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Art appeals to people everywhere and has been at the heart of all human societies. It transcends all ages, geopolitical, economic and social boundaries, and in the words of one great artist, "binds us together with invisible threads". In the Stone Age society of Australian Aborigines and the refined artificiality of ancient imperial China, in the elegance of 18th century Europe and the fast moving and complex world of today, art has attended on ceremony and religion, has reflected battles and romance, has given entertainment and most importantly, art has been a deep source of inspiration. It is through art that man has attempted to reach one another, to build peace and indeed on occasion ... to touch the face of God. |
 Concert Classical Guitarist Director and Founder, Art in Schools www.themercyfoundation.com |
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Imagine a world without art. There would be no Monet. No Rembrandt. No Sistine Chapel. A world without art would be a world of no color. It would be a world of bureaucratic architecture. A world without art would be a world absent the gentle mood of Beethoven's 6th Symphony and Bach's complex two part invention and Camille Saint Saen's incredible Piano Concerto #2 in D Minor. The family of art is broad and inclusive. From music, to paintings to sculpture our lives are richly blessed with the genius creativity of common man. Art has played significantly in advancing science and invention. Consider what Einstein said concerning his renowned theory of relativity... 
Art gives flight to the imagination. It speaks that which cannot be expressed. It soothes the mind and heals the heart. |
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Simply put, art plays a critical role in rounding out the life of a child and to give a child the gift of art is only to give that child one of the most significant and beautiful gifts in life. The way in which that gift is best given is through inspiration. |
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Such a gift was given to me by my family. As a child I was afforded opportunity to frequent museums, hear great concert artists and frequent the local symphony. It was an evening concert with Carlos Montoya that cemented a driving desire in a young man's life to become a classical guitarist. It was an afternoon in a museum of Rodin that birthed a desire to explore and live in a world of art in the same young man. That young man was me ... and now I have opportunity to visit with thousands of children a year in schools across the US and overseas, and share with them the same gift that was afforded to me. Art in Schools was an idea born out of the realization and concern that so many of today's youth do not have opportunity to see fine art and to understand it. They do not have access (by and large) to the museums and great music. In the face of tightening budgets and cutbacks, art programs all across America are being suspended in the local school. It is no mystery to me that study after study has shown that schools absent a focus on the fine arts consistently show lower grade averages. |
 (from The Christian Thomas Lee Collection of Fine Art) with this high school art student |
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In the final analysis, Art in Schools is actually a deep expression of my own heart. My desire is to spend a day in a school sharing and exploring the world of fine art through music and the showing of fine pieces of art. In this manner, I am investing in the lives of children and providing to them but another opportunity to discover within themselves the great creativity that exists within all of us. Art in Schools is about inspiration. Inspiring young people today to find, explore and manifest their creative potentials. An inspired life is a life with hope, direction and meaning. |
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The mission of The Christian Thomas Lee Collection of Fine Art is to serve in a collaborative process, with select schools and professional arts organizations, in integrating the fine arts into the classroom setting for the educational and inspirational benefit of children. It is through these collaborations that the application of Art in Schools will provide opportunity to children of all ages the joy of viewing, studying, and appreciating priceless works of art and music, that they may otherwise never see or hear, resulting in a unique avenue of creativity and inspiration. An inspired life is a life with hope, direction and meaning. This is our mission, to inspire children.  |
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