Participant Biographies and Project Descriptions

Rebecca Toft Van Dyke
Rebecca began pursuing her lifelong passion at age nine when she took drawing and painting lessons from professional artist, Athena Hall. She went on to study Fine Arts at the University of Southern California receiving a minor degree in art, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Rebecca has enjoyed teaching and mentoring children of all ages in the visual arts throughout the years. She founded The Arts Project, an after-school program for elementary students. Her credits and background also include exhibitions at several galleries, prize-winning paintings, membership in several civic art associations, and teaching reading and writing to K-7 students. Above all Rebecca states, “Teaching art to children is one of my greatest passions.  It is the thing I like to do the most.

For the past year through a Senior Artist Project Grant Rebecca taught art classes to youth, ranging in age from six to seventeen, who have been removed from their homes because of neglect and abuse. She volunteers at Casa de Amparo in Oceanside, a nonprofit residential center for youth. She states, “My goal is to provide a safe, non-judgmental place for the children to experience the joy of creativity and expression through the medium of drawing, painting, and paper crafts.” Rebecca will continue teaching for a second year hoping these arts experiences give the children a non-verbal vehicle for the exploration and expression of their feelings. This past year the staff at Casa de Amparo decorated the walls of the facility with the children’s artwork, giving the youth something to be proud of and to remind them of their strengths. Additionally, their artwork was displayed monthly at the Vista Art Foundation Gallery.