Macalester students and artists from around the Twin Cities will come together on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Black Dog Café for the first annual ArtReach Cabaret for Kids. It will raise funds for the ArtReach Foundation that uses art therapy to help heal children from the former Yugoslavia.

The event will include a silent art auction, a performance cabaret and a variety of hands-on artistic experiences such as massage, henna, origami and jewelry making, as well as a chance to meet ArtReach Foundation founder Susan Anderson.

The art for sale includes work from professional St. Paul artists, as well as students and youth. The performances feature spoken word artist Desdamona, modern dance/drums group Alter Destiny and a variety of new and established performance groups from Macalester.

The initiative for this event came from senior Andrea Halverson’s experience working with Serbian orphans in Italy in the summer of 2002.

“The kids were freest when they were making art—they were able to express what they were unable to express otherwise and it was so important to their happiness and quality of life,” Halverson said. “Arts give kids the chance to be alive. It is the number one way to heal.”

It wasn’t until she learned about the ArtReach foundation that Halverson’s experience in Italy transformed into a desire to act.

Inspired by the energy and commitment of Anderson, Halverson wondered what she could do to help.

“Something I realized while in Italy was that financial resources are so scarce for arts groups in poorer regions,” Halverson said. With this in mind, she recruited a group of inspired volunteers with a common interest in arts therapy, including visual and performing artists, and the Cabaret for Kids project began.

The group desired to make arts a part of every stage of the project. Beyond fundraising to help support distant and needy communities, the group aimed to evoke the creative potential of the community they currently live in. It views the Cabaret as a way to bring together many diverse groups—student and professional, artist and art lover—and provide them with the opportunity to connect with one another while enjoying the arts.

The Cabaret has also inspired other projects. Planning the event has brought together an active group of Macalester students who are passionate about arts therapies and have made contact with local practitioners. They have also been able to witness the life-changing work of the foundation. Other initiatives are planned for after the Cabaret, including more fundraising events, community outreach and a coalition to increase awareness of and opportunities for arts therapies at Macalester.

The Cabaret is co-sponsored by the Community Service Office at Macalester. Aside from Halverson, there are six other students working for the Cabaret, including Johanna Hall ’04, Amy Voytilla ’04, Courtney Dicmas ’06, Stephanie Raill ’06 and Jennifer Wichman ’06.