Empower youths with expressive arts

At Shutter and Strum, we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to explore their creativity, express themselves, and heal through the power of the arts. That's why we're bringing workshops focused on film/darkroom photography, art gallery curation and management, songwriting, music performance, and music blended with core subjects to middle and high school classrooms. But we won't stop there - we have also been working to provide our own locations for students to use outside of school. Our before-school and after-school workshops will create a space for students to practice mindfulness and explore their passions, ultimately inspiring them to pursue their interests in the arts. We've seen firsthand how these experiences can transform lives and we want to continue to make them accessible to as many students as possible. Our goal is to provide free access to these programs, with a special emphasis on serving at-risk/underserved youth in the Colorado Springs area. We want to offer artistic pathways for all these individuals— providing authentic relationships and mentoring through shared artistic passions, enabling students to overcome various difficulties and generational trauma through personal recovery. We offer safe and non-judgmental spaces that emphasize the visual and music arts as mediums for mindfulness, healing, and empowerment. But we can't do this alone. That's why we're asking for your help. By donating to our campaign, you'll be supporting the growth of our programs and helping us reach even more students. Your donation will go towards building and advancing our workshops, as well as providing scholarships for students who may not have the means to participate. We will also use these donations to fund recurring needs like equipment, monthly leases for workspaces, and daily commute expenses. Our team of Brian Tryon and Chris Bacavis leverages more than 20 years of combined experience in education. As a certified addiction counselor and photography instructor at Community Prep School (CPS) since 2016, Brian has taught various classes focused on manual and digital photography, photo editing, matting and framing, and art business. He has also taught courses and created pieces with an emphasis on visual arts, mixed media painting, acrylic, aerosol, and oil pastels. In March 2022, Brian opened an in-house gallery at CPS, called the Garfield Gallery, to publicly showcase the work of local professional artists as well as students. Chris is a teacher and multi-instrumentalist with experience in live performance, songwriting, and studio recording in multiple genres. His own time working at CPS (from 2017-2022) and the Colorado Springs Conservatory (since January 2023) has given him the opportunity to develop and teach classes in music performance, singing, recording and digital audio production, and lyric writing. He has also created and led courses in film music, mathematics and music, instrument repair and maintenance, and music for therapy. Together, we can inspire the next generation of artists, creators, and healers. Thank you for your support!