My name is Josie Pritsiolas, and in 2023 I founded Project Creative. I started this initiative to provide outlets for art that are normally not available to students in underserved communities. Between 2022–2023, more than 2 million public school students nationwide had no access to any arts education, primarily in major urban or very rural, low-income communities (source: Performing Arts Alliance). This disparity in access to the arts is a national epidemic that I see greatly reflected in the NJ/NYC metro community.

I also know that visual and performing arts instruction improves reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and increases understanding through multi-sensory learning (source: Johns Hopkins School of Education). Even though access in these underfunded areas is limited, the benefits of an art education are proven to be imperative.

My primary goal with Project Creative is to bridge that gap in access and provide art supplies and instruction to underserved students in the NJ/NYC area. Through copious local fundraising, I gather new art equipment for local community centers (primarily in Newark, NJ, serving elementary-aged students & The Ronald McDonald House) and schools afar (like a rural elementary school in Guatemala). I also rally volunteers to visit and provide art lessons to the students, using their new supplies. Many of these lessons involve mentorship, goal-setting, and even celebration.

Project Creative is dedicated entirely to serving those who are underserved—using art as a medium of growth, connection, healing, and joy.