Long Beach community members are invited to enjoy ice cream, live music, art activities and more to celebrate the 44th anniversary of Able ARTS Work, a local nonprofit that provides creative arts services to the community.
The event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Able ARTS Work’s Long Beach headquarters, 3841 Atlantic Ave.
Able ARTS Work was established in 1982 by founder and CEO Helen Dolas as a nonprofit that aims to provide inclusive programming for individuals with developmental disabilities and autism through the creative arts, according to its website. Its mission is to provide lifelong educational, vocational and therapeutic services through the creative arts for people of all abilities and ages in an environment that’s warm, encouraging and inclusive.
The nonprofit, according to its website, offers three adult day programs in Long Beach, Hawthorne and San Diego; a community engagement program, which delivers visual art and music education workshops to people of all abilities and ages; a mobile arts program that provides one-on-one creative arts education to individuals with developmental disabilities; and a creative health and wellness clinic, among other initiatives.
Able ARTS Work also has a gallery showcasing original artwork and handmade items designed by current and past students at the Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave., in Bixby Knolls. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. The nonprofit also offers community workshops at the space and is open to the public during “First Fridays.”
Able ARTS Work exhibit “Carlos & Cristina” opened at the EXPO Art Center on May 3. (Courtesy of Able ARTS Work)
Featured artist Carlos Arredondo standing in front of two of his pieces, 2024’s Chollo Fish (Left) and 2013’s Teeth n Lips (Right). The opening of the current “Carlos & Cristina Exhibit” was May 3. (Courtesy of Able ARTS Work)
Able ARTS Work’s new permanent building is located at 3841 Atlantic Ave. A community open house and grand opening will be held on Friday, June 7. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Artwork by current and past resident artists at Able ARTS Work is reprinted onto items, such as socks and tote bags, which are for sale and provide artists with a commission. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Able ARTS Work gallery is located at the EXPO Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Able ARTS Work creators in the gallery. (Photo courtesy of the Able ARTS organization).
Able ARTS Work creators in the gallery. (Photo courtesy of the Able ARTS organization).
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Able ARTS Work exhibit “Carlos & Cristina” opened at the EXPO Art Center on May 3. (Courtesy of Able ARTS Work)
“Able ARTS Work is always leaning into what’s going on in the community; we’re always referencing what’s happening within the arts and how we can include our service users,” Kristy Glass, senior director of community advancement for Able ARTS Work, said in an interview. “We’re always looking for creative ways to create inclusive paths in the arts for our students and for the community.”
To celebrate more than four decades of empowering artists of all abilities, the nonprofit will host its ice cream social fundraiser on Aug. 29. Able ARTS Work has a long history of ice cream socials, Glass said; they happened often when the organization first started.
“Our CEO, Helen Dolas, started the organization 44 years ago and the ice cream social was a really fun hit then,” Glass said, “so I thought when planning this event that it would be really fun to look back at our history and embrace an event that was so popular in the past when the organization had first opened.”
The event will have live music, a silent auction, limited edition merchandise, creative arts activities, a zine library and an ice cream truck. The organization will also present the Dr. Ami & Remo Belli Humanitarian Award to a group that aligns with and reinforces Able ARTS Work’s mission.
“There will be items made by our students, some really beautiful ceramics for sale, and some really fun textiles and items with ice cream art,” Glass said. “We’re going to have music; one of our student musicians will be playing keyboard, and we will have a band playing some classic rock hits acoustically in our parking lot.”
The ice cream social fundraiser will support the organization’s “Capital Campaign: A Home of Our Own,” and help the nonprofit reach its annual goal of $250,000. The Capital Campaign began four years ago, Glass said, when the organization bought its building on Atlantic Avenue. The nonprofit worked to pay off the construction and is now working to pay off the building. The sooner that’s done, the sooner more money will be available to help reinforce Able ARTS Work’s services.
General admission for the ice cream social fundraiser is $25, but individuals can also make other donations as well. To get a ticket, visit ableartswork.org.
Other ways to support Able ARTS Work are by attending workshops, visiting the gallery, purchasing artwork and checking out its website.