court & community schools partnership

Begun as a pilot program early in 2016, our innovative Court and Community Schools art program is produced in conjunction with the Napa County Office of Education. The program serves middle through high school students who’ve been truant or expelled from other schools, or are in the juvenile justice system.  All face very challenging personal lives. Art education at Nimbus Arts provides new outlets for self-expression and introduces art skills and trade training, all while our artists serve as mentors for the students.

The program activates and affirms our belief that art is transformative, enhances communication, and builds connections among people and within our community. Begun with a few dozen students, the program now serves more than 150 and is poised to grow further. The impressive results of our pilot program in 2016 led to a substantial grant award through the California Arts Council’s JUMP StArts program. The grant funded enhanced training for our artist-instructors to help them more effectively educate, mentor, and guide the young people in the program. Additional programming and enrollment expansion will continue to be added as funding sources become available. Nimbus Arts’ mission to bring art into areas of our community that can be elevated and empowered by creativity is being fully realized through this innovative and important program.