The Issue: Underexposure to the Arts

In 2008, all 18- to 24-year-olds, regardless of their childhood socioeconomic status, were less likely to have received a childhood arts education than people who were in the same age bracket in 1982, according to a survey sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). When teens and young adults have access to arts education, whether in or out of school, they tend to earn better grades, become more civically engaged, and develop more ambitious career goals, according to a 2012 NEA report.

The Campaign: Buying Drying Rack for Silk-Screen Printer

If this Grassroots campaign raises $700, then The Vera Project can purchase a medium-sized mobile drying rack for a silk-screen printer in its community studio. Each additional donation will be used toward the purchase of a new silk-screen printer ($1,400) and a new lighting grid ($2,000) for the gallery.

More than 250 people of all ages learn the art of silk-screening each year at The Vera Project's silk-screen studio. Along with a Silkscreen 101 course held three times a month, artists can also take more advanced lessons, such as the multicolor garment class that teaches students to use the multicolor press. After completing the prerequisite classes, artists can also work on individual projects during open-studio sessions.

You can follow the progress of this and other Grassroots campaigns at the Groupon Grassroots website.