Artist Spotlight - Kris Kollasch

Artist Spotlight - Kris Kollasch

Author: Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona February 14, 2025 Duration: 34:55
In this episode of Canvas of the Heart, we sit down with Kris Kollasch, an artist who has been involved with Free Arts nearly since our inception 30+ years ago. She shares some of her favorite artist mentorship moments over the years, including the creation of the iconic “Trees Like Me” murals with student participants and fellow artist Linda Pullinsi. She also shares her perspective on the significance of trees in her art—and our logo—as symbols of strength, growth and grounding. Musing on the healing nature of our work, Kris shares that “Art heals. We are not therapists, but making art is therapeutic  Free Arts’ research-based program model, Art + Mentors = Resilience, helps children build the resilience they need to maintain personal well-being by connecting them with caring adults and creative activities that develop their personal skills and sense of self. Free Arts believes that healthy connections with adults create change. Through partnerships with local child welfare agencies and shelters serving families, Free Arts is able to provide this intervention to children free of cost to program participants.  To become a Free Arts Volunteer Mentor, please visit FreeArtsAZ.org/Volunteer  Hosted by Matt Sandoval, CEO of Free Arts   Produced by Alvaro Morello   Music by Epidemic sound: Tell ‘em no by Flux Vortex, Free Throw by Timothy Infinite  Contact the podcast at hello@freeartsaz.org  Follow us at   Youtube.com/FreeArtsofArizona  Facebook.com/freeartsaz  Instagram: @freeartsaz  Twitter @freeartsaz  You can make your donations to Free Arts at FreeArtsAz.org/Donate 

Canvas of the Heart is a quiet space where stories of healing and creativity intersect. Produced by Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona, this podcast explores the profound impact of artistic expression on young lives marked by trauma, abuse, neglect, and homelessness. From its home in Phoenix, the organization pairs trained adult mentors with children and teens, using creative work as a steady path from pain toward resilience. Each episode offers a genuine look into this process, sharing voices and experiences that might otherwise go unheard. You'll hear about the legacy of this work not as a simple success story, but as a complex, human journey. The conversations within this podcast naturally unfold to reveal how a brushstroke, a written line, or a performed moment can begin to rebuild a sense of safety and self. It’s about the tangible ways art functions as a language for emotions that are too difficult to speak aloud. Tuning in, you become part of a wider conversation on mental well-being, the necessity of human connection, and the quiet strength found in making something new. This is more than a series about a program; it’s an auditory window into the transformation that happens when a caring community provides the tools and the space for creativity to flourish. The Canvas of the Heart podcast documents these subtle, powerful shifts, emphasizing that healing is not a solitary act but a collaborative masterpiece in progress.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 28

Canvas of the Heart
Podcast Episodes
A Chat with Matt the New Executive Director [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:44
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…
Happy Campers with Chanel Bragg and Beth Garrett-Coleman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:41
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…
A Story of Young Adult Empowerment with Jacob [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:02
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…
Empowering Young Adults with Paula Wilson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:19
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…
The Free Arts Theory of Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:02
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…
What is Trauma? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:16
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…
The Free Arts Story with Alicia Sutton Campbell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:11
Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of the arts to help children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Free Arts’ research-based program…