Located in the Community Studio at RedLine, The Morris & Joyce Price Art Bank is an art materials resource for RedLine’s outreach programs that serve students in need.

The Art Bank is an invaluable resource that helps artists in our community explore and thrive:

• It provides the foundational supplies for our Reach community art program, a free, inclusive open studio program for artists who are in recovery or experiencing housing insecurity.

• Art Bank supplies are also used by other local arts groups that use RedLine’s community studio throughout the week, including peer-to-peer recovery groups, artists from the St. Francis Center, and many more.

• Local students and teachers benefit from the Art Bank during school tours and while engaged in our semester-long EPIC Arts and Youth Art Mentoring programs.

We recently sat down with the Price siblings Morris Price Jr., Marlene Price, and Velva Price to learn more about the inspiration and history behind their parents’ generous and impactful Art Bank.

Watch the video and read the full transcription below!

VIDEO: Discover RedLine's Morris & Joyce Price Art Bank: An Interview with the Price Family

Morris Price Jr.:

I got involved in RedLine in early two thousands, mid two thousands, when I was invited by the former and the founding executive director, PJ Damico, who was the founding Executive Director.

Marlene Price:

And then I found out about it through my twin brother. And after he was on the board, he actually did a fundraiser for our mutual 50th birthday.

Morris Price Jr.:

The idea for the Art Bank came during just a casual conversation with PJ, and it was based on a newspaper article that my father saw that said the average family spends $300 or more on school supplies and art supplies.

And it just struck dad who had three kids who were grown, but that's an astounding amount for a family, especially those who don't have a lot of money. And when we were talking about what would be the goal of a 50th birthday, PJ said, "What about an art bank?"

At the time, it was going to be allowing kids to come get the free art supplies. But then it grew to having teachers (who we found were spending their own dollars)…and an even a better use of the funds was letting teachers come and get those supplies for free.

Morris Price Jr.:

I think one of the things we want to emphasize is that our family is not that unusual or unique from others. Our father and mother — with the means they had — tried to expose us to as many opportunities [as they could]: from coin collecting to scouting to various nonprofits that we were involved in as kids.

But it came from their own life and their own lived experience and how they could pass it on to us. And Velva being the oldest one was probably likely the first one who had to experience all of those various opportunities.

Velva Price:

The reason why I'm interested in RedLine separate from my siblings, the twins, is because both of our parents were involved in the educational system, and they both connected with the students.

They understood what the students wanted, but they also saw all the needs of the students. And this is a continuation of what they did after they both retired from their full lives.

In addition to that, they both came from the segregated south. And they certainly were impacted by the inability to access resources. And they made sure that we — and also all of our family members — had access to those resources.

Marlene Price:

There is a strong actual scientific link between science and art. In fact, there's a term now called STEAM, science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

A lot of people hear the term STEM. You got to add the art aspect. For most people, there have been brain studies talking about a direct link between success and art expression, and the success in math and science.

And when you see kids who don't get the kind of (to be honest what we got as kids), you don't realize until you get older how much that sets a foundation of what you think you can do and what you will do.

And in my career as an engineer, I did quite a bit of mentoring and I saw kids who got that exposure and those kids who didn't. And it does make a huge difference.

Morris Price Jr.:

The concept was initially so kids could get access to art. I would never have envisioned that the population using that bank is so broad and the impact is so deep.

To have met personally the teachers who utilized it, seeing the kids who came through during their own exhibit and showing their artwork to their parents, and then meeting someone who came through the community outreach room — I would never have imagined it would've been that impactful.

Marlene Price:

As the newest member on the Board of Directors, we're talking about how we can make sure we publicize and make sure people are aware of the art bank [and to] grow its reach by allowing other people not only take advantage of it, but what we learned even at the fundraiser, a lot of people didn't know it existed and they were so thrilled to hear about the difference it was making.  

And I’m looking forward to seeing some of the results from some of the students, and especially some of the artists who were struggling through their recovery and through their home insecurity and seeing the difference they can make on making a positive change to our community.

Morris Price Jr.:

I like the idea that in the Black community, there's a named opportunity. That our families — my mother and father's name — would go beyond our generation and encourage more families to think about naming things. Because look at the impact you have when you just put something small and the long term impact of it.

Their work, and life, and legacy aren't forgotten.

Donate to the The Morris and Joyce Price Art Bank Virtual Wish List

In order to provide support to RedLine's community art programs, The Morris & Joyce Price Art Bank relies on donations from generous community members like you!

New and used art materials and cash donations ensure that every student has the supplies they need on the first day of art class.