THE CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER
Kate Hushion
President and Founder, ArtCart
SUPERPOWER: Perseverance
Kate Hushion credits her parents for introducing her to art, which became her passion growing up. “I did not have a whole lot of art in elementary school, but I was a creative child,” she says. “I was inspired by Mother’s and Nana’s artistic ability.” Her graduate school essay was about bringing art education back to her community and the state of West Virginia, and she is accomplishing that through her mobile art program, ArtCart.
ArtCart began in 2016 as a pilot program through the Mid-Ohio Valley nonprofit Artsbridge, a connection Hushion had established while teaching art at Parkersburg High School. Wheels were put into motion, and the 501(c)(3), grant-funded program was launched. Kate wrote the grants and hired and trained teachers. Starting at one school, the program grew to eventually accommodate all 18 Wood County elementary schools.
After five years, ArtCart evolved into a corporation, and Kate was able to put her full focus into the passion project. The program expanded into three more counties as teachers were hired and the dream continued to grow.
Hushion and her team have provided a resurgence in art education, reaching more than 7,000 Wood County students to date. The program supplies inventory, curriculum, and instruction and, through more than two dozen different mediums, provides experience with the fundamental techniques of drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
During the 2023–24 school year, ArtCart will be in 26 schools throughout four counties, and more than 10,000 students will benefit. “This world can be chaotic, and art gives kids a safe place to explore new ideas and opportunities free of judgment,” Hushion says.
Written by Julie Perine
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