The Charles Surendorf II Art Foundation's mission is to inspire young, aspiring artists in our nation's high schools. We do this with assemblies, exhibitions, and two week-long workshops exclusively for and at high schools, using the art of Charles Surendorf II as a springboard, while teaching his unique block printing technique.
We work directly with schools and the community to make these events happen and include local artists when possible to create a celebration of the arts within the community. Our program consists of the following:
- Guest lectures to schools who would like an overview of Surendorf's experience as a WPA artist, and the lecture can be customised to the event the class is having in the history of different states and or art mediums.
- Two week-long workshops within the high school for interested students, where they will learn the woodblock carving technique Charlie used throughout his life. Students will make their own block, which will be printed using a letterpress much like the one Charlie used throughout his life. The student will keep his or her carving along with the print.
- Week-long up to two month exhibition of Charlie's works in a local gallery or art venue, hosted by Cindy Surendorf, where she tells some of her favorite stories about her father.
- Awards to one student from each workshop based on community involvement and sponsorship funding.
- Closing exhibition of all students' works alongside Charlie's either at the school or at a nearby location.
- Announcements of awards to honored students on our website.
The Foundation provides materials for free to the schools. Starting 2013, host, Cindy Surendorf is working on grants to pay for her time involved in the programs at the schools. She will continue to donate her time to the Foundation's mission. We work with local community sponsors to bring this event to the school and community. For smaller communities, we strive to bring multiple local communities together, if possible, in order for all communities in an area to enjoy a celebration of art.
If you are interested in sponsoring an event or getting involved with the Foundation, please see the content under the Get Involved menu
