had about 180 last year. And we’re looking at over 200 paintings that are going to be on the wall this year,” Martel Chapman, Northport Community Learning Center program coordinator, tells Madison365.
“The first couple of years of Gallery Nights were really successful. We had over 300 people come through for the kids … a lot of supporters like teachers, community leaders, and friends in the neighborhood,” Pat Wongkit, the program director of Northport and Packer Community Learning Centers, tells Madison365. “They have been showing up to show support and they bought a lot of artwork from the kids. So that’s very exciting.”
“The money goes right to the kids … cash in hand. Last year, the total sales was over $1,500,” Wongkit continues.
“The kids learn how to wheel and deal a little bit, too,” adds Chapman. “They understand the business aspect of the art better than us.”
The Northport Community Learning Center serves hundreds of northside youth and families. Many of the students have formally invited their teachers, families and community members to come out to the Art Gallery Night event.
“For the Art Gallery Night, what I’m really looking forward to is having a place where we bring people together,” Wongkit says. “And as you know, we are low-income housing and a lot of times, people don’t think that we have the talents here, but we are bringing everybody here to our low-income housing at the Learning Center where they can see that we are not poor. We are rich. We are rich with culture, and with talent. It’s all happening right here.”
Wongkit started the art program in 2017 and she soon discovered that the kids were really enjoying it. Chapman joined the staff in June of 2022 to add even more to the art program for the summer and after-school hours at both Northport and Packer Community Learning Centers.
“Martel is a great artist and we together really get the kids into painting. Martell does oil painting, and I do acrylic and so we’ve got a lot of kids that have really gained a lot of skills over the years, a lot of interest, and they are having a lot of fun after school,” Wongkit says.
The young artists have been working hard throughout the year to produce the 200 paintings that will be on display on Wednesday night.
“It’s very important to us because, as you know, schools can be very stressful, so at the end of the day for them to be able to come in here and just relax and just enjoy painting, having fun and not even thinking about the stress, the homework, anything like that … it’s pretty cool,” Wongkit says. “The kids can just create art.
“It’s nice for them that they have the guidance right here at the Learning Center after school. We provide them with what they need and we’re here to support them and to guide them and to just teach them what they need to know. The kids are able to learn different techniques and we’re able to help them expand their ideas.
“It’s very needed for the kids and they are so proud of their artwork,” she adds.
Chapman agrees.
“Day to day, I just like seeing the kids come up with their versions of what we’re studying … we’re studying artists like [Jean-Michel] Basquiat, [Pablo] Picasso and [Vincent] Van Gogh,” he says. “We’re seeing them interpret it in their own way, learning so much more about the art, but about the artists, about the work, how the art is to be expressed visually.”
Wednesday’s Art Gallery Night will also have food, music, sweet treats, and beverages that will represent the diverse community of the people of the Northport Community Learning Centers.
“We have the residents are going to be cooking here. We’ll have four or five different dishes from different parts of the world because we have so many people from parts of the world here that live with us,” Chapman says. “It’s going to be a fantastic night. We look forward to it every year and every year it seems to get a little bigger.
“And the kids are so excited to show off their great work,” he adds.
Wongkit notes there will be plenty of convenient parking for the event and encourages community members to stop by for a quick visit or stay as long as they like. Prices of the paintings will range from $5-30 at Art Gallery Night. There’s no pressure to buy anything, Wongkit adds, she just wants to see the community come out and support young artists.
“But if you do purchase their artwork, 100 percent of the proceeds will go straight to the young artists,” Wongkit says.
Northport Community Learning Center is located at 1740 Northport Dr.
“We are bringing the art to the North Side. We just never had art like this. It’s a great thing,” Wongkit says. “We’re pretty excited and very happy that the kids are taking off with it.
“Art Gallery Night is a good opportunity to see what is happening in this building. It is a learning center where the kids are learning, where the kids come together every single day after school. It’s a good opportunity our neighbors to come on in and see what we are doing and what the kids do. We really want to highlight our students. A lot of great things are happening here.”
