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An estimated 60 supporters of Spark! Creativity turned out at the Edmonds Yacht Club Thursday for an evening of stories, student artwork and fundraising. Teachers and teaching artists described how the young nonprofit is transforming classrooms across the Edmonds School District through art, with a particular focus on Title I and high‑needs schools.
Spark! focuses on addressing the challenges in Edmonds and greater Snohomish County, where rapid growth and budget cuts put arts education at risk. While the arts are mandated, many schools struggle to provide adequate class time for it. This leads to inconsistent access, particularly for students of color, low-income individuals and English Language Learners (ELL) students.
Spark! focuses on the proven role of arts education in improving student academic outcomes and overall well-being, while preparing students for college, career and life in the 21st century.
Emcee Scott McKinstry opened the program by thanking sponsors and attendees, framing the night as “a chance to learn a little bit more about what Spark! Creativity is about and the impact that you’re helping make possible in the classroom.”
Founded by Edmonds resident Tanya Sharp, Spark! brings professional teaching artists into schools that have had little or no regular art instruction for years. Now in its second year, the program has grown from a small pilot into a multi‑school arts initiative serving close to 1,000 students.
“When we last gathered, Spark was just getting off the ground,” Sharp told the audience. “At that time we wanted to see what happens when we bring professional teaching artists into classrooms where there had been little or no regular art instruction for years.”
“Because of your support from last year’s event, we now know the answer,” she added.
Sharp described how Spark! Creativity has doubled the number of students it serves this year and expanded into six additional Edmonds School District schools.
Among the schools now partnering with Spark are Oak Heights, Chase Lake, Cedar Valley Community School and Spruce Elementary, where an after‑school Friday art club is helping keep students in school on a day when attendance can sag.
“We’ve seen a real impact there,” Sharp said of Spruce Elementary. “We brought in an art club on Fridays, and that brings up attendance rates. Many students don’t go to school on Friday because it’s an early release day, so having these arts clubs after school on Fridays keeps them in a safe space.”
Sharp also gave the audience a clear picture of what it costs to sustain the work.
“Right now, it costs about $10,000 to fund about six classrooms of ceramics and visual arts for a year, which is around 360 students,” she explained. “If you break that down, that’s about $50 to fund one student for a year with arts programming.”
Last year’s fundraiser — combined with grants and community support — allowed Spark to reach an estimated 1,000 students, add four additional schools and deepen work with primary grades, Sharp said. But demand is still growing.
“More schools are asking us to come in,” she said. “These include Martha Lake, Beverly, College Place, Scriber Lake and more. But we need your help to get there, and that’s what tonight is all about.”
Two classroom teachers from Oak Heights Elementary — Erica Morgan (third grade) and Sara Eliza Kaleo (third grade) — brought the impact into focus with stories from their own students.
Morgan, who teaches at a Title I school, said her students’ enthusiasm is unmistakable.
“It’s so fun to see my kids’ work splashed up here on this wall,” she said. “They really enjoy the art, and more importantly, they’re experiencing something totally new — many had never done anything like this before.”
Kaleo shared handwritten reflections from her third‑graders about projects led by teaching artist Don Wesley, including clay mountains, a collaborative mural, album covers based on favorite song lyrics (for one student it was a chance to illustrate Tiny Dancer, her mom’s favorite song), and artwork inspired by Native American symbols.
But it was the students’ comments about what they learned from art that really underscored the impact:
“Art is for the brain to express myself.”
“There are no limits in art.”
“Art is about how it makes you feel.”
“You can express your feelings.”
“Art is interesting.”
“Don’t give up”
“This is an incredible gift that you all have given to our students here in the Edmonds School District, and we are very appreciative,” Kaleo concluded.
Next to speak was Spark!’s new program manager Puja Butail.
With more than 15 years of experience designing youth development, STEM and digital learning programs, Butail has been tasked with strengthening systems and support for Spark’s growing roster of teaching artists.
“For the past few months, I’ve been focusing on igniting growth with our artists,” she said. “Spark is unique because our artists come from all sorts of backgrounds with all sorts of experience and work in all sorts of media.”
Her efforts include developing a manual including detailed instructions on “everything from managing supplies to selecting projects with classroom teachers to developing curriculum,” providing training workshops, and forging shared vision statements.
“Spark! has incredible future growth potential,” Butail said. “Growth within our teaching artists sets a strong foundation for the organization’s success. Thank you for your support in helping us grow and scale where our impact can be felt in a deeper way.”
The final speakers of the evening, teaching artists Don Wesley and Brittany Cloyd, offered a glimpse inside Spark! classrooms and into the values behind the new artist and teacher vision statements.
Wesley — a painter, sculptor and mixed‑media artist — spoke about his own childhood and the transformative power of an art teacher who provided him with needed encouragement at the right time in his life.
“It meant everything to me to have somebody tell me that that’s cool, what you’ve done, and you’re gonna be okay,” he explained. “I want children to feel like the future is theirs and there is nothing blocking them.”
He went on to describe seeing these turning points again and again in the classrooms, calling them “the moment where everything shifts, where students move from doubt and uncertainty into confidence, where they stop asking if they’re doing it right, and they start creating something that’s truly their own, that represents themselves. That transformation is at the heart of our work at Spark! Creativity.”
Cloyd, a former Edmonds School District teacher with more than 15 years experience across multiple subjects, now has both a professional and personal stake in Spark! — her children attend Madrona K-8 and participate in the program.
She described the first in‑person gathering of teaching artists, where they shared classroom stories, lesson ideas and classroom‑management techniques, and talked about their own childhoods, why art matters, the positive things that come from children doing art, and the different skills that they develop.
“Yes, they make a really cool project that might hang on their fridge or go to a grandparent’s house, but even bigger than that,” Cloyd said. “They’re developing all these communication skills, they’re developing social skills, they’re learning how to see the world from a different perspective, and all of that bleeds into every other subject that they will take in school.
“We believe art education nurtures courage, critical thinking and connection,” she continued. “By putting students first and honoring diverse experiences, we create learning environments where creativity strengthens both individual voice and community.”
As the speakers wrapped up, McKinstry urged guests to make the most of the evening’s fundraising opportunities through a final visit to the silent auction tables in preparation for the live auction to follow. Organizers have set an overall annual goal of $50,000, aiming to reach an additional 1,000 students next year, with a more modest target of $5,000 for the evening to fund 100 students.
Top auction items included a one-night stay at Alderbrook Resort & Spa with a $330 gift card; a Gibson Les Paul Standard ’50s gold-top guitar benefitting Spark! Creativity’s first-ever music program; a family getaway to Great Wolf Lodge; a bronze sculpture titled Grace by New York artist Rebecca Clark; and a six-night Tuscany stay in Cortona, Italy. A pair of round-trip tickets on Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines, good for travel to North or Central America or Hawaii with no blackout dates, also drew interest.
Several higher-value items — including the airline tickets, Grace and the Tuscany package — will remain open for bidding online through April 30 via the event’s GiveButter site.
“We were incredibly grateful to see such a strong turnout from the community to support arts education,” founder Tanya Sharp said. “It really speaks to how much people care about making sure all students have access to creative opportunities. At Spark! Creativity, we believe the arts are not an ‘extra’—they’re essential. When students are given the chance to explore ceramics, painting, or creative writing, you can see their confidence grow and their excitement carry into other areas of learning. Events like this help ensure we can continue building that bridge, making arts education accessible to more youth as a catalyst for their personal and academic growth.”
For more information about Spark! Creativity, its school partnerships and how to contribute, visit the organization’s website here.
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