Urban arts center kicks off grand opening

A number of communities along the Grand Strand are continuing to give back even in a weak economy. One of those organizations is the Abiding Village Urban Arts Center and Gallery. The non-profit gallery that helps at-risk young people get back on track with arts, music and dance kicked off its grand opening Tuesday evening.

News 13 spent the day previewing volunteers and mentors decorating the center for the big event. The center’s director Jessica Sagun said that about 5 years worth of panning and building went into the construction of Abiding Village so that at-risk youths can take advantage of the number of activates the center will have to offer for free.

“These are opportunities that they may not otherwise have,” said Sagun, “so we want to add value to the lives of these participants while adding value to this community by creating some cultures of diversity.”

News 13 also spoke with the center’s mentor Jamin Ortiz, who says that he once had a rough childhood living in Connecticut because both of his parents were involved with drugs which in turn made him get into drugs as well and hang with bad company until he said it was time to make positive changes for himself.

“I actually turned to art and to music for my childhood,” said Ortiz, “so for me growing up has a lot to do with the same things that a lot of the kids here are dealing with today.”

Ortiz went on to explain that the center caters to all types of youths that either belong toa broken home, or whose parents are no longer employed and are unable to afford outside extracurricular activates that can cost a lot of money.

“One of the ways I deal with some of the kids that I work with is that I can relate to where they are at their home life level,” said Ortiz, “I see connections between adults and students and kids that went through the things that I went through and to see them come out of their shell reminds me of me when I was a kid.”

News 13 also caught up with mother of two Cyndi Spearman’s, whose son she says has a passion for playing music but financial hardships made it difficult for her to provide opportunities for him to play.

“When the economy got so bad we just couldn’t afford the lessons anymore,” explained Spearman, “and for him to be able to come to a place like this and have the caliber of teaching that he gets has just been incredible for our family.”

For more information on how your child or any young person that you know would like to participate with Abiding Village, visit their website at http://www.abidingvillage.org.