After-School Special

Bethany Joy Adams lives up to her name inspiring school-age children.

True to her middle name, Bethany Joy Adams uses a playful process to make art a happy experience for the kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County. Adams, who also engages in community art shows and service projects outside work, describes her vision as “expressing joy through painting vibrant abstracts, flowers, and inspirational quotes.” Armed not only with a will-do attitude but also with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a teaching licensure from Brevard College, she’s celebrating her second anniversary this month as the Boys and Girls Club’s Art Director. Adams notes that her painting process “involves several layers” — she doesn’t consider her canvas complete until the piece is “harmonious and bursting with joy.” She understands that the kids she encounters at the nonprofit’s after-school program come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and home experiences, and, as with all children, may be “outgoing or shy, athletic or artistic, happy or sad.” Through a fun, spontaneous approach, she hopes to make art relatable to all of her students. “Sometimes they may not be able to see a lot of joy in their personal environment … many of them experience challenging situations,” she explains. “They deserve to have a safe environment in which to express themselves.”

For more information, see bethanyjoyart.com and bgchendersonco.org.

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