Art Bikes & Local Students July 2013

Recipient: Kate Warren | Art 120

Art 120 is a local non-profit organization in Chattanooga that was launched to enrich Chattanooga and the surrounding community through the creation, education, and celebration of art.

The organization put together several series of art bike workshops, giving students the opportunity to present a concept in front of their peers, safely use power tools, measure and cut steel beams, and learn how to weld properly from an experienced professional. The kids came up with some fantastic ideas and produced four really cool art bikes: a car, bike, or wheeled contraption that has had its appearance modified to take the form of art. The UNFoundation funded them to take thirteen young minds from Chattanooga to the Mini Maker Faire in Atlanta to show off their creations. They’ll be exposed to over 7,500 makers and guests, and they’ll have the opportunity to see a variety of possibilities for their future.

1 Million Cups Chattanooga June 2013

Recipeint:  1 Million Cups

1 Million Cups is based on the premise that it takes a million cups of coffee and the conversations that begin around them to build a strong entrepreneurial community. Bill Brock and Allie O’Connell visited Kansas City in March where the concept began through a program of the Kauffman Foundation. They started with just a couple dozen people, and has grown to be a weekly staple of their startup community with 250 attendees every Wednesday morning.

1MC Chattanooga kicked off on May 29th with a presentation by Joe Ledbetter of Chattanooga Whiskey. The UNFoundation funded badly needed chairs, a projector, and a screen that was previously being borrowed and scraped together each week from local non-profits. The results are already occurring and gaining momentum each week. New Chattanooga business are getting feedback from potential customers and collaborators. Future entrepreneurs are exposed to an array of types of businesses and projects and attendees are bouncing new business ideas off of one another. 

Mrs. Jessica’s Summer Camp May 2013

Recipient: Mrs. Jessica Lawrence

Mrs. Jessica Lawrence, a longtime resident of East Lake Courts, started a summer camp over ten years ago for the children in her community. She wanted to create a safe and fun place for children to be able to go for the summer months. While social services and education funding is being cut from municipal and state budgets across the United States, the UNFoundation was eager to fund such an awesome example of do-it-yourself community building.

The summer camp ran from May 28 through August 7, with the hopes of transitioning to an after school program. The camp was organized as a collaboration between the East Lake Courts Recreation and Community Center, Grove Street Settlement House, and the Chattanooga Housing Authority—all with the help of some critical volunteers including university students from area Universities and Colleges. A majority of the attendants were students from Clifton Hills Elementary or East Lake Elementary, where over 95% of students are receiving free or reduce lunches. The program provided a critical source of meals for breakfast and lunch each day, but also a place for them to continue critical learning through LEXIA, a computer-based reading program.

Summer Art Camp April 2013

Recipient: BRUSH Paint and Sip

BRUSH Paint and Sip is a painting part business based in Chattanooga.  The business is owned by John and Connie Tallman. John is an artist with over 20 years experience in art and teaching. Connie has over 20 years of experience in the business world. They offer classes to businesses, organizations, and individuals to folks that typically have no prior experience in art.

In coordination with the Glass House Collective, the UNFoundation funded BRUSH to offer a one-week summer art camp to some of the most vulnerable and under-served children in the Chattanooga community. It was free for participants and provided an opportunity for these kids to experience art in a way they had never before.

Edible Nature March 2013

Recipient: Beverly Bardin, a student at Ivy Academy

Beverly Bardin, a recent graduate of Ivy Academy, submitted an application to the UNFoundation to fund a cookbook that would be distributed to area students and community members. At Ivy Academy, students get a strong focus on the flora and fauna on the campus, giving the curriculum an emphasis on nature and biology.

For her senior project, Beverly created a cookbook of recipes from native plants that are indigenous to the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy adjacent to the school’s campus. The cookbook consisted of ten recipes and a list of different teas that will educate readers on how to use local plants to enhance both their culinary skills and a broader appreciation for the environment around them. She wants to make an impact on 310 young people by doing field trips and publishing the book for others to read.

Environmental Connections February 2013

Howard High School Graduates involved with this program

Recipient: Lookout Mountain Conservancy

The UNFoundation funded the Lookout Mountain Conservancy, an organization funded in 1991 with the mission to protect Lookout Mountain’s resources of scenic, historical, and ecological value through Conservancy, Advocacy, Recreation, and Education. The project we funded allows the organization to engage and partner with The Center for Mindful Living to provide an outdoor classroom experience for the students of The Howard School.

The program has two parts. First, Environmental Education, which teaches students about invasive plant and proper treatment, issues surrounding erosion, and restoration of land with native plants. Second, Personal Growth and Leadership Development, which gives students a medium to learn about themselves, their environment, and their classmates. Students are able to feel safe enough to develop skills to work with each other in an outdoor, non-violent environment. Connecting kids to the lands they live on has been a rewarding experience for this organization and the UNFoundation was excited to fund such a successful program.

The Musical Tree Quilt January 2013

Recipient: David & Yang Welch

David is a recent MIT alumni and Yang is an artist and design engineer. Together, David and Yang came to the UNFoundation and pitched an idea: a musical quilt that honors the flora of southeast Tennessee. They’ve combined traditional quilting methods with e-textiles and open-hardware embedded devices, creating a quilt that sings to the touch. They’re using their research to further their endeavors in e-textile crafting, open-source music, and research.

The project uses conductive and piezoresitive fabrics that ultimately comes together to create a unique instrument. The goal is to create a 4×3 feet quilt, composed of 4 panels, with each panel featuring a tree of special significance to the Southern Appalachians. They’ve organized a talk with a class of fifth graders and plan to present to other local schools as well.

Concert Music N.O.T.E.S December 2012

Recipient:  Music Therapy Gateway In Communications, Inc.

MTGIC is a non-profit 501c3 organization in the Chattanooga area with a mission of providing education and hands on assistance in the use of scientifically developed neurologic music techniques to help persons with special needs.

The UNFoundation funded an effort to present three performances of a solo piano recital, including a pre-concert lecture discussing neural effects of music on the brain. The result was a broader group of Chattanoogans are exposed to concerts and typical concert patrons gained an additional insight into music and a broader perspective of the role it can play in therapy.