When the Peoria area was named the worst region in the country for African Americans by the online publication 24/7 Wall St., Jonathan and Nikki Romain took notice.
That is when the couple decided to take their love for the arts and start a nonprofit to improve the city.
Nikki Romain is the executive director of ART Inc. Peoria.
“The arts can really transcend a child’s life. For my husband and I, it saved our lives. Even if you’re not going into the arts, that can help with public speaking, politicians, lawyers, attorneys everybody with theater and just building that confidence,” Romain said.
ART Inc. opened its doors in 2019 after the Romains bought the former Greeley School and transformed it into a center filled with various arts-based programs for Peoria youth.
“This is our way of having a sustained impact in the lives of kids where we don’t have to leave them. They’re not going to think about ‘what would Mr. Romain do?’ ‘What would Ms. Nikki do?’ Well, now they can come ask us because we’re here every day. We try to come down here during the programs and get our hugs and see what's going on.”
Romain said because the arts are statistically the first thing pulled when schools face budget cuts and are costly for many families, ART Inc. Peoria offers a pay-what-you-can system.
“They have a safe space. They’re not at home by themselves or in some other program where they’re bored out of their minds. They get to have their after-school friends. We give them snacks, so they get a meal. These are things they probably wouldn’t get if mom’s at work,” Romain said.
ART Inc. students gain experiences and learn about art through theatre, dance, visual art, sewing, knitting, robotics, coding and more through the After School Arts and Leadership Academy program. In this program, students also have time devoted to working on their homework with help from the ART Inc. staff.
Though it is not just the after-school program and summer program that make an impact. ART Inc. does an “EmpowHER Our Girls” program where girls between 11 and 17 years old learn about self-care, wellness and empowerment by listening to weekly speakers.
“So, these girls and these kids are learning not only different art skills but they’re getting these women who come from all walks of life to pour into them. We had the mayor come in and speak to our kids. We took them to Chicago and they got to talk to Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney,” Romain said.
Program Director Joy Holmquist said she loves working with the children and helping teach various courses that they otherwise may not have the chance to learn, like learning to play the violin.
“To understand that what we’re pouring into them sooner or later they will pour into their own community. So, if we do positive things with them and help them explore different things…. “Being able to see that and to pour into other and work with them inspires me daily,” Holmquist said.
Coriana Carpenter is a high school student herself and a youth leadership teacher at Art Inc. She assists the ART Inc. staff as they teach various STEM and Fine Arts classes and run the summer camp.
“I think it’s important for us to be advocates for the younger generation because they are the future, and we want to cater to them the most so they can channel their inner creativity and so that they can have a more innovative transition to the next stages of their lives,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter said she is currently taking various child development and psychology classes that she applies to her position at Art Inc. After she finishes high school, she hopes to take her experiences from Art Inc. and become a psychologist.
“My classes kind of like give me more insight when I’m working with the children here. So, it will be easier when I actually get my degree and actually move on. I think the Art Inc was really a blessing to have the experience to work with children and work in a field that I actually enjoy without having a degree,” Carpenter said.
William Butts is another ART Inc. student who said he enjoys Art Inc’s after school program and summer camp because of the unique opportunities he gets to do that go beyond what’s offered at school.
“I like to sew, I like to draw, and I like to paint and make candles. Those things are really fun, and I enjoy them a lot,” Butts said.
Lyric Yelverton said she has been an Art Inc student for nearly three years. While her favorite activity at ART Inc. is the dance classes, Yelverton said what stands out to her the most is her teachers and the environment they created for her all these years.
“They just accepted me with open arms and were really kind to me, and I appreciated that,” Yelverton said.
This appreciation goes both ways.
Co-owner Nikki Romain said it is typical for kids to run and hug her on a daily basis, expressing the joy they feel because of ART Inc.
Romain said one recent story about a student stood out to her:
“Sometimes he has bad days, and the other day, Jonathan saw he was having a bad day, and he walked him to the store across the street, and they were just talking. Then when he got back over here, he was like, ‘you know what, you’re like a dad because my dad is in jail, and I don’t get to see him.’ It’s just heartbreaking. But, those are the little stories we hear and those are the things we lay at night thinking about,” Romain said.
ART Inc's summer camp program includes different themes each week. If students missed the first week, there are still options to join between now and July 1... when the program ends.
More information about the camp signup is available at artincpeoria.org
