HOW IT WORKS

UMAR, a division of Monarch, provides creative arts day programming at the UMAR Arts centers in Charlotte, Lincolnton and Reidsville, North Carolina. These centers offer fine-art vocational services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each center encourages creativity and self-expression through visual, performing, horticulture, literary, 3-D, cultural and culinary arts. Blending living skills, life experiences and community involvement opportunities, the arts curriculum provides a foundation for arts-based learning while working to identify and secure employment for artists who wish to work at galleries, gift shops, local markets or nurseries. Artists also have opportunities to show and sell their work in local galleries, shows and regular art sales. Proceeds from these shows and sales benefit artists and the UMAR Arts Program, and each artist gets to keep 40% of the sale.