A.R.T. Youth Arts Program Launch with Vernon Davis October 28, 2011

NFL tight-end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers will help launch the community-based A.R.T. Ambassador Youth Program, at an art reception where the football pro will unveil 13 of his original paintings. A.R.T is a four-year arts education program to benefit deserving Bay Area students. A.R.T. is partially funded by Vernon’s Davis Family Foundation.

The A.R.T. Ambassador Youth Program is a four-year curriculum geared towards high school students who demonstrate a genuine interest in the arts. Students will chose a concentration from areas including music, the visual arts, dance, film, photography, drama, the literary arts while being immersed in a three-month curriculum annually. Each year, students develop their personal and professional skills using art as a launching pad. A key aspect of A.R.T.’s curriculum is that it fosters leadership among the student participants who take turns mentoring one another.

Vernon Davis attended the University of Maryland where he majored in studio art before being drafted in 2006. He is a two-time team captain for the 49ers, a recipient of the Len Eshmont Award as the club’s most inspirational player and was selected as an NFC starter in the Pro Bowl in 2010. Among the charities The Davis Family Foundation supports include: the Vernon Davis Visual Arts Scholarship in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission; Starkey Hearing Foundation; and The Sound Mind Sound Body football academy which helps provide college scholarships to deserving high school football players, the 49ers Foundation; and House of Grace which aids addicted, abused or homeless women who are rebuilding their lives.