Cultivating Creativity Through Community

New Joy Arts is launching a new a monthly gathering to explore the connecting power of creativity in community. Designed as a modern take on the intellectual & artistic salons of the past called: 

Flourish Gatherings: A Creative Community Gathering for the Common Good

Join others for an evening of thoughtful discussion, encouraging community & creative discovery as we focus on ways to live meaningful lives of flourishing in our disconnected modern world. 

Each month these creative salon gatherings will focus on a shared aspect of our daily experience with the aim to explore ways of engaging life with purpose and cultivating our connections to others.

This month’s focus is “Reclaim Your Calm” where we will be looking at how brain science, creative practice and community combine to help us connect in this current climate of disconnection & anxiety.

Thursday August 28th, 7-9pm in Roseville, CA

Registration includes small bites, beverages & materials for creating.

Cost is $28 per person or $46 for 2

‘Pay what you can’ scholarships are always available for every New Joy Arts program so don’t let cost keep you away!

Not local? We will be offering an online gathering soon!

Back-to-School & Back-to-Partnering!

This fall New Joy arts will continue to partner with Folsom’s Hope to offer weekly arts instruction for the student in the elementary after-school program geared towards helping students develop their social & emotional skills. This year we will also be adding a second day each week to create an arts program for the middle school program they are building.

New Pacific School in Roseville has requested that New Joy Arts return this school year to offer on campus classes for their TK-4th grade students & continue working with the 5-10th grade teachers to help them integrate the arts into their project based learning program.

Powerhouse Leadership College began a new class of interns this month for their 2 year residential program for older teens & young adults. New Joy Arts is continuing to collaborate with the staff to offer a weekly arts focused session for the current interns to develop a sense of their creative potential, internal self & relational engagement.

Upcoming Classes & Workshops

PARTNER WITH US!

There are many ways that you can help creativity flourish!

Take a class AND give to our scholarship fund to make it possible for anyone to say yes to creating! Just add a little extra to your registration anytime.

Donate art & office supplies you no longer use! We often have items that we need to restock or are waiting on our wish list. You can check it out & purchase items for us!

Become a Patron of the Arts by committing to give regularly to help New Joy Arts cover the costs of programs. We are currently in search of 10 new monthly donors who can give $25, $50, $100 or more. 

You can make creativity flourish!

Summer Spotlight

In June, I had the joy of sharing a week of art workshops with adults, youth & children with Restoration Ministries in São Paulo, Brazil followed by a week of Arts Camp with Oak Hills Church at The Studio in Folsom, CA.

Thanks to Patron’s support, our world is literally blooming with more creativity!

In Brazil, New Joy Arts hosted: 4 separate arts projects with over 60 kids (ages 3-12), 1 reflective drawing workshop for over 30 youth (ages 13-18) & 3 reflective drawing workshops for about 20 women (mostly mothers of the kids). All of the weeks workshops were focused on creating to discover & share what we treasure in life.

The materials used were purchased with donated funds & brought in suitcases from CA to give away to the participants in the favelas on the outskirts of São Paulo. Any supplies or unused materials were given to Restoration Ministries for the staff to use in their weekly programs in the favelas.

It was a full week of sharing & serving a wonderful organization dedicated to meeting their communities needs!

In California, New Joy Arts hosted 48 elementary students (entering grades K-5) for a week of storytelling through art making. Together we looked at illustrators who both create the art & the narrative of their books. It was a delight to invite the students to share their imaginative worlds with one another & see the sparks of ideas build fires of inspiration for creativity!

It is wonderful see how creativity connects us no matter where we are from or what our experiences in life have been. When people are invited to gather at the table to imagine & create, their unique voices & stories begin fill the space. What a gift it is for those stories to be heard, shared & valued at the table.

Through offering workshops like these, New Joy Arts has the honor of helping individuals & their communities discover the importance of using their creativity in living lives of deep connection & flourishing.

Want to support this work? New Joy arts is currently in search of 10 more monthly donors of $25 or more. Become a Patron & help creativity flourish!

Want to cultivate your own creativity? Join us in The Studio!

Click on the flyers for more information or Register Here.

Springing into Summer!

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Springing into Summer!What a wonderful start to the year we have had…THANK YOU for your support. 
Regular donations from faithful PATRONS makes the uniquely creative work of New Joy Arts possible

This Spring we partnered with EIGHT Community Organizations! 
With your support, we make the arts available to all.
Monthly supporters make our programs free to all in need & paying participants fund our scholarship program. 
Become a patron & grow our resources!

A mid year update on projects & partnerships in 2025:
January:  
Hart Winter Shelter, Folsom CAProviding 
8 weeks of free arts activities for winter shelter guests through March. 

Powerhouse Residential Programs, Folsom, CA
Launching 18 weeks of arts classes for residents as part of their curriculum for recovery, relapse prevention & social/emotional growth through May.
Offering 10 weeks of arts classes for the Leadership College Interns 
as part of their classes for leadership development & social/emotional growth. 

Folsom’s Hope, Folsom, CA
Supporting the social/emotional needs of elementary students for the 16 week STARS after-school outreach program through teaching the arts & collaborative curriculum design.

New Pacific School, Roseville, CA
Consulting & collaborating with teachers to provide arts resources that support subject integrated arts projects in their classrooms.

The Studio at Oak Hills, Folsom CA
Hosting monthly Open Studio sessions, managing the resources, volunteers & programing of this shared community art space.
February: 
Horizon Community Church, Roseville, CA
Consulting & creating art engagement opportunities for their community.

Oak Hills Church Youth Group, Folsom, CA
Hosting art workshops for small groups & events.

March: 
Intersections: Arts & Faith Conference, Folsom, CA 
Designing & facilitating an interactive community art piece for the annual ACT International regional arts conference. (pictured above) 
Leading a workshop on Cultivating Spiritual Imagination & a panelist for the closing session.

The Breath & The Clay Conference, Greensboro, NC 
Served as a volunteer & attended the annual Makers & Mystics arts conference. 

April: 
Powerhouse Ministries, Folsom, CA
Designing & creating an interactive community mural for the annual Dragon Boat Festival at Black Miner’s Bar, Lake Natoma. (pictured below)
COMING UP!
May: 
New Pacific School, Roseville, CAAssisting students to make Tie Dye T-shirts at the school’s year end celebration.

Open Studio & Garden Tour, Antelope, CAParticipating as an exhibiting artist & showcasing New Joy Arts programs.
You’re invited! Open Studio & Garden Tour Saturday May 24, 2025 10 am – 4 pm Antelope CA
June: 
Restoration Ministries, São Paulo, Brazil
Working with the local leaders to lead a weekend camp with high schoolers from Oak Hills Youth Group for children ages 3-10 & host 8 weekday programs in 4 favelas (neighborhoods) for children through 14yrs old.  Supporting the organization staff by teaching & sharing arts oriented programs they can use in the future.

Oak Hills Church Arts Camp, Folsom, CA
Designing & teaching a week of arts curriculum for kids entering grades 1st & 2nd to paint, print, and paste their own unique stories.

Would would like to help support this amazing work?
Become a Patron and make MORE creativity flourish!
DONATE
 
Cultivating Creativity with JOY!
Angela Houk
Founder & Director
New Joy Arts

Year End News 2025

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As this new year begins, I want to take a moment to THANK YOU for your interest and support of my work. It takes a special kind of community to make the unique impact of New Joy Arts possible. 

Thanks to our generous supporters, over 80% of our programs in 2024 were given away FREE to individuals and organizations serving those in need!

Art with guests at the HART Winter Shelter
Through collaborative consulting, custom program design, teaching classes, workshops, live art demonstrations & interactive community art projects New Joy Arts serves hundreds of individuals each year.

Here is a brief summary of projects & partnerships from 2024:

Hart Winter Shelter, Folsom CAOffering arts activities for winter shelter guests (photo above) Collaborating to create a photo booth mural for use at events & fundraisers. 

Powerhouse Ministries, Folsom, CADesigning creative practices & teaching weekly arts classes for residents as part of their curriculum for recovery, relapse prevention & personal growth.Designing creative interactive community engagement for special events.Speaking on the power of creativity (watch it here beginning at at 30:13).

Folsom’s Hope, Folsom, CASupporting the social emotional needs of students in their STARS after-school outreach program through partnering with them through teaching the arts.

New Pacific School, Roseville, CAConsulting with administrative staff & collaborating with teachers to design subject integrated arts projects for their classrooms.

Oak Hills Church, Folsom, CA Teaching fiber arts & clay classes for 4th-5th graders at Arts Camp. Creating a live collaborative art piece with campers for Arts Sunday Showcase.

The Studio at Oak Hills, Folsom CAManaging this shared community art space built by New Joy Arts & hosted by OHC.Equipping & encouraging local artists to share their gifts through low cost classes.Hosting free monthly Open Studio sessions for the community.

Shepherd of the Sierras Presbyterian Church, Loomis, CAConsulting & supporting the leadership in the growth of their arts programs.Creating a live collaborative community art piece for their first Arts Sunday Service.

Intersections: Arts & Faith Conference, Folsom, CA Workshop presenter & closing session panelist for annual regional arts conference.Designing & facilitating an interactive community art piece for the event.

The Glen Workshop, Seattle, WA Accepted as an Artist Fellow to the annual Glen Workshop hosted by Image Journal.Participated in the Writer’s Workshop Retreat & Visual Arts Open Studio Session. 

Institute for Arts Integration & STEAM, Westminster, MD Enrolled in the Arts Integration Specialist Certification Program Completing Certification in 2025!

Would would like to be a part of this amazing work in 2025?
Become a Patron and help MORE creativity to flourish!

DONATE 

Cultivating Creativity with JOY!
Angela Houk
Founder & Director
New Joy Arts

Giving Tuesday!

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Today is GIVING TUESDAY, an International Day of giving.
 Join the millions of people across the world coming together to celebrate generosity.

Support the work of New Joy Arts and cultivate creativity.

In 2024, we gave away more than 80% of our classes & programing to individuals & organizations working with at risking or low income families. 

Only through your generous support can we be so generous

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Support the work of CREATIVITY!
Give to New Joy Arts this Giving Tuesday.

BECOME A PATRON & DONATE HERE